Unlearning the Divide
A critical and humbling pillar of the Montana Institute of Wild Sociology is its ongoing collaborative work with the Indigenous scholars, elders, and knowledge-keepers of the region. This partnership is not an ‘add-on’ to our research; it is a fundamental challenge to the Western epistemological foundations of sociology itself. Where traditional sociology often objectifies and analyses from a detached position, many Indigenous frameworks start from a premise of relationality—that all beings (human, animal, plant, rock, river) are persons in a web of reciprocal kinship. This is not metaphor; it is ontology.
Core Concepts Shaping Our Practice
This collaboration has led to the integration of key concepts that now inform all Institute methodologies:
- All My Relations (Mitakuye Oyasin and analogous concepts): This principle reminds us that no entity can be studied in isolation. Research on, for example, human migration patterns must consider the relational network with salmon runs, pine nut harvests, and spiritual sites. Our research questions have shifted from ‘what impacts does activity X have?’ to ‘what relationships are strengthened or damaged by activity X?’
- Land as Pedagogy: Knowledge is not abstract, but emplaced. The land itself is the primary teacher. Our Deep Immersion Residencies are inspired by this idea, moving beyond observation to a form of attentive listening, where the landscape’s history, cycles, and beings provide the curriculum.
- Seven Generations Thinking: This temporal framework forces a radical extension of our analytical timeline. Sociological consequences are considered not for the next election cycle or grant period, but for seven generations into the future and seven into the past. This collapses the artificial divide between history, present, and future, seeing social action as part of a continuous, accountable lineage.
- Protocol and Reciprocity: One does not simply ‘extract’ data or stories. Research begins with asking permission, offering gifts (tobacco, food, labor), and maintaining an ongoing relationship of giving back to the community and the land that has offered knowledge.
Case in Point: The Buffalo Return Project
Our joint study on the cultural and social impacts of buffalo restoration on Tribal lands exemplifies this fusion. A standard sociological study might measure economic benefit or survey cultural attitudes. Our Wild Sociology approach, guided by Indigenous partners, framed the buffalo not as a ‘resource’ but as a ‘relative coming home.’ We documented:
- How the buffalo's physical return triggered the resurgence of ceremony, language, and stories that had been dormant, effectively healing cultural synapses.
- The social reorganization required to manage the herd, creating new intergenerational teaching opportunities and revitalizing governance structures based on collective stewardship.
- The psychological and public health impacts of reconnecting with a foundational relative, documented through community interviews and health outcome data over a five-year period.
The study’s output was a co-authored report that blended quantitative data with oral histories, maps with dream accounts, and ecological models with ceremonial songs, presenting a holistic picture of societal regeneration.
Towards a Humble and Relational Sociology
This path is not easy. It requires constant self-reflection, a willingness for academics to become students again, and the patience to build trust over years, not months. It means publishing findings in forms that serve the community first, not just academic journals. The result, however, is a sociology that is more honest, more grounded, and more capable of addressing the intertwined crises of our time. By decolonizing our thought—by learning to see the world as a web of relations rather than a collection of objects—we move closer to a truly wild sociology: one that listens to all the voices in the chorus, human and otherwise, and recognizes that understanding begins with respect.