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Indigenous Gnoseology as a Theory of Knowledge Beyond Epistemology: Oral Traditions and the Ethics of Indigenous Knowing
Abstract
This chapter explores the gnoseological foundation of Indigenous oral traditions by challenging the dominance of Western epistemology as the only legitimate “theory of knowledge.” Drawing on the distinction between epistemology (E) and gnoseology (G)—as illustrated in the accompanying figure—this chapter argues that Indigenous oral traditions offer a rich, reciprocal, and embodied framework for knowing that extends far beyond abstract, propositional knowledge. This view often excludes relational, ethical, and spiritual forms of knowing embedded in oral practices. Indigenous gnoseology, by contrast, is inclusive of tacit knowledge (Polanyi), phronesis (Aristotle), techne, reciprocity, and the spiritual ecology of storytelling. Drawing on case studies from Indigenous traditions, the chapter proposes that gnoseology offers a more pluralistic, ethical, and decolonial framework for engaging with Indigenous knowledge traditions—one that recognizes oral traditions. It concludes by calling for the inclusion of Indigenous gnoseologies in mainstream curricula, research, and policy.
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