85: Re-enchantment with First Nations Worldviews

Dec 16, 2024

Mishel McMahon, a proud Yorta Yorta woman and Senior Research Fellow, sheds light on the importance of First Nations worldviews in reconnecting with nature and our ancestors. She discusses how modern mindsets have fragmented our relationships, advocating for a more cyclical understanding of time. Mishel emphasizes relationality—recognizing all beings as interconnected—and shares insights on how these perspectives can enhance health practices. The conversation culminates in a call for re-enchantment, urging a return to the essence of community and collaboration.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Reconnecting with Heritage and Nature

02:08 • 18min

Exploring Relationality and Collective Identity

20:09 • 2min

Ecosystems of Collaboration: Lessons from Zimbabwe

21:47 • 2min

Exploring Relational Thinking and Collective Mindfulness

23:28 • 2min

A Journey to Eco-Leadership Through Silence and Nature

25:56 • 2min

Nature, Grief, and Spiritual Connectivity

27:51 • 16min

Show Notes
In this conversation, Simon and Mishel explore the significance of First Nations worldviews, and how through the modern worldview we have lost our relationships to the land and wider ecologies including our ancestors. Mishel McMahon, a proud Yorta Yorta woman living on Djaara Country, northern Victoria, Australia, and shares her lived experience and her academic research to help us break out of our limited modern mindsets, where humans are the top of a chain of being, rather than part of an ecology of co-existence and interdependence.
She emphasizes the need to reconnect, the importance of relationality, and the concept of cyclical time. Michelle shares insights on how these perspectives can inform health and healing practices, and the conversation culminates in a call for re-enchantment and recognition of our interdependence with the world around us.

Reflections
First Nations worldviews offer a broader understanding of reality.
Modern mindsets often reduce our connection to nature and each other.
Relationality extends beyond human relationships to include all entities.
Cyclical time emphasizes the interconnectedness of past, present, and future.
Ancestors play a crucial role in decision-making and identity.
Everything in nature is infused with spirit, creating a sense of family.
Collective identity fosters collaboration and mutual support.
Re-enchantment is necessary to combat disenchantment in modern life.
Thinking is a communal practice, influenced by our surroundings.
Connection to place is fundamental for personal and collective transformation.

Keywords
First Nations, worldviews, modernity, relationality, ancestors, cyclical time, ecosystems, collective identity, re-enchantment, connection to nature

Bio
Mishel McMahon is a casual Senior Research Fellow, Violet Vines Marshman Research Centre and proud Yorta Yorta woman living on Djaara Country, northern Victoria. Through First Nations-led research Mishel positions First Nations worldviews, concepts and processes for application within the health and healing sector, and research methodologies. Mishel led the Victorian Aboriginal Research Accord project, an 'On Country' Aboriginal Youth Leadership Aboriginal youth mentoring: a pathway to leadership, Blak Butterfly: First Nations emergency care best practice framework Blak Butterfly and Replanting the Birthing Trees: Our Kids Growing Up Strong, Happy & Healthy.