TOK - Theory of Knowledge: Indigenous knowledge systems

In the vast silence of their isolation, the Australian Aborigines have learned the ways of living in harmony with the Earth and kept a sacred perspective on the natural world. This text looks at the fascinating history and culture of the Aborigines and explains: the world of the sky heroes, and how the Earth was formed by mythic creatures from the Dreaming; the secret rites of the Aborigines, their ideas of reincarnation; their stories, fables and myths, which form an extraordinary testament to the human spirit; how the Aborigines represent the conscience of mankind, offering a parable of human survival in harmony with the environment.

Includes coverage of emotions, culture, communications, values, etc.

When Europeans first arrived in North America, between five and eight million indigenous people were already living there. But how did they come to be here? What were their agricultural, spiritual, and hunting practices? How did their societies evolve and what challenges do they face today? Eminent historians Theda Perdue and Michael Green begin by describing how nomadic bands of hunter-gatherers followed the bison and woolly mammoth over the Bering land mass between Asia and what is now Alaska between 25,000 and 15,000 years ago, settling throughout North America. They describe hunting practices among different tribes, how some made the gradual transition to more settled, agricultural ways of life, the role of kinship and cooperation in Native societies, their varied burial rites and spiritual practices, and many other features of Native American life. Throughout the book, Perdue and Green stress the great diversity of indigenous peoples in America, who spoke more than 400different languages before the arrival of Europeans and whose ways of life varied according to the environments they settled in and adapted to so successfully. Most importantly, the authors stress how Native Americans have struggled to maintain their sovereignty - first with European powers and then with the United States - in order to retain their lands, govern themselves, support their people, and pursue practices that have made their lives meaningful. Going beyond the stereotypes that so often distort our views of Native Americans, this Very Short Introduction offers a historically accurate, deeply engaging, and often inspiring account of the wide array of Native peoples in America.

A pioneering work of environmental journalism that vividly depicts the people, animals and landscapes on the front lines of change's inexorable march. A species nearing extinction, a tribe losing centuries of knowledge, a tract of forest facing the first incursion of humans-how can we even begin to assess the cost of losing so much of our natural and cultural legacy? For forty years, environmental journalist and author Eugene Linden has traveled to the very sites where tradition, wildlands and the various forces of modernity collide. In The Ragged Edge of the World, he takes us from pygmy forests to the Antarctic to the world's most pristine rainforest in the Congo to tell the story of the harm taking place-and the successful preservation efforts-in the world's last wild places. The Ragged Edge of the World is a critical favorite, and was an editors' pick on Oprah.com.

This, the fourth book in the series 'Celebrating Explores the current dance scene in Australia from a wide perspective that mirrors the creative engagement of artists with Australian culture and the landscape. It looks at Indigenous dance, choreography beyond theatre, youth and community dance, Australian dancers' versatility and risk-taking. The comprehensive essays recount immigrant influences, the legacy of the Ballets Russes and Bodenwieser companies, dance on stage and screen, education and training and the story of Ausdance -- the unique nation-wide voice and political advocacy organisation for dance.

Examines the threats to cultural survival of 14 groups of peoples of the arctic regions in Russia, Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Finland, as well as their political, cultural, and economic responses to the threat. Each chapter also discusses the ecological settings, sociocultural issues, religion and world view.

Describes the history, mythology, daily life, art, and religious rites of Native American tribes of North America.

Presents an indigenous story or narrative, and looks at history from an indigenous people's perspective.

This unique publication will provide a wide-ranging and intellectually challenging reference to indigenous Australian art, covering documented archaeologically traditions, art styles of the early contact period and the nineteenth century, and the development of the remarkably diverse contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art practices that have attracted so much attention in recent years. The Companion will draw upon much original research on art and culture in remote Aboriginal communities, and on the emergence of Aboriginal art in urban institutions, markets, and exhibitions. Academics, graduates, and general readers will find concise and authoritative analysis on specific topics and regional traditions, unavailable even in specialist databases. Distinguished indigenous and non-indigenous scholars have been commissioned to write on individuals, artistic traditions, and historical shifts. The Companion will address more fully than any previous book importantregional variations and historical developments in relation to colonial occupation and white Australian society over time. The Companion's primary emphasis is upon visual art, though survey entries on indigenous literature, theatre, and music among other areas provide a wider context. Essays, 'boxes' and 'voices' will be commissioned from well-established and emerging indigenous and non-indigenous writers. The presence of key historical figures such as Oodgeroo Noonucal and Kevin Gilbert will be heard through excerpts from previously published material or the use of archival sources made available for the first time.