Belonging Beyond the Academy: Teor Indigenous Cosmology as an Alternative Genealogy of Spiritual and Ecological Knowledge

This presentation explores Teor Indigenous cosmology from eastern Indonesia as an alternative spiritual genealogy rooted in ritual, oral tradition, and ecological practice. Drawing on ethnographic engagement and indigenous epistemologies, it examines how practices such as Kas Makang Moyang, seasonal marine rituals, and sacred land stewardship enact belonging through relational obligations among humans, ancestors, and non-human beings. The paper reflects on the tensions faced when marginalized spiritual traditions enter academic spaces, arguing that Teor spirituality challenges dominant definitions of knowledge, belonging, and sustainability within contemporary spiritual and scholarly discourse.