Indigenous Knowledge on Climate

A beautiful website of resources from and about First Nations Indigenous Knowledge related to climate change has been published, and it’s worth your attention. (Here is the link written out in case that’s useful — https://climateatlas.ca/indigenous.) There are videos, maps, stories and other resources to explore, including one by the great Elder Sheila Watt Cloutier.

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ

The Lakota phrase Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ describes Reality by addressing it as “All My Relations.” All humans, all animals, all plants, all the waters, the soil, the stones, the mountains, the grasslands, the winds, the clouds and storms, the sun and moon, stars and planets are our relations and are relations to one another. We are Read More

Circling Back Home

Twelve years ago this month, we had to leave our beloved ranch in Northwestern Nebraska. The programs that we ran on the land there were life-changing for people who participated. While it was incredibly hard to leave, we had no choice because of the financial consequences of the wildfire that had swept through the ranch Read More

Nature is not a resource

Canada recently announced it is holding an international summit in April concerning the protection of nature. I was excited about the announcement because I believe that nature needs all the protection it can get nowadays. I eagerly clicked on the announcement. When I read the first sentence, I froze. It reads, “Nature is our most Read More

Of Pipelines and Rivers: Science and Indigenous Ways

A metaphor carries more cultural significance and greater meaning than first meets the eye. Casual acceptance and use of a metaphor reinforces the package of beliefs and values that come with it, even if we don’t realize that’s happening. Metaphor is, after all, more than mere simile. It’s one of the things that makes story Read More