Of course a continent for compassion couldn’t be dreamed into being without the essential inclusion of Indigenous Australians and we are very grateful to our Indigenous Advisor Al Harris.
Al is a member of the Bibbulmann clan from the Noongar tribe of Western Australia. With his sons they use many aspects of Aboriginal culture, including dance, music, song, art and history, to bring Indigenous people into the hearts and minds of their audiences. Al, the patriarch, is well known for didgeridoo playing, and is equally at home performing the traditional songs of his homelands as he is speaking to the world’s corporate leaders about inclusion, reconciliation and leadership.
He has shared the stage with the likes of U2, and performed for the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. With his sons Tristan and Azlan Harris, Western Creation have toured the depth and breadth of this land they call home.
As the Australian Compassion Council, Deep Dreams Australia: A Continent for Compassion, we are working with Tyson Yunkaporta, author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, to integrate his five mind sets into the ongoing work of the Charter.
Kinship Mind
Relationship and connectedness – ‘nothing exists outside a relationship to something else’.
Story Mind
Role of narrative in memory and knowledge transmission.
Dreaming Mind
Use of metaphors including images, language, culture, and rituals in knowledge transfer.
Ancestor Mind
Deep engagement, connecting with a timeless (not linear) state of mind.
Pattern Mind
Seeing entire systems and trends and the patterns within them to find holistic solutions to complex problems.
