How Indigenous Knowledge Connects to Science

Welcome back to Sovereign Innovations with your host, Cheyenne Bearfoot!

In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of Indigenous knowledge and storytelling. Have you ever wondered why January 1st marks the New Year? What if I told you that Indigenous peoples had their own unique calendars?

Join us as we explore how the Navajo, Mayan, and Laguna Pueblo calendars are intricately tied to the cycles of nature and community needs. Discover the ancient art of petroglyphs and how these 'stone stories' serve as scientific markers and cultural narratives passed down through generations.
Meet Kurly Tlapoyawa, a scholar and archaeologist, sharing his insights on the profound connection between petroglyphs, pictographs, and Indigenous storytelling. He’ll explain how these symbols go beyond mere art, offering precise mappings and astronomical observations.

From the Petroglyph National Monument to the White Shaman Cave in Texas, we reveal how Native ancestors captured and conveyed their vast knowledge of the earth and sky. Let's celebrate the wisdom and innovation of Indigenous peoples and see how their stories continue to shape our understanding of the world.

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And keep up with Sovereign Innovations and PBS Voices on:

[TJtheBee]

I hope this isn’t the end of discussion for Indigenous issues on this channel. I think it’s important that we elevate voices of Indigenous people; we’ve silenced them for too long. There’s a lot to learn and to teach.

[xDianaMoonx]

Please, we need another season! Thank you so much for having this series and putting in the work you have. I didn't think watching this one and your final words would get me emotional but it did. I loved learning new things and supplementing what I have learned about the indigenous world through this series. Thank you again.

[Hellfiresfury]

As someone who's family was taken and hidden from our heritage to protect the children (my mother) from being stolen during the 70's, who was raised being told to 'know and be proud you are indian inside, but dont tell anyone that you are indian on the outside', learning that little family quirks and stories have deep connections to a culture we were kept from has been eye opening. And finding my way back to to the culture has been deeply important and healing for me. Media such as this has been one of the many stepping stones on my road of reconnection. Thank you, from the deepest places of my heart. I always felt lost and out of place until I began to rediscover where I came from. You have all done very important work with this series, perhaps even more than you'll ever really know, and I sincerely hope you can continue to do so.

[BlinkPopShift]

It's over already?! Omgosh. I need more. I was born on turtle island but I am not indigenous. I want to learn more about ways to "immigrate" to, live with in, and speak the languages just as I would if I immigrated to Nigeria or Japan.

[ganjjabarsmedium]

When I see a PBS channel I’m not already following, I IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW IT. PBS offers so much knowledge, I appreciate every channel they offer 🙌

[brooklynnchick]

My great^2 grandfather is Saàmi, Indigenous Scandinavian; he settled among the Salish and Kootenai Peoples in Montana, USA. I love learning from other Indigenous people, we have held so much wisdom about our world; it breaks my heart that so many and so much of it has been silenced. Blessings from the US!

[brianortiz]

More indigenous knowledge content please 🙏🏽

[joevampire]

I will be incredibly devastated if this is the end of the series. This has been a source of comfort after losing my grandmother, who was my real connection to my tribal heritage. Without her around it feels like I have lost a part of my identity. Seeing many types of indigenous representation and knowledge being shared makes this an important series that I really hope continues.

[StephPerla]

Wado! Thank you Cheyenne for being a teacher and a fellow student throughtout this series. I hope this isn't the end but either way I'm so grateful for this time together.

[CSHallo]

PBS, please give this another 2 seasons. More is fine, also!

[v]

Survey done! I didn't realize that this was a short series, and I cried when I realized it was.
Thank you so much for hosting, Cheyenne, and I hope to see a lot more indigenous content on PBS

[ShannonKWard]

I would love to see this show become an ongoing show rather than just a limited series! We need way more content like this.

[voiceineheadphones]

Loved this series - we need a second season!
One major issue though, which is those White Shaman paintings are NOT Nahua but a different proto-culture with more in common with the Wixarika. It isn’t the same due to time and migration, but clearly has ties.

[lmeeken]

As a (settler) teacher of future art teachers, who works to center contemporary Indigenous voices in his curriculum for a settler-majority population of future art teachers, this video series has been illuminating and essential - I hope you get to do more of these!

Obviously the priority is the value these videos have for Indigenous viewers to see and be seen - but these videos also have a larger and potentially transformative impact for settlers who need to better recognize Indigenous peoples and cede (literal and figurative) space to them.

[a_d_a_m]

Thank you for sharing this video, I hope you make more! I also hope to see more connections between indigenous knowledge and current mainstream science. There’s a lot of deep understanding that comes from thousands of years of experience, and I think sometimes it’s tempting for modern Euro-centric thinkers to believe they have to re-invent the wheel and find all the answers themselves.

[Elizabeth-tqqw]

Thank you, PBS, for improving our educations! I hope there is much more to come of this series.

[freedylou]

More of indigenous content please, PBS!!! This show is awesome!

[bjdefilippo]

More, please!!! I have learned so much. I used to teach multicultural psychology (against the wishes of department members who tried to kill it before it started). I am now retired, but the more resources that are out there by Indigenous creators, the more comprehensive will be the teaching and understanding of those who follow me. I had the advantage of a connection to several local tribes, but most folks will not. This is precious.

[tecpaocelotl]

Great segment as always.

I know Kurly and he has gotten me tired recommending me Archeology sites to visit. Lol. Great guy. I recommend reading his books and podcast (tales from aztlantis) that debunk native american modern misconceptions. If you heard it in mainstream culture, kurly has broken down where the idea came from and why it's wrong.

A few issues on this video:

That piece that you shown is not the Maya Calendar. That's a modern piece of art from new agers. Also, Mayan refers to the language.

[falcolf]

This is the kind of cultural content that I really want; I don't feel connected to my European ancestral cultures - monotheism has caused such devastating harm worldwide. The ancestral knowledge of our indigenous nations makes so much more sense for North America. I only have a fragment of indigenous blood myself, (my great grandmother was Métis, ) but I still think that it is foolish that our colonial cultures spend so much time ignoring the history and knowledge of *people who have been here for literally forever.* (16-20+ THOUSAND years definitely qualifies as forever in my books at least.)