First Nations, first knowledge

80,000 years of innovation. Could you manage a continent sustainably for millennia? Covering outback tech, cross-cultural relations, and artificial intelligence; our presenters discuss the power of Indigenous knowledges and frameworks to approaching contemporary problems. By respectfully drawing on old ways of knowing, we can widen our toolbox, integrate new knowledge, and begin to fulfill our responsibilities to Country and Community. Are you listening?   Guests CC (Celeste Carnegie) is a Birrigubba South Sea Islander woman and program producer at Geek Girls Academy, among other talents. She is passionate about improving Indigenous access to tech. CC explains how we need to think about these effects at the individual level, and how programs must be “for us, by us.”  Angie Abdilla is a Palawa woman and CEO of Old Ways, New. She explains the patterned thinking and interconnection that makes Indigenous lore an “action guide to living”. By listening respectfully and sharing divergent ways of thinking, we can “come together… to design the future we want”. Peter Renehan, Chairman of the Centre for Appropriate Technology, says that technology must be appropriate for the people, environment, and needs you’re working with. He explains how communities will buy in and shape projects if given the opportunity, such as through the highly successful Bushlight program.  Andre Grant, from the Queensland branch of the Centre for Appropriate Technology, reminds us that technology is only part of the solultion – the people are much more important. Karl Kane is a Senior Lecturer at Massey University (Aotearoa/New Zealand) and director of the Design+Democracy project. He discusses codesign, the importance of context, and the richness of drawing on and integrating both Pākehā (non-Māori) visions and Te Ao Māori (the Māori world). We need to respect the other, without othering.   Further reading Bushlight: solar-powered energy for remote communities from the Centre for Appropriate Technology Mobile Phone Hotspot: bringing telecommunications to remote areas Ngā Aho: a design award that celebrates working within and between cultures   Music credits Our theme music, Anders by Blue Dot Sessions, is licensed under an attribution non-commercial licenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.