Tyson Yunkaporta is an Aboriginal Australian scholar and member of the Apalech Clan in far north Queensland. He founded the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab at Deakin University and wrote Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (2019), which examines how Aboriginal methods of inquiry address contemporary ecological and social challenges.
Yunkaporta’s work brings Aboriginal ways of knowing into dialogue with complexity science, examining how Indigenous thought represents systems thinking developed over tens of thousands of years. His methodology honors Aboriginal traditions of knowledge creation through “yarning” - collaborative dialogue through stories and mutual respect - and “sand talk,” the practice of drawing symbols in earth to convey complex ideas.
Sand Talk examines global systems from an Indigenous perspective, proposing that Aboriginal approaches to risk, decision-making, and relationship offer alternatives to Western thinking. His concept of “remembering forward” suggests that Indigenous knowledge applies to present and future challenges rather than serving merely as historical preservation.
Yunkaporta defines Indigenous people as “members of communities retaining memories of life lived sustainably on a land-base, as part of that land-base.” He also carves traditional Aboriginal tools and weapons, maintaining practical connections to traditional knowledge.
Key Concepts
- Sand Talk: Aboriginal practice of drawing symbols in earth to convey complex knowledge
- Yarning: Collaborative knowledge creation through stories and mutual respect
- Indigenous Systems Thinking: Complexity science developed through sustainable living
- Remembering Forward: Indigenous knowledge as applicable to future challenges
Essential Works
- “Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World” (HarperOne, 2019) - ISBN 978-0-06-289109-2
- “Right Story, Wrong Story” (Text Publishing, 2023) - ISBN 978-1-92290-848-4
Selected Quotes
An Indigenous person is a member of a community retaining memories of life lived sustainably on a land-base, as part of that land-base. — Sand Talk (2019)
Contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? — Sand Talk (2019)
The assistance people need is not in learning about Aboriginal Knowledge but in remembering their own. — Sand Talk (2019)
Indigenous Knowledge is any application of those memories as living knowledge to improve present and future circumstances. — Sand Talk (2019)
Further Reading
Biographical Sources
Key Books
- Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (HarperOne, 2019) - ISBN 978-0-06-289109-2
- Right Story, Wrong Story (Text Publishing, 2023) - ISBN 978-1-92290-848-4
Related Resources
- “The Other Others” podcast
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab publications