“ I do not see a delegation For the four-legged.
I see no seat for the eagles.
We forget and we consider
Ourselves superior.
But we are after all
A mere part of Creation.
And we must consider
To understand where we are.
And we stand somewhere between
The mountain and the Ant
Somewhere and only there
As part and parcel
Of the Creation. "
Chief Oren Lyons
Source: Steve Wall and Harvey Arden, Wisdomkeepers,
Beyond Words, Hillsboro, 1990, p. 71.
I see no seat for the eagles.
We forget and we consider
Ourselves superior.
But we are after all
A mere part of Creation.
And we must consider
To understand where we are.
And we stand somewhere between
The mountain and the Ant
Somewhere and only there
As part and parcel
Of the Creation. "
Chief Oren Lyons
Source: Steve Wall and Harvey Arden, Wisdomkeepers,
Beyond Words, Hillsboro, 1990, p. 71.
For more on Chief Lyons, Earthkeeper: http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=o_lyons
United Nations declare 2010 Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity. Read More
The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation The Natural but Often Forgotten Partners
Indigenous peoples are a distinct population in that the land on which they live and the natural resources on which they depend are inextricably linked to their identities and cultures. For Indigenous Peoples, conservation of biodiversity is not an isolated, compartmentalized concept but an integrated part of their lives. They view conservation areas as integral, functional parts of the landscapes in which they live (i.e., sacred places, repositories for game, etc.). Therefore, dispossession from the land or restriction of access to natural resources has brought not only economic impoverishment but also loss of identity and threats to their cultural survival. Read more...
Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity
Biodiversity as a word and concept originated in the field of conservation biology. However, as Alcorn (1994:11) states "...while proof of conservation success is ultimately biological, conservation itself is a social and political process, not a biological process. An assessment of conservation requires therefore an assessment of social and political institutions that contribute to, or threaten, conservation". One of the main social aspects related to biodiversity is, undoubtedly, the case of the world's indigenous peoples. Scientific evidence shows that virtually every part of the planet has been inhabited, modified and manipulated throughout human history. Although they appear untouched, many of the last tracts of wilderness are inhabited and have been so for millenia. Indigenous peoples live in and have special claims to territories that, in many cases, harbor exceptionally high levels of biodiversity. On a global basis, human cultural diversity is associated with the remaining concentrations of biodiversity. Both cultural diversity and biological diversity are endangered.
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INTERNATIONAL EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES 8-10 January 2008, New York
Native Languages Supporting Indigenous Knowledge
Language is at the heart of First Nations culture and knowledge retention. Indigenous peoples, especially elders, believe that without language we have lost our culture and the essence of who we are. Language is the most fundamental way that cultural information is communicated and preserved, especially in those that until recently did not use written expressions. Language's important relationship to knowledge and the survival of a culture requires that any discussion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems must include language retention. The deliberate and state-imposed destruction of Indigenous languages has caused the loss of traditional knowledge systems. It is estimated that only 3 out of fifty-two Canadian Indigenous languages will survive this century. Today many Indigenous youth are not speaking their native languages. Historically, children were taken out of their homes to attend schools for 10 months of the year. Many of these children received corporal punishment when they spoke their language in boarding schools. As a direct result of historical processes, but also the hegemony and racialization that pervades present education, both formal and informal Indian languages have been slowly disintegrating. This language disappearance trend is happening in other Indigenous communities throughout the world. The loss of language means the loss of human diversity and all the knowledge contained therein. Read more...
The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
Grandmothers Pray at the Vatican, 2008 Photo Credit: Marisol Villanueva, International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers
On October 11, 2004, 13 Indigenous Grandmothers from all over the world—the Alaskan Tundra, North, South and Central America, Africa, and Asia—arrived at Tibet House's Menla Mountain Retreat amidst 340 acres of forests, fields and streams in upstate New York. Within a few days of convening, the grandmothers agreed to form a global alliance; to work together to serve both their common goals and their specific local concerns.
The first council gathering was a time of hope and inspiration. The grandmothers are both women of prayer and women of action. Their traditional ways link them with the forces of the earth. Their solidarity with one another creates a web to rebalance the injustices wrought from an imbalanced world; a world disconnected from the fundamental laws of nature and the original teachings based on a respect for all of life. Read more...
The first council gathering was a time of hope and inspiration. The grandmothers are both women of prayer and women of action. Their traditional ways link them with the forces of the earth. Their solidarity with one another creates a web to rebalance the injustices wrought from an imbalanced world; a world disconnected from the fundamental laws of nature and the original teachings based on a respect for all of life. Read more...