Beyond Maslow: Reclaiming Our Belonging and the Wisdom of the Blackfoot

For decades, Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” has shaped how we in the West understand what it means to be human. It’s shown up in classrooms, boardrooms, therapy sessions, and Instagram infographics: a tidy pyramid, each layer stacking on top of the other, building from survival needs at the bottom to something called “self-actualization” at the peak.But what if the foundation of this pyramid—and the worldview behind it—was never truly ours to begin with?

The Story We Were Told

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist working in the mid-20th century, wanted to understand what makes people thrive. He proposed that we move up through layers of need: first food and safety, then love and belonging, then esteem, and finally, if we’re lucky, the rarefied summit of self-actualization. It’s a story of striving, of the individual climbing alone toward some personal fulfillment.

This story has profoundly influenced Western thought. It fits the myth of the lone self-made person. It says, “Before you can help anyone else, you must help yourself.” It tells us that fulfillment is a private journey, and that our needs must be met in order—alone, inside our own pyramid—before we can turn toward others, our communities, or the world.

What Maslow Saw (and What He Changed)

But this isn’t the full story. Maslow spent time with the Blackfoot (Niitsitapi) people in Alberta, Canada, in the late 1930s. He was moved by their way of life—a communal, interconnected society where well-being was measured not by individual achievement, but by the health of the whole.

The Blackfoot didn’t see needs as a ladder to climb alone. They saw life as a circle, not a pyramid—a living system of reciprocity, where the health of each was tied to the health of all. Elders, children, ancestors, land, animals, and spirit: all were part of an unbroken web.

Maslow was inspired by this, but when he translated what he witnessed into the language of Western psychology, something fundamental shifted. The Blackfoot model of “community actualization”—where the highest aim was the flourishing of the whole—became, in Maslow’s hands, “self-actualization.” The pyramid was born, and the circle was lost.

The Cost of Altering the Circle

What happens when we make the self the summit?We inherit a world obsessed with self-improvement but starved of belonging. We are taught to fill our cups first—often at the expense of the collective well—while real fulfillment always depended on our relationship to each other, to place, to ancestors, to the living earth.

Western culture has leaned hard into the idea that our needs are personal, and that our wholeness is private property. But the old ways—Blackfoot ways, and those of countless Indigenous cultures—hold a different truth: that our well-being is woven together.

Remembering the Indigenous Roots

Imagine if Maslow had told the story differently.

What if, instead of a pyramid, we saw a circle?

What if the pinnacle of human experience wasn’t individual achievement, but communal harmony?

What if our healing was not about climbing higher, but about remembering our place in the web of life?

The Blackfoot see abundance as a given, not a prize. Generosity, not scarcity. The community holds and uplifts each person; fulfillment is not something to earn, but something we share and steward for the next generation.

From Self to Community: Steps to Reweave Our Belonging

It’s not enough to see the problem; we can also practice a new way. Here are a few steps to shift from self-focus to a more community-centered way of being:

1. Practice Collective Care

• Notice the needs around you—within your family, friends, workplace, or neighborhood.

• Offer support not only when your own “cup” is full, but as part of a living web where giving and receiving are natural and mutual.

2. Share Stories and Listen Deeply

• Make space for sharing stories—not just your own, but others’. Listening is a radical act of weaving community.

• Attend community gatherings, circles, or cultural events where everyone’s voice is valued.

3. Redefine Success

• Instead of measuring success by personal achievement, ask: How am I contributing to the wellbeing of others? How am I supporting the health of the whole?

• Celebrate collective wins and shared progress, not just individual milestones.

4. Steward and Sustain

• Take responsibility for more than your own needs. Ask, “What does the community require to thrive?” and act from there—whether it’s picking up litter, volunteering, or nurturing the land.

• Recognize that stewardship extends to future generations.

5. Remember the Circle

• Whenever you feel isolated, remember you are part of a larger circle.

• Build rituals—shared meals, ceremonies, gratitude practices—that reinforce belonging and connection.

An Invitation to Reweave

It’s time to remember that we were never meant to do this alone. Our deepest needs are not private—they are shared, collective, and ancient. The old circle is still here, waiting for us to return.

Let’s listen for the wisdom that was lost in translation.

Let’s honor the Blackfoot and all Indigenous peoples whose ways of living can guide us back to a life of connection, sufficiency, and belonging.

Let’s become the circle again.