Creatively United for the Planet | Transformation to a More Sustainable Future: The Role of Indigenous Wisdom @creativelyunited | Uploaded April 2020 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
A Presentation by the Ecoforestry Institute Society
The recent and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as frightening and impactful as it is, has given us an unusual opportunity to contemplate the impacts we humans have had on the environment and on other species of our planet. Our unsustainable habits – overuse of fossil fuels, destruction of diverse habitats from forests, to wetlands, to marine ecosystems, over harvesting, and overuse of pesticides and plastics, to name some of the most impacting – have resulted from ignoring Nature’s needs and processes and giving priority to our economic systems over the environmental systems on which we absolutely depend. We need to transform our lifeways, to recognize and respect the gifts that Nature provides us with, and to consider the needs of other species as well as our own, in our behaviors, actions and governance systems.
Indigenous Peoples worldwide embody perspectives that are more environment-centric, and they have much wisdom and knowledge developed over generations of building relationships with their home places and the other species on which they depend. Many hold a “kincentric” view of the world, in which other species, and even rivers and mountains, are regarded as generous relatives. In return for their gifts to us as humans, we humans cannot take them for granted, but rather have reciprocal responsibilities to them, to look after their needs and not overexploit them.
See other videos in this series:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxtqhfCEPGuiG4cZ5T8bKKEBjvJffNU0T
Presenter Bios:
Elder Geraldine Manson has worked for her community since 1980 gives credit for her cultural wisdom and education to her Elders, present, and Elders who have passed on. As the Elders’ Coordinator for Snuneymuxw First Nations, she carries many other responsibilities that relate to culture and traditions in the community. Geraldine has served her community as elected council-member. She was mentored by Dr. Ellen White (Kwulasulwut) in the traditional cultural practices of the Snuneymuxw people.
Dr. Nancy Turner is an ethnobotanist whose research integrates the fields of botany and ecology with anthropology, geography and linguistics, among others. She is interested in the traditional knowledge systems and traditional land and resource management systems of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in western Canada.
Nancy has worked with First Nations elders and cultural specialists in northwestern North America for over 40 years, collaborating with Indigenous communities to help document, retain and promote their traditional knowledge of plants and habitats, including Indigenous foods, materials and medicines, as well as language and vocabulary relating to plants and environments.
creativelyunited.org
climateandthearts.org
ecoforestry.ca
A Presentation by the Ecoforestry Institute Society
The recent and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as frightening and impactful as it is, has given us an unusual opportunity to contemplate the impacts we humans have had on the environment and on other species of our planet. Our unsustainable habits – overuse of fossil fuels, destruction of diverse habitats from forests, to wetlands, to marine ecosystems, over harvesting, and overuse of pesticides and plastics, to name some of the most impacting – have resulted from ignoring Nature’s needs and processes and giving priority to our economic systems over the environmental systems on which we absolutely depend. We need to transform our lifeways, to recognize and respect the gifts that Nature provides us with, and to consider the needs of other species as well as our own, in our behaviors, actions and governance systems.
Indigenous Peoples worldwide embody perspectives that are more environment-centric, and they have much wisdom and knowledge developed over generations of building relationships with their home places and the other species on which they depend. Many hold a “kincentric” view of the world, in which other species, and even rivers and mountains, are regarded as generous relatives. In return for their gifts to us as humans, we humans cannot take them for granted, but rather have reciprocal responsibilities to them, to look after their needs and not overexploit them.
See other videos in this series:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxtqhfCEPGuiG4cZ5T8bKKEBjvJffNU0T
Presenter Bios:
Elder Geraldine Manson has worked for her community since 1980 gives credit for her cultural wisdom and education to her Elders, present, and Elders who have passed on. As the Elders’ Coordinator for Snuneymuxw First Nations, she carries many other responsibilities that relate to culture and traditions in the community. Geraldine has served her community as elected council-member. She was mentored by Dr. Ellen White (Kwulasulwut) in the traditional cultural practices of the Snuneymuxw people.
Dr. Nancy Turner is an ethnobotanist whose research integrates the fields of botany and ecology with anthropology, geography and linguistics, among others. She is interested in the traditional knowledge systems and traditional land and resource management systems of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in western Canada.
Nancy has worked with First Nations elders and cultural specialists in northwestern North America for over 40 years, collaborating with Indigenous communities to help document, retain and promote their traditional knowledge of plants and habitats, including Indigenous foods, materials and medicines, as well as language and vocabulary relating to plants and environments.
creativelyunited.org
climateandthearts.org
ecoforestry.ca
