Cynefin – an ontological opportunity for enhanced existential understandings

Cynefin is a keyword and concept in the new curriculum for Wales and yet it is somewhat of a slippery term (Adams, 2022). It is an old Welsh word that comes from hill farming, describing how sheep feel a mysterious attachment to the land (Tyne, 2022). In dictionaries it is defined as “habitat” as a noun, or “acquainted” as an adjective, yet it has no direct English translation. This paper analyses how a conception of cynefin can be related to indigenous peoples’ sense of relationship with the more-than-human world. As such it resonates with the nature-centred epistemologies of indigenous peoples which in turn come from an ontology that recognises “our sense of being intimately related within the multiverse” (Cajete, 2015, pp.206-207). This paper analyses how this conception of cynefin runs counter to the dominant discourse of mainstream schooling in industrialised societies. It is argued that this counter-perspective is much needed if the dominant culture’s ontological stance is to be challenged to decolonise the curriculum and allow for enhanced existential understandings.

Adams, D. (2022). Exploring Cynefin-Being in Place. Holistic Education Review, 2(1).
Cajete, G. (2015). Indigenous community: Rekindling the teachings of the seventh fire. Minnesota: Living Justice Press.
Tyne, I., (2022) A Clinging Existence. Farming the Uplands of North-West Wales. In Chetty, D. (Ed.). (2022). Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales. London: Repeater Books.