You’ve studied the teachings of Socrates and Plato. You’ve read from the works of Confucius and Siddartha Gautama. You’ve discussed the thoughts of Kant, Marx, and Heidegger.
But have you heard of the great thinker Kondiaronk? Or the philosopher Payepot?
Most people haven’t, said Eric Wilkinson, and he would like to change that. Wilkinson is a visiting assistant professor in UWM’s Philosophy Department, and he’s also the creator and teacher of a new course that, as far as he knows, is the only one of its kind in Wisconsin. It’s called “Indigenous Philosophy,” and it explores the historical and modern teachings of tribes throughout North America – including leaders like Kondiaronk and Payepot.
“There are very few courses on Indigenous philosophy in America, at all,” Wilkinson said. “It’s very uncommon, and I think that’s a shame. It’s interesting material that’s very valuable and has a lot of contemporary resonance.”
The course material certainly resonates with his students.
“It’s been very interesting and enlightening to learn about a completely different culture,” said Jack Grummer, a senior physics and philosophy double-major who is enrolled in the course. “Western philosophy – their projects can get a little bit old. It’s been a really great opportunity to get a different view on things.”
Building a class
Wilkinson is not Indigenous himself, but he is Canadian. “In Canada, we have this huge public conversation about reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and a big part of that has to do with the colonial effect of eroding Indigenous cultures and their intellectual traditions,” he said.
And when you work in higher education, one way to join that conversation, Wilkinson added, is to contribute to research around Indigenous traditions to uncover information that has been lost, damaged, or erased by colonial history. That, coupled with his own curiosity, is what drew Wilkinson to Indigenous philosophy and inspired him to create the course.
The class is a survey of Indigenous thinkers from the 16th century onward, and touches on common philosophical themes. Wilkinson likes to start the semester by examining various creation stories, but as the class progresses, lessons center on concepts like peace and democracy, epistemology, treaty-making, religion, law, and more.
The trouble, said Wilkinson, is that there are very few primary sources from historical philosophers to give to his students.
“Most of their philosophical work was done through conversation, which, for the purposes of posterity, is not the most convenient,” he said. “Unlike Plato where I have text that was transcribed over and over for 1,000 years, our sources for Indigenous philosophy from several hundred years ago are a lot more scanty. So, we depend on European records of varying reliability in combination with the Indigenous oral traditions as they still exist.”
It gets easier to find material as he introduces students to modern philosophers like Lee Hester or Taiaiake Alfred, who publish their work in academic papers and journals.
And, said Wilkinson, “As much as possible, I try to incorporate some material from Indigenous communities that are local. When I got here, I hit the books and started reading about some of the intellectual traditions of the Menominee, the Oneida. … I have students in my class that are from these communities. When you engage with the material that are related to their community, it speaks to them and they have a really interesting perspective to bring.”
Engaging with students
Wilkinson’s class is small, but it is mighty. A handful of students are seated in a rough semi-circle in the middle of the room, relaxed and engaged. Wilkinson starts the day’s class with a review of Hester’s thoughts on epistemology before he opens the floor for discussion about the assigned reading. They’re comparing the story of Thales – a tale told by Socrates about a philosopher so focused on studying the cosmos that he forgot to watch the ground in front of him and fell into a well – and Coyote, a trickster figure that plays a part in many Indigenous traditions and myths.
Wilkinson poses a question: Is the pursuit of knowledge, purely for the sake of knowledge, desirable or even advisable? Everyone participates, offering their observations and making arguments for their point of view.
Grummer has been enjoying the class and likes that he’s been able to learn from scholars from a completely different philosophical tradition than he’s used to.
“A lot of Indigenous philosophy centers on your relationship to your community and your physical surroundings It’s much more grounded than many western philosophers,” he said.
Of course, Indigenous thinkers vary in their views, but Wilkinson noted that there are some common themes: Interdependence and the connection between living beings is emphasized a lot, he said, and many talk about how shared values, rather than fear of punishment, should drive people’s motivation for good actions.
He’s glad to see his students enjoying the class because what they’re learning is important. Not only does learning the material give them a chance to apply the lesson to their own lives, but it gives them a way to connect with communities that are often overlooked.
“Indigenous people are still here. Their philosophies are really robust and are what have helped them survive as communities through periods of colonialism. In that way, as political and moral philosophies, they have a lot to teach us,” Wilkinson said.
He hopes that he can teach this course again so that even more people can learn from them.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science