An Indigenous Response to These Times
Date: March 21st
In his lifetime Stan Rushworth, an elder of Cherokee descent who was raised by his grandfather, has seen a river die, animals disappear, and the proliferation of box stores. The devastation of climate change is not new to him - his elders have been telling him about it all of his life. The traditional indigenous wisdom that is needed now is looking at how indigenous populations have managed to survive a 95% population reduction through destruction and genocide. He calls on us all to come back to right relationship, to be sorrowful for what is happening, because without this we have lost our humanity. And yet we cannot stop with the sorrow and tears because "there's too much work to be done" and we must figure out together how to do that work.
What can YOU do?
- Pause for a moment the next time you're outdoors, take a deep breath, and give thanks to the land beneath you
- Recognize and respect the indigenous who came before you
- Treat the earth with compassion
- Practice sustainability
- Find out whose stolen land you live on.
