Week 9 Brainstorm - Kimia Preston

Dian Miller’s piece serves as a comparison of the similarities and differences between Indigenous and Western methods of thought. In Indigenous thought, there is far less of a binary method of deciphering the truth which lends itself well to why the Indigenous feel much more connected to La Pachamama. In Western thought, these two entities are treated much more separately and with different levels of regard for the earth. In Indigenous culture, “humans and their societies are not isolated at the pinnacle of hierarchy of being but rather are always related and relating” (Million 98). This idea of connectedness relates to “buen vivir” because Indigenous people value relationships to the past, present, future, earth, and people because they are constantly evaluating their role on this planet.

Priscilla Solis Ybarra writes about “buen vivir” in a similar manner and emphasizes how Indigenous cultures do not place the same value on material that Western culture does. As these cultures do not strive to create a social hierarchy, particularly one centering around the idea of material wealth, there is far less oppression and a greater connectedness to the earth. The earth is not viewed as simply a source for capital gains, but rather a source that sustains us and we sustain it.