Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants “I fear that a world made of gifts cannot coexist with a world made of commodities.” Robin Wall Kimmerer transcends boundaries, and so does her latest book. Simultaneously a botanist and author-poet, scientist and Potowatomi Nation citizen, professor and mother, she brings together unusually diverse perspectives … Continue reading Book Review: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer→
Film by Eclectic Reel / via Intercontinental Cry In this 43-minute documentary, you will learn about the history of the Doctrine of Discovery, its basis in Christian theology, its effects on Indigenous Peoples today, and how we might start to undo it. “Doctrine of Discovery: In the Name of Christ” features interviews with Indigenous scholars, leaders and … Continue reading Doctrine of Discovery: In the Name of Christ→
INDIGENOUS CUSTODIANS CALL FOR RECOGNITION AND PROTECTION OF SACRED NATURAL SITES By Hannibal Rhoades / Intercontinental Cry Indigenous custodians from Benin, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia have released a powerful new statement outlining the importance of sacred natural sites and governance systems. Emerging out of a biocultural diversity revival movement that’s starting to build serious momentum across … Continue reading Our Roots, Our Responsibility→
By Robin Llewellyn / Intercontinental Cry Children of the Wounaan People easily find diversion in the abandoned basketball stadium of Buenaventura, the largest city on Colombia’s Pacific coast. Some chase pigeons that try to settle around the highest rows of seats, casually resting to look out over the surrounding rooftops to the islands of mangrove and forest … Continue reading Interviews with displaced members of Colombia’s Wounaan Peoples→
Will Falk reports with clarity on what is needed in the struggle to protect Mauna Kea from the Thirty Meter Telescope project. It is critical for defenders to connect with the land and the mountain they love through prayer, but also crucial to translate that love into effective action. The environmental movement has been losing … Continue reading Protecting Mauna Kea: Pule Plus Action→
By Will Falk / Deep Green Resistance I went up to Mauna Kea’s summit a few days ago to pule (to pray) with some of the protectors on a ridge inside the Thirty Meter Telescope’s (TMT) proposed construction site. When we reached the site, we were confronted by half a dozen large men in orange … Continue reading Protecting Mauna Kea: Pule Plus Action→
“The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish. … Frequently no measures are taken until after people’s health has been irreversibly affected.” When a draft of a speech … Continue reading Climate Deniers at Odds With the Pope→
Will Falk’s third installment in his series on protecting Mauna Kea addresses this culture’s conflation of spirituality with superstition. Many proponents of the massive Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project dismiss out of hand the cultural concerns of Hawaiians who defend the sacredness of Mauna Kea and decry the construction of yet another telescope as desecration. … Continue reading Protecting Mauna Kea: Stopping Murder-Suicide→
When people have asked me why I am going to Hawai’i to help protect Mauna Kea and my answer involves words like “sacredness” or “spiritual,” I am surprised whenever I see the grimaces.
I often get an explanation like this, “I support indigenous people, of course, but the telescope is for science. Isn’t it a little…superstitious to block an astronomy project for a mountain?” ... Continue reading →
By Lee Allen, Indian Country Media Network As the morning sun rose high enough to burn off the chilly overnight temperatures, mesquite fires scattered throughout the Oak Flats Campground offered a warm welcome to a special day for Arizona’s San Carlos Apache tribe. Some 300 tribal members and supporters from across the country had gathered … Continue reading Hundreds Gather at Oak Flat to Fight for Sacred Apache Land→
