ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out to argue that epistemic leadership is what shapes historical choices that enable communities to enjoy the experience of their cultures and deal with adverse situations. The chapter uses the example of Jaganyi Wanyande, the rainmaker, to show that indigenous knowledge about climate patterns and how it is used to regulate climate-dependent activities, was provided by persons whose epistemic claims regarding climate were trusted by the community. It argues that the protection of the most vital resource for human and other forms of life – the environment – needs to consider indigenous knowledge systems that harness rather than destroy what the environment offers. To save humanity itself, the chapter argues, the path is to defer to local, indigenous communities and the knowledge they produce because they serve as the front-line protectors of the environment. It is now widely accepted that the run-away belief in Francis Bacon’s dictum – “Knowledge is power” 1 – as applied to scientific domination of nature has led to gross destruction and now endangers life itself. The reverse, and deference, to indigenous knowledge systems as represented by such sages as Jaganyi Wanyande, may now carry the hope for the well-being of the earth and life for all the species on it.
