Musings about Observation and Science

Note: This writeup was written for my Native American Science and Technology class. We were asked to discuss a multitude of activities we had performed but I decided to only showcase the last portion. The most interesting portion. Here I talk about indigenous ways of knowing and observing in relation to readings we did - don't worry about the details of those readings because I summarized it - and to my own experiences being raised in a Western culture. One important difference is that while modern mainstream western culture focuses on just the physical world generally, indigenous peoples think of the natural and spiritual world. This assignment also asked us to consider the "self" both as a discreet unit and as a member of a community. Another important consideration is "who can be called a person?" Indigenous cultures broaden personhood whereas western culture may not. Consider this an extension of my Hoshizora no Memoria post on tradition. 

Our third, and most interesting, activity entailed watching candles being lit and then watching them flicker. The professor lit the three candles – though one “candle” was really three – and stepped back, allowing the candles to be solemnly viewed in silence. In this exercise, the senses of hearing and smell become quite important for the candles give off a distinctive smell and the flames give off a small but not inaudible sound. At the same time, one’s sight could be used to see that the flames clearly rose to different heights. People drew nearer to the table to see the candles more clearly. One important observation made is that the type of wax makes the flames larger, so one could see a simple observational experiment where we act as researchers holistically trying to capture the entire event. The sense of touch was used to sense the heat if one drew close enough to the flames. I think that this exercise called upon us to become more intimate with the observation and invest ourselves inside the system; personally, I felt that I became unconcerned with my own presence and more intrigued by the candles’ behavior. 

This exercise most reminded me of the reading “A Yupiaq Worldview” because that reading emphasized that Alaskan Indigenous peoples emphasized living in conjunction with the world around them and emphasized a highly developed social consciousness and ways of balancing the human, natural, and spiritual realms. In their view, all life has to be held equally. Though, the candles are not “alive,” I strove for a similar perspective where I could appreciate the physical world. 

I think that we as a group struggled with perceiving a spiritual realm because we are trained to see a physical world, in particular one through human perspective. I would say that personally I learn about perceiving spiritual realm through engaging art, especially art that focuses on the supernatural or fantastical.

For example, there is a video game called Okami, which traces Shinto mythology; in this game, there is a strong emphasis on the spiritual world through the presence of demons and other mythical beings, such as dragons. Instead of simply being in a physical world, the main character, a wolf named Amaterasu, interacts with the world using a magical paintbrush; she also plays a role in the spiritual world. Thus, the physical and spiritual world are tied together and humans are set inside these two worlds. Though, Japanese folklore is quite different from Indigenous American folklore, both appear to emphasize both interactions with the physical world and the spiritual world while showcasing the presence of humans in both. 

Recently, there has been a game in development that is analogous to Okami but follows Alaskan indigenous folklore. In this game, which is entitled Never Alone, a boy is accompanied by an Arctic Fox, highlighting the link between humanity and the physical and spiritual world. At the same time, the Inupiat culture is respected through this game because it weaves interconnectedness and cooperation into the gameplay. Never Alone also allows for Inupiat people to tell their story directly, which can be seen as empowering. Though I moved towards being an observer in the world of the candles, I could never truly achieve a place in the boundary between the physical and spiritual world. We are trained in our culture to dismiss notions of spirituality and focus on corporeality. 

As an end note: I will not necessarily post every writeup - and even if I do it will likely be fragments - because a lot of our activities may not translate well.