Book review: Indigenous lessons for healing our society
Blair Stonechild, The Knowledge Seeker: Embracing Indigenous Spirituality, Regina: University of Regina Press, 2016, 224 pages.
The world needs Indigenous philosophies: That’s the central thesis of a trilogy penned by philosopher Blair Stonechild, a Cree-Saulteaux member of the Muscowpetung First Nation. The first book, The Knowledge Seeker: Embracing Indigenous Spirituality, lays out the pillars of Cree and Saulteaux spiritual philosophies. The book’s title refers to the process by which Knowledge Keepers seek out that knowledge from Elders, who carry and apply it within their communities. Its subtitle lays out the thesis of Dr. Stonechild’s trilogy: the importance of receiving and recovering the spirituality that settler civilizations have attacked and denigrated.
He shares this knowledge with the permission of the Elders from whom he learned, especially Noel Starblanket and Danny Musqua. These two fiercely respected and sought-after Elders have assisted countless researchers. The trilogy is the result of many years of traditional study with Elders carrying specialized knowledge of the peoples of the plains – knowledge far outstripping what can be found in scholarship.
Much as a Knowledge Keeper might use repetition in a story to help guide the listener toward the answers they seek, certain elements recur throughout Dr. Stonechild’s books. He asks questions and presents answers that he has discovered. For instance, the books include some details about Dr. Stonechild’s life, which helped frame his learning process, his fight for Indigenous control over education and his attempts to take this research to an academia which can still be hostile to Indigenous knowledge. It falls to readers to ask their own questions and implement the answers we find in Dr. Stonechild’s books and our research at large.
The Knowledge Seeker is a must-read for all Canadian academics. It presents a non-religious spirituality that is open to anyone seeking to broaden their understanding and live in kinship with other living beings. This spirituality allows us to help heal the wounds caused by settler civilizations, but also to create and maintain strong relationships that support us in all aspects of our lives.
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