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Sand Talk

How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World

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Sand Talk

By: Tyson Yunkaporta
Narrated by: Tyson Yunkaporta
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About this listen

A paradigm-shifting book in the vein of Sapiens that brings a crucial Indigenous perspective to historical and cultural issues of history, education, money, power and sustainability - and offers a new template for living.

As an Indigenous person, Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from a unique perspective, one tied to the natural and spiritual world. In considering how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation, he raises important questions. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently?

In this thoughtful, culturally rich, mind-expanding book, he provides answers. Yunkaporta’s writing process begins with images. Honouring Indigenous traditions, he makes carvings of what he wants to say, channelling his thoughts through symbols and diagrams rather than words. He yarns with people, looking for ways to connect images and stories with place and relationship to create a coherent world view, and he uses sand talk, the Aboriginal custom of drawing images on the ground to convey knowledge.

In Sand Talk, he provides a new model for our everyday lives. Rich in ideas and inspiration, it explains how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about talking to everyone and listening carefully. It’s about finding different ways to look at things. Most of all, it’s about a very special way of thinking, of learning to see from a native perspective, one that is spiritually and physically tied to the earth around us, and how it can save our world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Tyson Yunkaporta (P)2021 Audible Australia Pty Ltd.
Anthropology Indigenous Studies Thought-Provoking Witty Inspiring

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deep learning

this book took me into another place that was different to my everyday living. it is hard to describe but the way time operates shifted as i entered the world of this yarn.

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9 people found this helpful

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A must read no if’s and’s or but’s.

The best food I’ve given my brain , and everything else for years.
Tyson Yunkaporta has translated incredibly powerful thought processes so our domesticated western minds can stand at the doorway to understanding. This is a masterful anthology of knowledge to broaden all our knowledge and learning.
YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS.
I immediately listened a second time and it was even better.

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6 people found this helpful

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Embrace the cosmos through indigenous wisdoms

"Sand Talk" is a remarkable exploration into indigenous Australian culture, filled with depth and enlightening insights. It inspires readers to reevaluate their understanding of the cosmos, time, and their environment. Seamlessly intertwining ancient wisdom with modern narratives, it offers applicable insights across all life's aspects. This book portrays the cyclical patterns and interconnectedness that shape our existence in an unparalleled way. With each page, you're taken on a journey towards a deeper comprehension of ourselves and the universe. "Sand Talk" isn't merely a book to read—it's an experience to cherish!
Note it took many reads to connect the …..

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3 people found this helpful

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Stunning

This book has touched me deeply and I will listen over many times.
Intelligent, spiritual and at times hilarious.

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Amazing insights that we all need to become aware of

Amazingly insightful. Shared wisdom presented with power and compassion. I gained more from the Audible recording and can now return to the book for more reflections and research.

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Sand Talk Song Lines and Finding the future

I don't think I can praise Tyson Yunkaporta or the wonderful people he travelled country with and mutually opened dialogue with the diverse keepers of knowledge in Australia respecting what can and what can not be divulged.
I will need to quietly and respectfully think on all I have heard, felt, dreamt during my first journey through this book. I know I will need to revisit Sand talk again, maybe many times, as I awaken my own cultural journey.
You don't need to come to Sand Talk with any particular attitude or outcome in mind, just listen, think, apply it to yourself, your life journey so far and see where you decide to go. This is not a user guide for tie dyed shirts, bongos and navel contemplation - it is a journey of realisation, respect and connection.
Excellent tome. Thank You bother.

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Think your head off

Listened to it for the second time and still found myself making connections across numerous fields of study. The systems and metaphors which are, according to the author, rooted in indigenous knowledge help summarise and clarify knowledge across the world's numerous ways of knowing, both 'imperial' and 'indigenous'.

Fundamentally, we all know our place and what we should be doing. we just need to be reminded, repeatedly and in different ways. This is a way that works for me. Perhaps it'll work for you too.

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Relevant and timeless

Relatable wisdom transmitted through authentic story telling in his own voice. I am deeply grateful to the author for the risks he has taken in endevouring to translate this content into a format the makes it accessible to people all over the world, so that we can be enriched by it. Please keep being brave in the dissemination of indigenous knowledge. Nga mihinui, Tyson.

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Thoughtful perspective

A thought provoking book that led me to reflect and put a different lense on my understandings.

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Loved it and already can’t wait to read it again

Enjoyed the different perspective on thinking and how we easily fall into the trap of accepting current institutions and governance are how the world works.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.