Teaching indigenous "ways of knowing" as science

For readers who have not been following this controversy, I thought I would point out Jerry Coyne’s article on New Zealand’s intention to teach Maori “ways of knowing” alongside science in schools and universities. Dr. Coyne has been following the situation for some time now, but the article I cite, his latest as of now, provides a good summary.

The scare quotes (“ways of knowing”) are Dr. Coyne’s, but to my mind they are entirely justified. True, the Maori and other indigenous peoples have learned a great deal about their environments, but much of what they “know” is palpably untrue. Indeed, many indigenous peoples, including the ancient Hebrews, tell what are essentially creationist myths and are therefore demonstrably false. These myths are also generally mutually exclusive. They may be appropriate in anthropology or history classes, but they are not science and do not belong in a science class, except conceivably alongside phlogiston in a unit on the history of science.

The New Zealand policy, though obviously well-intentioned, is frankly pandering. It leads to the following question: Must we teach Iroquois “ways of knowing” in New York, Navajo “ways of knowing” in New Mexico Arizona, and astrology in Boulder, Colorado – all as if they were science?