Just like western science, indigenous science relies upon direct observation; there are
tests to insure validity and data are used for forecasting and generating predictions.
Individuals are trained in various forecasting and generating predictions. Individuals are
trained in various specializations, for example, herbal ism, weather observations, mental
health and time keeping. Unlike western science, the data from indigenous science are
not used to control the forces of nature, instead, the data tell us ways and means of
accommodating nature. Other critical distinctions include the following:

1. The indigenous scientist is an integral part of the research process and there is a
defined process for insuring this integrity.
2. All of nature is considered to be intelligent and alive, thus an active research
partner.
3. The purpose of indigenous science is to maintain balance.
4. Compared to western time/space notions, indigenous science collapses time and
space with the result that our fields of inquiry and participation extend into and
overlap with past and present.
5. Indigenous science is concerned with relationships, we try to understand and
complete our relationships with all living things.
6. Indigenous science is holistic, drawing on all the Sense including the spiritual and
psychic.
7. The end point of an indigenous scientific process is a known and recognized place. This
point of balance, referred to by my own tribe as the Great Peace, is both peaceful
and electrifyingly alive. In the joy of exact balance, creativity occurs, which is why
we can think of our way of knowing as a life science.
8. When we reach the moment/place of balance we do not believe that we have
transcended — we say that we are normal! Always we remain embodied in the
natural world.
9. Humor is a critical ingredient of all truth seeking, even in the most powerful rituals.
This is true because humor balances gravity.

Colorado, Pamela. -1994. Indigenous science and westem science: a healing convergence.
Presentation at the World Sciences Dialog I, New York City, April 25-27, 1994

“40,000 years ago, the ancestors built the sacred fire. They built this fire with great power & great purpose. They built it in such a way that we, their descendants would awaken in the right time and reignite the sacred fire to remember our relationships with each other and to remember our sacred relationship with the Earth.”

Healers from all over the world will be joining together in this ceremony, including Zulu High Sanusi, Baba Credo Mutwa in South Africa, and Tata Yawanawa from Brazil.

Here’s an excerpt from the site:

An Invitation to Light Your Sacred Fire and
Renew the Earth March 22, 2008

Circle of Ancestors
onesacredfire.org