A call for all changemakers to centre Indigenous Knowledge Systems in systems change, this paper shares insights from cross-cultural work and outlines decolonised approaches that strengthen justice, perspective-taking and impact.

From the abstract:

The growing interest in using Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) to address
systems change and champion intergenerational justice in Australia has started
to find ways into mainstream discourse. However, to avoid the co-option of these
knowledges, this paper offers change-makers provocations to assist in
recalibrating perspectives on systems change efforts and epistemic injustice.

These provocations are the combination of our experience from work in systems
change and the insights gained from an application of IKS us-only closed circle
work between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors. We briefly outline the process used to generate insights, sharing the differences between Indigenous-led
and non-Indigenous processes, positing that there is a prerequisite personal
undertaking via a cultural or co-inquiry space to facilitate the translation of IKS
into mainstream practices for non-Indigenous changemakers, in particular.

We argue for an adaptation of third space terminology to facilitate a decolonised and
IKS-led approach to complex systems change and, in doing so, challenge concepts
of time and how decolonising our assemblages may have the potential to uncover
new capabilities for sense-making. We suggest these as prerequisite
undertakings prior to embarking on systems change initiatives and conclude
with a calling-in for future generations to ground them in Indigenous ways of
knowing and doing.