Chapter 34 Quiz: Indigenous Philosophy — Land, Relationship, and Relational Ontology

Part I: Multiple Choice

Instructions: Select the best answer for each question.

1. The Lakota phrase Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ is best understood as:

A. A greeting meaning "welcome to this gathering" B. A prayer, greeting, and philosophical claim that all beings are related through a fundamental web of relationship C. The Lakota name for Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit D. A legal principle governing land stewardship in Lakota customary law

2. Vine Deloria Jr. (Standing Rock Sioux), in God Is Red, argues that the most fundamental difference between Western philosophy and Native American philosophical traditions is:

A. Western philosophy is rational while Native American traditions are spiritual B. Western philosophy centers individual rights while Native American traditions center communal obligations C. Western philosophy is organized around time and history while Native American philosophical traditions are organized around space and place D. Western philosophy is concerned with God while Native American traditions are concerned with nature

3. The Haudenosaunee seventh-generation principle holds that:

A. A leader must serve for seven years before being fully trusted B. Decisions must be evaluated by their consequences approximately 140 years (seven generations) into the future C. Seven clans must reach consensus before any major decision is made D. Each of the seven nations in the Confederacy has an equal vote in all decisions

4. In Māori philosophy, whakapapa refers to:

A. The system of ceremonial exchange through which mana is maintained B. The authority of clan mothers to appoint and remove leaders C. The genealogical structure of reality — the tracing of relationships through lines of descent that applies to all beings, not just humans D. The principle of reciprocity that obligates communities to respond to gifts and harms in kind

5. The concept of mana in Māori philosophy is best described as:

A. A fixed, intrinsic quality of dignity that all persons possess equally regardless of their actions B. The vital force or power that comes from living in right relationship — and that can be gained or lost through one's actions and relationships C. The legal standing granted to a river or ecosystem under Māori customary law D. A rank or title held by Māori leaders and passed down through hereditary succession

6. In Andean philosophy, Pachamama (as encoded in the Ecuadorian and Bolivian constitutions) is understood as:

A. A metaphor for the natural environment that has no philosophical standing of its own B. A deity separate from the natural world, to whom offerings must be made C. A philosophical entity with genuine agency, rights, and claims on human obligation — the earth understood as a living subject, not merely a resource D. The Andean word for the concept of cosmic balance between opposing forces

7. Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) argues that adopting the animate pronoun "ki" (from Potawatomi) for living non-human beings would:

A. Be philosophically meaningless — grammar and ontology are unrelated B. Reflect and reinforce a philosophical commitment that plants, rivers, and land are subjects deserving of relationship rather than objects available for use C. Help conserve the Potawatomi language but has no broader philosophical significance D. Be a poetic gesture appropriate to literary contexts but inappropriate in scientific or philosophical discourse

8. The concept of Sumak Kawsay (Quechua) / Buen Vivir is most accurately described as:

A. An economic development model advocating sustainable GDP growth B. The Andean philosophical concept of the good life understood as individual subjective happiness C. Living well in right relationship with all beings — a communal state of harmony, balance, and sufficiency rather than individual accumulation or growth D. The legal framework through which Pachamama's rights are enforced in Ecuadorian courts

9. Etuaptmumk, or Two-Eyed Seeing, developed by Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, refers to:

A. The ceremonial practice of seeing the spirit world and the material world simultaneously B. An epistemological approach that learns to see with both Indigenous knowledge and Western science, using both together rather than assimilating one into the other C. The Māori concept of seeing through the eyes of one's ancestors, as encoded in whakapapa D. The philosophical method of evaluating claims from both individual and communal perspectives

10. The Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace differs from Western majority-rule democracy primarily in that:

A. It allows leaders to serve for life rather than being elected B. It requires all decisions to be made by women through the clan mother system C. It operates through genuine consensus rather than majority rule, requiring shared understanding rather than the aggregation of individual preferences D. It limits political participation to those who have completed a formal philosophical education in the Great Law

Part II: Short Answer

Instructions: Answer each question in 3–6 sentences. Be specific — name particular traditions, thinkers, and concepts rather than generalizing about "Indigenous philosophy."

Question 1: Relational vs. Substance Ontology

In your own words, explain the philosophical distinction between relational ontology and substance ontology. Then explain how Lakota relational ontology (as expressed in Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ) challenges the substance-ontological assumption that individuals exist prior to and independent of their relationships. What practical or ethical implications follow from accepting relational ontology?

Question 2: Whakapapa as Philosophical Explanation

In Māori philosophy, whakapapa (genealogy) is not just a record of biological lineage but a mode of philosophical explanation. Explain how whakapapa functions as an ontological and epistemological framework: What does tracing the whakapapa of something tell you about what it is? How does this mode of explanation differ from the Western deductive or empirical models of explanation? Use the example of the Whanganui River legal personhood case to illustrate your answer.

Question 3: The Colonial Context

This chapter argues that engaging with Indigenous philosophical traditions requires acknowledging the colonial context in which they survived. Briefly describe the historical suppression of at least two specific practices or traditions discussed in the chapter. Then explain why this context matters philosophically — why it's not just background history but something that affects how we should approach these traditions in a textbook setting.

Question 4: The Honorable Harvest as Ethics

Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) articulates the Honorable Harvest as a set of ethical principles governing the taking of resources from the living world. Identify at least three principles of the Honorable Harvest and explain what each reveals about the philosophical framework underlying it. How does this ethic differ from standard Western environmental ethics, which typically focuses either on human welfare or on the rights of sentient animals?

Question 5: Kyle Whyte and Collective Continuance

Kyle Whyte (Potawatomi) argues that what is at stake in climate justice for Indigenous peoples is collective continuance — the ability to maintain the relational systems that allow communities to continue as peoples. Explain this concept and explain how it differs from individual-welfare or rights-based frameworks for understanding climate harm. Use at least one specific example of how climate change disrupts the relational infrastructure of Indigenous community life.