Dr Tyson Yunkaporta: Sand Talk - Indigenous Thinking With A Future Focus

10/15/21 • 58 min

Welcome to another episode of the DNA Of Purpose Podcast.A few weeks ago a friend of mine sent me a book saying that I just had to have today's guest on the podcast. After having a read through his book I wholeheartedly agreed, as did the rest of our team at Future Crunch. The guest is Dr Tyson Yunkaporta and the book Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World.As someone who has spent 15 years mastering the art of business influence, when I picked up the book I was excited about this interview for two reasons. Firstly, of all of the incredible people I have spoken to throughout this podcast, I was yet to interview a voice representing the innate wisdom and knowledge of Australia's Indigenous people.The other reason is personal. As someone who has spent the last 15 years decoding what makes a personal message influential, I always find it interesting to talk to people who have found a niche area of specialisation that somehow bridges the gap between two completely different worlds to create new stories and perspectives. And in this case, a perspective that has the power to provide the solutions that humankind needs at this point in history more so than ever before.Tyson Yukanporta has done just that, and yet at the same time having read his book and now spoken to him in person - despite today being a thought-provoking change-maker - He is humble, authentic and his approach is grounded and pragmatic.So who is this wise sage? Tyson belongs to the Apalech Clan from Western Cape York and is a senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledge at Deakin University. He has worked extensively with Aboriginal languages and in Indigenous education, and his research activities on oral histories of natural disasters, language, health and cognition. He is a published poet and exhibited artist who practices traditional wood carving.In his book, Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, he covers everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science. The book explores how lines, symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world - and yes we explore how that works today.

We also chatted about the feasibility of Indigenous thinking as the solution to modern world problems like climate change.
We discussed the chasm between ancient indigenous ways of life and the contemporary world. We explore why as Australians some of us look to Indigenous peoples as cultural confetti at events, as opposed to wise mentors and advisors who can ultimately help us save the planet.
We explore the power of story as the bedrock of indigenous thinking and so much more.

So as always, kick back and get ready to dive into the application of ancient wisdom with a future focus with Dr Tyson Yukanporta. Welcome to the podcast.

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We also chatted about the feasibility of Indigenous thinking as the solution to modern world problems like climate change.
We discussed the chasm between ancient indigenous ways of life and the contemporary world. We explore why as Australians some of us look to Indigenous peoples as cultural confetti at events, as opposed to wise mentors and advisors who can ultimately help us save the planet.
We explore the power of story as the bedrock of indigenous thinking and so much more.

So as always, kick back and get ready to dive into the application of ancient wisdom with a future focus with Dr Tyson Yukanporta. Welcome to the podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Jean-Philippe Courtois (Microsoft): Positive Leadership - The Movement Inspiring Human Progress In the 21st Century

Over the last 97 episodes of this podcast, we have spoken to Industry leaders, activists, authors, and everything in between in order to explore the frontiers of technology, science, business, art & design to ignite a more beautiful, hopeful, and purpose-driven world.The reason we do it is that If we want to change the story of the human race in the 21st century, we have to change the stories we tell ourselves. And thus today, I am beyond excited to speak to an incredible human being at the forefront of the incredible innovations that sit at the intersection of technology, impactful partnership, and social purpose.His name is Jean-Philippe Courtois, and since commencing his career with Microsoft in 1984 he has spent more than four decades with a bird's eye view of the exponential explosion of technology. In that time he has witnessed the emergence of one of humanity's greatest opportunities to ignite positive change in the world, and he has been a core part of driving that movement forward.As Executive Vice President and President, National Transformation Partnerships for Microsoft Global, JP as he is affectionately known, is focused on empowering countries’ sustainable economic growth through digital transformation. He is also responsible for accelerating Microsoft’s global investment in data centers, enabling governments, citizens and businesses to leverage the world’s largest and most trusted cloud infrastructure network.He is personally passionate about empowering purpose-driven individuals and organizations to achieve more for society and is also the executive sponsor of the Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurship Program, which empowers organizations doing good around the world.More recently JP has become an advocate for what is termed Positive Leadership. Positive Leadership looks at how leaders can energize and inspire their teams to bring their very best by connecting their personal missions to their organizations’ purpose so that they can achieve a positive impact. As a result of his passion for Positive Leadership, he is also the host of a podcast called The Positive Leadership podcast. He has interviewed game-changing leaders including Satya Nadella; Microsoft's CEO, Kevin Johnson the CEO of Starbucks, and Vincent Stanley who is the director of philosophy and chief storyteller at Patagonia. Outside of Microsoft JP spends much of my time working with the Live for Good foundation, which he co-founded with his family in 2015. Live For Good aims to unlock the potential of young people from all walks of life through social entrepreneurship, driving societal innovation through a purpose-led community.

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Next Episode

Parag Khanna: MOVE - The Forces Uprooting Us and Shaping Humanity's Destiny

Today’s guest is Parag Khanna and he is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveller, and best-selling author. Well, actually he is the author of seven books. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario-based strategic advisory firm based out of Singapore.When it comes to full-stack humans, Parag is the real deal. He was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” Parag holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelors and Masters degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has travelled to nearly 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Impressive right....but one of the most impressive things from my perspective is Parag is kind, wise and so generous in translating a future the rest of us are yet to see. It was a joy to speak with him.Parag's newest book is MOVE: The Forces Uprooting Us (2021) and that will be the focus of today's conversation. This is a compelling look at the powerful global forces that will cause billions of us to move geographically over the next decades, ushering in an era of radical change.In the 60,000 years since people began colonizing the continents, a recurring feature of human civilization has been mobility—the ever-constant search for resources and stability. Seismic global events—wars and genocides, revolutions and pandemics—have only accelerated the process. The map of humanity isn’t settled—not now, not ever.So without further delay let's get ready to MOVE. Welcome to the DNA Of Purpose Podcast.

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