Wisdom Weavers of the World

Thirteen Indigenous Elders from around the world come together to co-create a message for humankind, weaving wisdom of diverse cultures and lifeways, uncovering one common thread: for humanity to survive, we must shift our consciousness from the mind to the heart.

The Elders gathered for four days in council and ceremony on the island of Kaua’i, Hawai’i in November 2017, to remember and weave the wisdom of the original instructions on how to live as real human beings in harmony with the Earth and all Earth relatives.

In this time of great uncertainty, the Elders are calling all of humanity back home to the heart.

Watch and listen all the message:

The film is a gateway into ongoing connection with Elders & people of like mind and heart around the world--  website www.wisdomweavers.world 

Human Rights for Indigenous Peruvian Communities

Should you ask an American what they know about Peru, you will most likely get the following common responses: Cusco, Incas, llamas, Cuy and the Amazon. Not many can go into detail about any one of the topics mentioned. Yet, tourism is a huge economic gain for Peru, if not specifically for the cities and communities that receive the tourist. With that said, it is the Andean and Amazonian culture that intrigues and fascinates tourists from all around the world. As a result they travel to Peru. However, within Peru there are a lot of paradoxes surrounding those communities. How is it that outside of the country they are sort of glorified and marveled for their traditions, yet within the country there is a lack of equal representation and ridicule? This question brings up the topic of ‘Human Rights’.

By very definition “human rights” is a right belonging to every justifiable person. There is an international human rights day celebrated every year on December 10th. Yet, that definition seems a bit vague . So let’s break down those two powerful words. As human beings, we have the right to live in a safe environment, to have freedom, to be protected by the law, and so on. So if we all have these rights, why is it that Indigenous groups in the Amazon (for instance) struggle to have them recognized?

News outlets such as The Guardian and TeleSur both have written articles detailing the recent events concerning Indigenous People vowing to block the oil agreement with Canada in the Amazon unless their Indigenous rights are respected. Their struggle for justice and proper legal representation is nothing new to the Peruvian government nor Human Rights activist around the world. Be it environmental issues or oil, to name a few, Peruvian Indigenous groups have faced discrimination and a slew of human rights abuses. Perhaps this treatment is due to location and/or historic relations, but that does not excuse the mistreatment by the state. Now they have had enough.

Tribal leaders from around the area of Peru’s largest oil field and coming from the four major river basins are fighting back. They want justice. According to The Guardian, “The [...]consultation law, passed in 2011 in Peru, requires the government to seek free, prior and informed consent from indigenous people before approving any development plans that might affect them.” This is an important document that the Indigenous groups desire because it allows their perspectives and maybe knowledge of the land to be taken into account concerning their living environment. Sandi, one of the representatives living in the four river basins says that without the consultation they will not allow oil companies to enter their territory for the following 30 years. Their fight for representation, proper use of their environment, and recognition of their human rights is an admirable one. Unfortunately, the state did not give the Indigenous communities exactly what they asked.

Though they have not yet received their ask, their fight and courage to speak out against the injustice has made news everywhere. In other words, the stand for human rights continues. We all can learn from this case just by recognizing the persistence and diligence showed by Indigenous leaders and representatives of the Amazon. In today’s society, we hear more stories of human rights violations compared to citizens and communities fighting to uphold their rights. These Amazonian Indigenous groups are prime examples that to obtain justice may not be easy but it is a human right and should never be overlooked.

Written by Selena Mitchell, Incarnate Word Missionary 

Sister Story: Weaving our Identity Accompanied by our Ancestors

I share with you here my experience of the Meeting of Religious Life from Indigenous Communities in the town of Machetla II (Diocese of Huejutla, Hidalgo, Mexico).  I arrived on October 20^th in the morning and all of the sisters were already there.  The joy of everyone was very contagious.  My congregational sister, Sr. Ana Luisa Prieto CCVI, introduced me to various sisters from the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious for Mexico (CIRM) as well as the sisters from the organizing committee, and the hosting Bishop – a very nice priest.  I quickly felt at home. 

We were also welcomed by people from the Machetla community while some sisters prepared the Altar of the Mayan culture with the 4 cardinal points. The people from the community had many yellow flowers, and invited us to stand in a line. This was their way of welcoming us, and it was a beautiful welcome. The flowers were woven into small wreaths, so that each sister received a wreath of flowers placed on their head.  Then we were given a yellow string of flowers around our necks, and at the end they gave each person a staff to hold of varying sizes. The majority of the religious participants wore white embroidered blouses.  They looked beautiful, like queens or rather: like Saint Teresa with her crown.

Then they invited us to go to the altar of the Mayan culture and they explained to us each point beginning with the East: from where the sun rises there the life of each person is born and the fertility has its origin in the sun. In the West: there is the water that encircles life and where the sun is hidden: it keeps energy. The equilibrium. Life is transformed. In the North: there is power and strength. The South: is the place of thorns, the place of self-sacrifice and place of flowers.

One of the nuns invited us to settle in the direction of the east.  After reading the meaning, she invited us to dance around the altar with the ritual music of Huejutla. Soon the rhythm of the music stayed and the image of all the religious sisters reminded me how meaningful our life is. Afterwards, each Congregation presented itself in a very creative way; it was very experiential. After the welcome, we shared a meal together. Everything was very tasty. I was curious and went to taste the water; it was as sweet as the waters of the springs of my land (Puno, Peru), so I knew there was the secret!

After eating, we were presented with the objective of the gathering and the methodology: THE PATH OF INDIAN THEOLOGY: TOUCHING THE HEART OF GOD, a method of reflection from the perspective of native theology. A guide for theological reflection from the ancient narratives of our ancestors. The person in charge of the topic was Juan Manuel Garcia (a layperson with a lot of experience) who emphasized that this methodology consisted of living and feeling reality with the pains and joys in the life of our peoples. That is, to share the joys and pains of the LIFE of the people and in that reality contemplate the will of God and of the ancestors, explain the historical response of God to the problems, and build a new ideal reality of life from the project of God.

 

We shared in the group about our own ancestors.  We had many experiences in common: the values ​​of life, a great love of the earth, working together, the deep sense of community, trust in God, and our way of contemplating the nature and value of our native languages. While we have a lot of particularity and differences between cultures, something that unites us is our struggle to care for God's creation: ecology.

We ended the day with a very beautiful Eucharist presided over by 5 priests and accompanied by a chorus of children and teenagers who played the violin. All the religious women were with our flower chains (on the head, around the neck and in the hand). After the Mass, we had dinner and left in a truck that took between 10 and 12 sisters according to how it was organized.  The community welcome each of us into a family. I loved this gesture!

I stayed with a family that spoke a language I had never heard before. The woman who welcomed me has 2 sons and 6 daughters but they are all out of the house. Most of her daughters are in Mexico City; one of her children is in Monterrey and the other in Canada. She lives with her daughter-in-law, a granddaughter and a grandson. Her house is very well cared for thanks to the efforts of her and her children.  They were a very nice family, and I happily stayed with them for two nights.

The second day we started with a delicious egg-based breakfast with black beans, very tasty. Then a reflective, contemplative prayer with dance. Then we had an open dialogue with some questions such as: What do we hear? What resonates in our heart? Then it was time for illumination from the wisdom of the grandmothers and grandfathers.

Sr. Herlinda, a Guatemalan religious, shared the clock of the Mayan culture, an instrument used since ancient times to measure the passage of hours, minutes and seconds. They had 13 calendars and 18 months and from that they knew the quality of people and how everything was connected and integrated. That is why the people of this culture ask you: how is your heart?  There is also a deposit of wisdom of the ancestors who give us advice through stories. Some phrases that were constantly repeated included the importance of sharing food with the needy, with the deceased and the attitudes that help create inner peace; for all this strengthens the heart.  Theology is the experience of God in the Indigenous communities and peoples, because they recognize God in everything.

The third day we started very similar as in the previous days: with a rich breakfast and a deep prayer. Sister Ana Luisa Prieto made a summary highlighting the blessings of each day shared together; it was very significant. We focused this day on creating the means to act.

What wonderful teachings I received and carry with me! Now my question is how do I offer this back in our religious family and in the town where I am? For all this helped me strengthen my heart, because when we touch the depths of our being, we can speak from the heart.  Being there allows us to listen to our dreams. Inspiration springs forth from the source of all being. I will find the way; I know and feel it.

I end this time with much gratitude for all those women of faith I gathered with, for our Congregation, and for Sr. Ana Luisa Prieto. Thank you.

Written by Sr. Sofia Mamani, CCVI 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Halts Dakota Access Pipeline

Cannon Ball, N.D.— The department of the Army will not approve an easement that will allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe. The following statement was released by Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II.

“Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it will not be granting the easement to cross Lake Oahe for the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. Instead, the Corps will be undertaking an environmental impact statement to look at possible alternative routes. We wholeheartedly support the decision of the administration and commend with the utmost gratitude the courage it took on the part of President Obama, the Army Corps, the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to take steps to correct the course of history and to do the right thing.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all of Indian Country will be forever grateful to the Obama Administration for this historic decision.

We want to thank everyone who played a role in advocating for this cause. We thank the tribal youth who initiated this movement. We thank the millions of people around the globe who expressed support for our cause. We thank the thousands of people who came to the camps to support us, and the tens of thousands who donated time, talent, and money to our efforts to stand against this pipeline in the name of protecting our water. We especially thank all of the other tribal nations and jurisdictions who stood in solidarity with us, and we stand ready to stand with you if and when your people are in need.

Throughout this effort I have stressed the importance of acting at all times in a peaceful and prayerful manner – and that is how we will respond to this decision. With this decision we look forward to being able to return home and spend the winter with our families and loved ones, many of whom have sacrificed as well. We look forward to celebrating in wopila, in thanks, in the coming days.

We hope that Kelcey Warren, Governor Dalrymple, and the incoming Trump administration respect this decision and understand the complex process that led us to this point. When it comes to infrastructure development in Indian Country and with respect to treaty lands, we must strive to work together to reach decisions that reflect the multifaceted considerations of tribes.

Treaties are paramount law and must be respected, and we welcome dialogue on how to continue to honor that moving forward. We are not opposed to energy independence, economic development, or national security concerns but we must ensure that these decisions are made with the considerations of our Indigenous peoples.

To our local law enforcement, I hope that we can work together to heal our relationship as we all work to protect the lives and safety of our people. I recognize the extreme stress that the situation caused and look forward to a future that reflects more mutual understanding and respect.

Again, we are deeply appreciative that the Obama Administration took the time and effort to genuinely consider the broad spectrum of tribal concerns. In a system that has continuously been stacked against us from every angle, it took tremendous courage to take a new approach to our nation-to-nation relationship, and we will be forever grateful."

(http://standwithstandingrock.net/standing-rock-sioux-tribes-statement-u-s-army-corps-engineers-decision-not-grant-easement/) 

Solidarity with Standing Rock

The indigenous tribe of the Standing Rock Sioux, together with other indigenous tribes of the U.S. and defenders of the earth and water have been protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in North Dakota for months now. 

This pipeline would transport crude oil through the land of the Sioux which includes sacred burial sites as well as cross the Missouri River which provides potable drinking water for millions.  Those gathered at Standing Rock in peaceful resistance of DAPL have been met with militarized violence in the form of beatings, pepper spray, sound cannons, rubber bullets, and water cannons fired on them in freezing temperatures.  

The JPIC Office of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word stands in solidarity with the indigenous tribes and all those gathered at Standing Rock to protect the sacred land and water.

We denounce the violent and militarized response waged against these water protectors, and call on the U.S. government and all investors in the pipeline to stop the violence and respect the rights of those gathered at Standing Rock protecting their sovereign land.

People of Faith Stand with Standing Rock #NoDAPL

(From our friends at Franciscan Action Network (FAN))

November is Native American Heritage Month. What better time to stand up and show our support of our Native brothers and sisters in Standing Rock and other tribes who have been peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline from going through their sacred lands. Organizations such as Pax Christi USA and Creation Justice Ministries have developed prayers and petitions to bring awareness to this wrong that needs to be righted.

In some cases, there have been representatives able to go to the camp, join in the ceremonies and bring back eyewitness accounts of the people and their stories. Just this past weekend, four sisters: two Sisters of St. Francis (Oldenburg) plus two School Sisters of Notre Dame (Mankato province) drove to Standing Rock with coats and other supplies and to be there as a gesture of solidarity. Mercy Sisters Aine O’Connor and Kathleen Erickson and the Sisters of Mercy West-Midwest Justice Coordinator, Mike Poulin also headed out to be a part of the Solidarity Circle, described below. Additionally, a Mercy Lay Associate, Virginia Fifield of the Akwesausne, who went to Standing Rock in September posted this blog of her time there.

Those mentioned above joined a group of nearly 500 faith leaders and clergy in a Multifaith Solidarity Circle in Support of Standing Rock. FAN urged people of all faiths across the country to fast and pray in a coordinated prayer of solidarity to support those in North Dakota. Here is a post of FAN’s prayer service on Facebook.

As the protests continue, we urge members and friends to continue to pray and show your support of our native brothers and sisters. For concrete ideas on what you can do, go online to Stand with Standing Rock.net.

Indigenous proposals

The UN Human Rights Office earlier called on countries "to take action to protect those who lack the resources to protect themselves, as well as providing access to effective redress for climate harm.”

"What we want to see is that the response in Paris is one that takes into account the impacts of climate change on human rights,” it stressed.

About 250 indigenous leaders who engaged in unprecedented consultations in their regions in the Arctic, North America, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean, Russia and Eastern Europe, and Africa submitted proposals to the ongoing talks. (READ: Indigenous peoples to world leaders: We carry burden of climate change)

In the document crafted by the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), they reiterated their resolve to contribute their traditional knowledge and livelihood to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Read more: http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/114946-indigenous-peoples-rights-cop21?utm_medium=email 

From– Rappler.com

On This Day

Life forms going extinct at a rising number its more rampant now this includes mankind at the rate their destroying lifes ecosystems on the planet.

In 1867 Crow Chief Bear Tooth gave a speech in which he condemned all non-Native men for their reckless destruction of wildlife and the natural environment at Fort Laramie, Wyoming: "Fathers, fathers, fathers, hear me well. Call back your young men from the mountains of the bighorn sheep. They have run over our country; they have destroyed the growing wood and the green grass; they have set fire to our lands. Fathers, your young men have devastated the country and killed my animals, the elk, the deer, the antelope, my buffalo. They do not kill them to eat them; they leave them to rot where they fall. Fathers, if I went into your country to kill your animals, what would you say? Should I not be wrong, and would you not make war on me?"

Navajo Women Walk 1,000 Miles To Protest Pipeline

Since January, over 70 Navajo people have joined a prayer walk across the American Southwest protesting a fracking oil pipeline in New Mexico. The walk aims to galvanize Native American communities to demand more from oil companies that profit from the reservations’ natural resources.

The participants started with a crowdfunding campaign that raised almost $6,000 to support their year-long journey. Over the past few months, the Nihígáál Bee iina group has used digital media to share their spiritual traditions, connecting Navajo communities across the country.

They are chronicling their journey on a Facebook page: “Despite being at the forefront of energy extraction, our people do not see its benefits; approximately 25% of our people today live without electricity and running water on the Navajo Nation, while our economy functions at an unemployment rate of about 60%.”

The group calls this 1,000-mile protest their Journey for Existence, commemorating the 150th anniversary of “The Long Walk,” where thousands of Diné (Navajo people) were marched at gunpoint for hundreds of miles into Bosque Redondo, a concentration camp where they would stay for four years.

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