Deep Time Diligence – A Conversation with Tyson Yunkaporta
Feb 11, 2025
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Tyson Yunkaporta, an Aboriginal scholar and author, delves into Indigenous understandings of time and place. He contrasts cyclical time with mechanized concepts, emphasizing our obligation to landscapes and future generations. The discussion highlights the power of storytelling in preserving cultural wisdom and collective memory, intertwining narratives and ecology. Tyson advocates for intergenerational dialogue as a means of data storage and governance, urging adaptability in facing contemporary challenges without romanticizing the past.
Tyson Yunkaporta emphasizes that Indigenous perspectives view time as a relational concept deeply intertwined with the landscape and environment.
He advocates for the importance of storytelling in preserving cultural and ecological knowledge, enabling resilience through diverse narratives and shared wisdom.
Deep dives
Indigenous Understanding of Time and Place
Indigenous perspectives on time are inherently tied to the concept of place, emphasizing that time is not a linear construct but a relationship shaped by the landscape and environment. Tyson Young-Kaporta highlights that traditional Aboriginal languages lack abstract nouns related to time, illustrating a worldview where time is inseparable from location and context. Instead of asking, 'What time is it?' one might inquire 'In what place are we now?' This relational view can enrich our understanding of ecological and cultural ties, urging us to view time as a dynamic process that enhances our connection to the earth and the stories it tells.
The Necessity of Right Relations
Establishing right relationships with both the environment and surrounding communities is crucial for fostering sustainable practices and responsible stewardship of the land. Young-Kaporta underscores that current global systems are failing, and many Indigenous ways of knowing hold keys to restoring balance by intertwining ecological knowledge with cultural narratives. By prioritizing deep time diligence, we can address contemporary ecological challenges while nurturing obligations toward future generations. He suggests that regenerating these right relationships could pave the way for new systems to emerge that honor both nature and community.
The Role of Technology and Indigenous Knowledge
Young-Kaporta contrasts traditional ecological knowledge (T-E) with modern technological frameworks, emphasizing that the former is grounded in longstanding relationships and sustainability. While conventional technology often disregards relational accountability in favor of rapid advancements, T-E encompasses designs that incorporate long-held cultural wisdom and are prompted by local contexts. Indigenous technologies tend to include built-in limitations that prevent over-exploitation of resources, ensuring that innovations do not compromise future generations' ability to thrive. This demonstrates the need for us to harmonize new technologies with processes that respect the ecological and social fabric of life.
Storytelling as a Means of Resilience
The preservation of cultural and ecological knowledge through storytelling serves as a powerful mechanism for resilience across generations. Young-Kaporta argues that narratives enable communities to store data and experiences, allowing diverse viewpoints to contribute to a collective understanding of reality. This contrasts sharply with the concept of 'wrong story,' where narrow narratives can manipulate perceptions and silence diverse voices. By highlighting the significance of accumulating various 'ignorances' into a cohesive 'right story,' communities can foster rich dialogues that evolve and adapt to changing landscapes, ensuring a resilient future rooted in shared wisdom.
In this interview from the archive, Aboriginal scholar Tyson Yunkaporta invites us into an Indigenous understanding of time as inseparable from place. He shares the ways Lore and knowledge are kept within lands and tribes over centuries, and how deep time thinking can help us feel our obligation to beings, landscapes, and future generations. With candor and humor, Tyson emphasizes the importance of story, data, and technology emerging from a place of “right relationship” if we are to usher in new systems of order amid the chaos of the current moment.