| Abstract |
The academic study of environmental philosophy emerged in the 1970’s due to the environmental crises. Since then, thinkers even in different fields have begun to contemplate environmental issues. The basic but crucial inquiries include defining nature, recognizing the value of nature, and understanding the relation between human beings and other forms of nature. What is often overlooked is the value indigenous literatures can have in the construction of a more profound environmental philosophy. In the works of the Native American writer Joseph Bruchac and the Taiwanese indigenous writer Ahronglong Sakinu, the proper relationship human beings should maintain with other forms of nature is vividly delineated. In this thesis, I explore and compare the indigenous environmental philosophy transmitted through storytelling in Bruchac’s and Sakinu’s works.
This thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter One offers introductory explanations of the background and notion of environmental philosophy. Chapter Two puts its focus on Bruchac’s works. I analyze a selection of Native American tales and other personal experience stories transmitted by Bruchac, which have the theme of the relationship between human beings and other forms of nature. In addition to his narration of hunting experiences with his grandfather and father in the memoir Bowman’s Store, retelling myths and legends is Bruchac’s main approach to convey and interpret environmental philosophy in his works. Chapter Three centers around Sakinu’s narratives, especially analyzing his hunting initiation stories. Sakinu learns the hunting philosophy transmitted by his father and other stories told by the elders in order to cultivate his environmental philosophy. Reflections on the experience of hunting help the writers develop their thoughts on the meaning of life and the fundamental principle of sustainability in nature. In Chapter Four, I examine the similarities and differences in the environmental philosophy in Bruchac’s and Sakinu’s works. I find that these writers both use naming, anthropomorphism, transformation and ritual in their stories to show that necessity, circularity, and respect are the basic principles of indigenous philosophy. Further, the perceptions in their environmental philosophy are shown to correspond with concepts in western environmental philosophy derived from Charles Darwin, Aldo Leopold, and the Gaia Hypothesis. I conclude my analysis of Western and Eastern concepts in these authors with the observation that opening another access to initiate the dialogue between indigenous writers and the formal study of environmental philosophy can contribute to integrating indigenous concepts with academic environmental philosophy. |
|---|
