Lessons from Daniel Heath Justice’s Why Indigenous Literatures Matter

Note: This article is by Mafruha Shifat. Website issues are causing the wrong name to display.

After moving to Fargo, North Dakota and being away from home, I became a cat mom for the first time. As I watched my cat’s daily activities, I could not help but reflect on how he accepts his surroundings and adjusts his goals. Observing his interactions with the world around him made me think: how often do we acknowledge the complex lives of non-human beings? It was not until I finished reading Daniel Heath Justice’s “Why Indigenous Literatures Matter,” that I found the framework to understand why animals like my cat have more to teach us than we realize.

Justice argues that Indigenous traditions expand the concept of personhood beyond just human beings. He emphasizes how little we truly understand about the inner lives of non-human beings, cautioning us against comparing them solely to our own limited sensory comprehension. This made me reflect on my own experiences with my cat. For instance, when I close my bedroom door from inside when my cat is with me, he persistently tries to open it and go out. After a few minutes, when his efforts prove futile, he moves on to another task. Watching his determination, followed by his graceful acceptance of reality, taught me a lot about persistence and adaptation.

Before adopting a pet, I had not given much thought to how animals experience the world. But now, I am curious about their mental processes and emotional experiences. To what extent could studying the psychology of non-human beings reshape our understanding of cognition and emotional experience, and what are the broader implications of such studies? Justice’s work inspired me to explore this question. By paying attention to my cat’s behavior, I realize that there is so much we still need to learn about the minds of animals. As humans, we tend to study ourselves endlessly, but what about the rich inner lives of our non-human neighbors?

Justice’s book also broadens the scope of learning and storytelling beyond human narratives. We learn not just from people but from everything around us; animals, plants and the land itself. He emphasizes the importance of understanding our place within a broader network of beings, and this is where my experience with my cat becomes relevant. In one of my graduate classes, we discussed the concept of “cultural humility,” which Justice touches upon in his book as well. It is a reminder that as humans, we must remain open to learning from all forms of life, not just our own. The more I observe my cat and reflect on what he can teach me, the more I understand how little I know; not just about him, but about the world and its interconnectedness.

This realization has become even more profound as I have navigated life as an international graduate student at North Dakota State University, surrounded by diverse people from different cultures and backgrounds. Justice writes about how Indigenous literature offers us new possibilities, different stories, and ways of living that we can experience together. His words resonate with me deeply. Moving to the United States has pushed me to confront the limits of my knowledge; not just about people but also about the beings I share this planet with. By opening my mind to the experiences of non-human creatures like my cat, I am learning to foster kinship with the world around me.

Justice also writes about the transformative potential of storytelling. He believes that by telling different stories, we can open up new possibilities for living, loving, and imagining a better world. This is where my story as a new cat mom becomes part of a larger narrative. By paying attention to the life of my cat, I am not only learning about persistence and adaptability but also about the importance of recognizing the personhood of non-human beings. As I continue to document my cat’s life, I see this as a way to expand our understanding of life’s possibilities, both human and non-human.

Daniel Heath Justice’s insights have helped me see that the stories of non-human beings, like my cat, deserve to be told and respected. These stories teach us resilience, adaptation, and the value of living in harmony with the world around us. By acknowledging the lives of animals and other non-human beings, we can foster a deeper understanding of what it means to coexist on this planet. Perhaps, in listening to their stories, we can become better humans ourselves.