Native Americans are still to this day facing the struggle of finding their way into relevance in western academia, a battle that descends from the systematic racism, imperialistic colonialism, assimilative and even outright genocidal history of Western invasion of the Americas. Native Americans are completely capable of making important contributions at the academic level but face resistance along this path. This is especially apparent in the branch of philosophy. In the western world, philosophy is largely dominated by Eurocentric philosophical outlooks and concepts, with little room for Indigenous philosophies. These philosophies can contribute various distinct ideas to western academia, which although stereotyped as primitive and outdated,
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She argues from the Hopi perspective that ideas passed down orally and visually are valid evidence and that “ritual song is a highly accessible component of oral tradition that contains all of philosophical principles that have long given purpose and meaning to the lives of Hopi people” (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). This is in stark contrast to the Western archaeologist perspective and methodologies, which typically consists of concrete dates and locations. The study done by Sekaquaptewa and Dorothy Washburn was done carefully in order to respect the exclusiveness of some of the knowledge held by their ancestors, and contained only songs that were performed in public rituals and not exclusive in nature. All knowledge gained and discussed is considered open to everyone, thus non-Hopi have a right to it. For the Hopi, the metaphor as a transmitter of the cosmological knowledge is highly important and has been shared by the Hopi people for centuries (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). One of the possible reasons metaphors work so well in telling a story of the past in Hopi tradition is because their perspective on history and the past is based on their way of living, as opposed to a particular date or event in Western thought. This, along with the Hopi language, creates a struggle for non-Hopi people or non-Hopi speaking …show more content…
For example, the Hopi language emphasizes reflexive verbs when describing tbings, in which something is performing unto itself. Naatukwsintani and naawungwintani are used to describe corn growing, and roughly translate to “maturing themselves” or “raising themselves up” (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). The expressions are reflexive in nature, emphasizing that the corn is a being that is in control of its own actions. This language reflects the philosophies of the Hopi peoples, implying great respect for the corn as their own people. In some of the songs studied, Hopi ways of living are exemplified in the suffixes of the words which represent habitable actions for achieving a valuable life. Also included in Hopi ritual are words or small group of words that represent highly complex ideas. Unangwa represents all the grateful and thankful feelings that one has when one’s prayers for rain have been answered with rain that beautifies and brightens the land and all growing things on it” (Sequaptewa,
She argues from the Hopi perspective that ideas passed down orally and visually are valid evidence and that “ritual song is a highly accessible component of oral tradition that contains all of philosophical principles that have long given purpose and meaning to the lives of Hopi people” (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). This is in stark contrast to the Western archaeologist perspective and methodologies, which typically consists of concrete dates and locations. The study done by Sekaquaptewa and Dorothy Washburn was done carefully in order to respect the exclusiveness of some of the knowledge held by their ancestors, and contained only songs that were performed in public rituals and not exclusive in nature. All knowledge gained and discussed is considered open to everyone, thus non-Hopi have a right to it. For the Hopi, the metaphor as a transmitter of the cosmological knowledge is highly important and has been shared by the Hopi people for centuries (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). One of the possible reasons metaphors work so well in telling a story of the past in Hopi tradition is because their perspective on history and the past is based on their way of living, as opposed to a particular date or event in Western thought. This, along with the Hopi language, creates a struggle for non-Hopi people or non-Hopi speaking …show more content…
For example, the Hopi language emphasizes reflexive verbs when describing tbings, in which something is performing unto itself. Naatukwsintani and naawungwintani are used to describe corn growing, and roughly translate to “maturing themselves” or “raising themselves up” (Sekaquaptewa, 2004). The expressions are reflexive in nature, emphasizing that the corn is a being that is in control of its own actions. This language reflects the philosophies of the Hopi peoples, implying great respect for the corn as their own people. In some of the songs studied, Hopi ways of living are exemplified in the suffixes of the words which represent habitable actions for achieving a valuable life. Also included in Hopi ritual are words or small group of words that represent highly complex ideas. Unangwa represents all the grateful and thankful feelings that one has when one’s prayers for rain have been answered with rain that beautifies and brightens the land and all growing things on it” (Sequaptewa,