The Relational Cosmos Reconsidered: Consciousness as Lawful Relation in Anangu Ontology
Damien Lafont
Anthropology of Consciousness October 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.70056 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that, in Bob Randall's Yankunytjatjara teachings, consciousness is participation in lawful relationships sustaining Country, kinship, responsibility, and life, and that Tjukurrpa constitutes a coherent ontological framework rather than only a cultural perspective on consciousness, one in which consciousness, ethics, Country, and Law are inseparable. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT: This article examines consciousness through the published teachings of Yankunytjatjara Elder Bob Randall, situating his articulation of Tjukurrpa within contemporary anthropological discussions of relational ontology and Indigenous philosophy. Drawing on Randall's descriptions of Tjukurrpa, Kanyini, and Kurunpa, together with a broader body of Indigenous scholarship, the analysis presents consciousness as participation in lawful relationships that sustain Country, kinship, responsibility, and life. It places this Anangu ontology in dialogue with developments in ontological anthropology and selected Western relational approaches, including Bohm's philosophy and quantum‐inspired models of consciousness, allowing their distinct perspectives to clarify different ways of understanding relation, continuity, and the conditions through which consciousness becomes possible. The analysis presents Tjukurrpa as more than an alternative cultural understanding of consciousness. It presents a coherent ontological framework in which consciousness, ethics, Country, and Law are inseparable dimensions of a living relational order.