Deep Dive: Onto-Shift Inspiration

Embodying Indigeneity

This deep dive describes the quality of the top right quadrant. In other words, it sketches out how Indigenous ways of knowing and being provide inspiration for the ontological shift needed to transition out of our current capitalist and colonial socio-economic systems (producing the metacrisis) and their upstream values of separation, extraction, exploitation and enclosure.

Embodying Indigeneity challenges dominant narratives that often view humans as separate and superior to nature. “Western” in this document refers to the hegemonic forces of Global North nations that were historically the curators of colonialism and capitalism. Western ontologies promote separation from and exploitation of nature. This stems from Enlightenment theories from Descartes’s separation of mind/body (Cartesian Dualism); to Newton’s metaphor of the world as a mechanical system and the idea of fundamental existence of a positivist, objective world made by discrete ‘things’. To sketch out what a lens of Indigeneity might look like, we draw on Indigenous ontologies as well as Post-Humanist scholarship. 

Embodying Indigeneity entails three key elements: First, the earth is alive. Indigenous perspectives tend to be Animistic – a way of relating to the world that attributes “animate” qualities to a range of human and non-human beings, such as the environment, animals, plants, spirits, and forces of nature like the sun, moon, winds or oceans. Nature and culture/society fuse into one another.

A Western iteration of Animism is Gaia theory which popularized the idea of Earth as an animate, living and self-regulating organism​. These observations have been “reinforced” by scientific developments shedding light on the “self-organizing/smart” structure of living matter. For example, the symbiotic relationship between the soil, fungi, and plants show how trees/plants communicate through their roots and vast underground networks of mycelium. 

Second, the world is inherently interrelated. Indigenous ontologies highlight the importance of interconnectedness, relationality, mutual care, stewardship, and a sense of duty towards all life forms. The self isn’t conceptualized as an insular entity; instead, it’s seen as a nexus within a vast network of relationships—extending to other humans, the natural world, ancestors, and even future generations. Radical relationality has also been explored by Post-Humanists and Eco-Feminists in their critiques of the binary logics of Western paradigms that foster exploitative hierarchies, marginalize Indigenous voices and harm the environment. For these scholars, interconnection is not an abstract academic notion; it’s a lived reality that informs daily practices, rituals, and worldviews. 

Third, indigeneity means being in relationship. Indigeneity is not static. Indigeneity is not just a fixed identity or a label; it’s an active engagement, a continuous act of reaffirming one’s relationship with the world, the community, and oneself.  Moreover Indigeneity is a political stance that is in resistance and revolution to the forces of homogenisation, colonization and destruction that are at the heart of the metacrisis. It’s a dance of mutual recognition and respect, deeply rooted in histories, stories, and shared experiences. The ethos of radical care is an active, ongoing commitment to the welfare of all beings, recognizing the intrinsic value in each and the duty to protect and nurture. 

In sum, these more relational, animistic and lived paradigms emanating from Indigenous ontologies and explored in Post-Humanist scholarship, reshape our understanding of belonging and community, thus reorienting us towards a more inclusive, sustainable and communal future.

Read more: Embodying Indigeneity (Culture Hack Labs, 2024). 

Decolonial Commitments

Before finishing, three political, ethical, and epistemological commitments are important to note when sketching out Indigeneity as inspiration for the ontological shift. First, it is pivotal to tread cautiously when discussing Indigeneity, ensuring we avoid the pitfalls of monolithic interpretations. Indigenous populations, while sharing some collective histories and values, exhibit a rich diversity that stands in stark contrast to cultures that have been molded by the forces of individualism (as outlined in the context).

Second, we propose cultivating a more animistic and relational way of relating to the earth should become common sense. The question of non-Indigenous people reframing their relationship to land in ways inspired by Indigenous perspectives is complex and involves considerations of respect, cultural sensitivity, and decolonization. The more than 500 years of ecocide and genocide continue today – the erasure of Indigenous peoples is not something of the past but seen in the continuation of land-grabbing, wage slavery and continual assimilation of the planet under capitalist value metrics that play out along settler colonial power asymmetries that place Indigenous ways of life ever more at risk.  Finding inspiration from Indigenous knowledge must come with a deep commitment and responsibility to defending land, relationships and the web of life from the unrelenting forces of extractivism.  

Third, as we navigate this terrain, it’s imperative to remember that decolonization is not merely a metaphor. Decolonization is a tangible, active commitment to dismantling oppressive structures and the actual return to land.