S05E07: Indigenous Wisdom for Planetary Healing with Yuria Celidwen

Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery

Yuria Celidwen, a Nahua and Maya scholar and UC Berkeley postdoctoral researcher, shares how Indigenous wisdom offers pathways for collective healing beyond colonial mindfulness practices that prioritize individual benefit over community wellbeing.
• Identifying as a "truth bearer" from Maya tradition, Celidwen bridges Indigenous epistemologies with academic research
• The mindfulness movement has colonial roots, extracting Eastern practices while severing them from community responsibility
• Indigenous sciences engage in "intersubjective dialogue" with subjects rather than treating them as inert objects
• The doctrine of discovery established belief systems of domination that continue to impact Indigenous peoples
• Historical distortions by missionaries and colonists undermined Haudenosaunee matrilineal systems and traditional practices
• Indigenous knowledge uses metaphor, poetry, and ceremony to express complex scientific understanding
• Young people increasingly recognize the value of Indigenous perspectives in addressing climate emergency
• Transformation requires composting old narratives of purity and domination to create new ways of being
• We're never alone in this work - we carry ancestral wisdom and plant seeds for future generations
Find Yuria Celidwen book "Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-Being" to discover Indigenous-inspired practices for reconnecting with the more-than-human world.
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View the transcript and show notes at podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org. Learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery on our site DoctrineofDiscovery.org.

Chapters

1. Introduction to Indigenous Truth Bearer (00:00:00)

2. Challenging Colonial Mindfulness Practices (00:05:45)

3. Indigenous Sciences vs. Western Extraction (00:14:15)

4. Haudenosaunee History and Christian Disruption (00:19:25)

5. Metaphor, Language, and Indigenous Knowledge (00:32:10)

6. Pathways Forward: Honoring Indigenous Wisdom (00:40:40)

7. Closing Thoughts on Transformation and Hope (00:48:15)