How can we use the past to help us solve today’s urgent climate change concerns? Archaeology provides one way forward by providing a long-term view of what worked and what did not work in the past. Indigenous knowledge systems have long curated a range of survival strategies that provide powerful inspiration for thinking differently about sustainability. Inspired by Africanfuturism—or how writers of African descent have creatively reimagined Black futures—we explore how creative writing can mobilize the past to rethink climate change responses. We have designed this piece for use in middle and secondary school science, history, or literature classes. An introductory explanation and “what we know” sections provide teachers with the necessary framing and background knowledge. The two short stories could be assigned to 13–18-year-old students to illustrate the kind of reimagining they might pursue based on archaeological and oral historical information.

我们如何利用过去来帮助我们解决当今紧迫的气候变化问题？考古学通过提供对过去有效和无效的长期观点，提供了一种前进的方向。土著知识体系长期以来策划了一系列生存策略，为以不同方式思考可持续性提供了强大的灵感。受到非洲未来主义或非洲裔作家如何创造性地重新构想黑人未来的启发，我们探索创意写作如何调动过去来重新思考气候变化的应对措施。我们设计这款作品是为了在初中和中学的科学、历史或文学课程中使用。介绍性解释和“我们所知道的”部分为教师提供了必要的框架和背景知识。