Conference presentation
Woven futures: Knot theory, community knowledge and the cultural logic of net making.
pp.1-125
Indigenous Futures Centre
Indigenous futures unbound: Reimagining Indigenous futures through knowledge and praxis (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 04/11/2025–07/11/2025)
05/11/2025
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Abstract
Have you ever considered that a fishing net could map an entire worldview? On Bundjalung rainforest Country, net-making is not only a physical craft, it’s a cultural
equation. Every twist of string, every looped knot, carries stories of governance, ecological reciprocity, and community knowledge. This revitalised practice brings together
Elders, youth, and families, each playing specific roles that reflect gendered responsibilities and cultural protocols. It is, in effect, a living system of relational mathematics.
Across Australia, Indigenous businesses are returning $3.66 in social value for every dollar earned (Supply Nation, 2024). Our communities are not waiting for permission to
thrive—we are generating futures built on self-determination, circular economies, and cultural resurgence. This net-making project is one such expression. Existing STEM
frameworks often separate maths from meaning, but what if knot theory and string theory could help us visualise Indigenous ways of knowing as inherently patterned,
complex, and interwoven with Country? Drawing on both Western topology and Indigenous relational logic, this study repositions netmaking as an Indigenous STEM
practice: a weaving of epistemology, pedagogy, and ecological ethics. Our methods were grounded in cultural protocol and co-design. Elders guided fibre harvesting,
women spun string, men knotted ceremonial nets, and young people learned through doing. Thematic analysis revealed core outcomes: enhanced belonging, cultural pride,
ecological responsibility, and Indigenous data 2sovereignty. We argue that relational practice is not an alternative to science; it is science, in a more-than-human key. This is
not a metaphor. The net is real. So is the future we’re weaving.
Details
- Title
- Woven futures: Knot theory, community knowledge and the cultural logic of net making.
- Creators
- Kylie Day Dr - Southern Cross UniversityThomas Dick Dr - Southern Cross UniversityJenelle Benson Dr - Southern Cross UniversityAimee Andersen - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- pp.1-125
- Conference
- Indigenous futures unbound: Reimagining Indigenous futures through knowledge and praxis (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, 04/11/2025–07/11/2025)
- Publisher
- Indigenous Futures Centre
- Identifiers
- 991013330828702368
- Academic Unit
- Centre for Teaching and Learning; Centre for Children and Young People; Faculty of Science and Engineering; Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation