63. The Complexity of Knowledge: Prof. John Bradley on Sacred Herbalism

Can knowledge belong to a place? Can knowledge belong to a people? And what happens when we force other cultures to prove that their ways of knowledge also have a place at the table? What is lost when we lose the ability to hold many perspectives at once, and what happens when languages that knowledge emerges from disappears? In this more-academic-than-usual (but hopefully still relevant and mind-bending) Stephanie Hazel interviews her university Anthropology lecturer, John Bradley. John taught Stephanie at UQ in 2006 on the topic of Indigenous Ethnoecology. This conversation explores epistemic violence and the exclusion of non-western ways of knowing, and does this through stories about cycad palms, about university arrogance, and about Snow Lions disappearing with glaciers melting. John shares the real lived experience of the Yanyuwa people of Arnhem Land - what living 'in relationship' with the rest of ecology actually looks like through kin-centric ecologies.The conversation also highlights the loss of indigenous languages and knowledge and the role of language in preserving plant medicine knowledge. If you want to read more about Yanyuwa kinships systems, here is a free pdf book about Yanyuwa Law, co-authored by John Bradley. And here is another one a bit less about Law, and more about Kinship. Warning: both of these are heavy, but fascinating! You can check John out on LinkedIn. Key Points: Unlearning is essential to include other ways of knowing and challenge Western-centric perspectives. Cultural appropriation and epistemic violence occur when knowledge is taken without acknowledgment or understanding of its cultural context. The loss of indigenous languages and knowledge poses a threat to the preservation of plant medicine knowledge. Traditional plant knowledge is complex and diverse, and it should be respected and embraced in herbal medicine practices. There is a need to acknowledge and value the authority and complexity of Indigenous knowledge in herbal medicine. Curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to embrace complexity are essential in understanding plants and their relationships. **THE ELDER TREE TROVE PATREON COMMUNITY** You can join our Patreon ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ and gain a deeper connection to our podcast. Pay only $2 per week to have access to bonus and often exclusive resources and opportunities- plus support the Elder tree at the same time!  To find out more about The Elder Tree visit the website at ⁠www.theeldertree.org⁠ and donate to the crowdfunding campaign ⁠here⁠. You can also follow The Elder Tree on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠sign up to the newsletter⁠. Find out more about this podcast and the presenters ⁠here⁠. Get in touch with The Elder Tree at:  ⁠[email protected]⁠ The intro and outro song is "⁠Sing for the Earth⁠" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music ⁠here⁠ and ⁠here⁠.