335 Introduction Critical thinking is generally considered to be one of the most crucial attributes in the Western processes of knowledge assemblage and creation and is there- fore carefully nurtured in traditional higher education institutions. In Western knowledge systems, critical thinking is considered to drive not only knowl- edge production but also innovation and development, while it is intimately linked to a colonial history in which “progress” has been the key focus and driving force. Not coincidentally then the university as a “research and devel- opment” institution has played a central role in this colonial history. From an Indigenous point of view, such “progress” has been viewed with ambivalent feelings at best, but more often with suspicion and skepticism for good reasons (Tuhiwai Smith 1999). Colonialism has created an ambivalent relationship between Indigenous peoples and the university as an institution, and this ambivalence is ongo- ing and creates tension, especially for Indigenous students who may at times feel they are being co-opted into Western ways of thinking. The concept of critical thinking is central to this ambivalence because it is at the very heart of the university’s modus operandi. This degree of ambivalence is of course different for different Indigenous students. Not only are there very different degrees to which Indigenous students have been exposed to, or immersed in, Western ways of thinking but more importantly different Indigenous cultures (both outside of and within Australia) have different culturally specific ways of developing knowledge as well as different ways of expressing and passing on knowledge. Cultural variance is an important and often ignored part of Indigenous engagement with the university. This chapter explores whether a 20 Cultural Variance, Critical Thinking, and Indigenous Knowledges: Exploring a Both-Ways Approach Sharon K. Chirgwin and Henk Huijser 9781137378033_22_ch20.indd 335 9781137378033_22_ch20.indd 335 2/4/2015 5:45:42 PM 2/4/2015 5:45:42 PM