We can all see the Earth is heating up, that polar ice and glaciers are melting, and that ever more fires, floods and droughts are screaming at us that our climate is unraveling. Our societies are also showing signs of unraveling. But the legendary, world-renowned Native American Rights leader, Oren R. Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, who, among countless achievements, helped establish the UN’s Working Group on Indigenous Populations and authored or co-authored such profoundly influential texts as: Wilderness in Native American Culture and Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations and the U.S. Constitution, is here to tell us that we can’t give up. We have profound responsibilities to coming generations, and time is of the essence, but if we want to reverse course to prevent climate catastrophe and achieve real peace, we will have to dig deep to transform contemporary society’s core values that underlie and drive the existential crises we are facing.

Introduction by Rex Lyons, Haudenosaunee Nationals

Unlike “American” culture which fetishizes youth, most traditional cultures deeply honor the wisdom that comes with age and experience. Elders play treasured roles in their communities passing on knowledge, values and practices that keep tribal members healthy in mind, body and spirit. This historic panel features a discussion among four elders who have not only led their own tribes, but are highly influential in broader public conversations about healing, democracy, human land and water rights, and much more. They are cross-cultural bridgers, whose stories have shaped the course of history and will continue for generations to come. Join us to hear from some of the most inspirational elders we know.

In British Columbia and many other places, colonization removed Indigenous people from their wooded lands and made way for industrial forestry, causing incredible harm to both the people and the land. Using a variety of approaches, many First Nations are regaining governance of their ancestral forests and seeking to steward them in ways that draw on both historical Indigenous management practices and cutting-edge contemporary science to support ecosystem health, cultural values, and local livelihoods. This panel brings together the Mother Tree Network and the Awi’nakola Foundation to share how they support First Nations in British Columbia in this transformational work.

The UN Conference of the Parties (COP) 28th gathering on Climate Change wrapped up in December of 2023. Indigenous Peoples presence has increased every year, and we have become the second largest civil society delegation at COP, second only to oil & gas lobbyists. Indigenous Peoples have played a critical role in these spaces for decades, utilizing the deep-rooted knowledge our communities hold concerning the effects of climate change and the connections to our intimate relationships with land and water. Our beliefs tell us how to keep systems in balance, contrary to the ideologies of capitalism that have spread across the globe. We know climate change is driving extreme weather and the 6th mass extinction on Earth, yet governing bodies are still not doing enough to mitigate greenhouse gasses. Promises are starting to be made with attention to the recommendations of Indigenous Peoples, our knowledge systems, and our rights, but they continue to be negated by policies that subsidize the carbon-based economy. Indigenous Peoples require more than just political action but recognition of our sovereign inherent and internationally affirmed rights to turn this crisis around. Join us to learn how Indigenous climate activists impact national and international negotiations and policies to address climate change and what you can do to support the movement.

Join Puyr Tembé, First Secretary of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Para in the Brazilian Amazon; Celia Xakriabá, a Federal Deputy in the Brazilian Congress and a co-founder of ANMIGA (the National Association of Ancestral Indigenous Women Warriors); and Leila Salazar-López, Executive Director of Amazon Watch, in an intimate and inspiring conversation about the power of Indigenous women’s leadership to protect the Amazon and all of the biomes of Brazil. What began as seeds of resistance to deforestation and land-grabbing for industrial extraction has grown to a national and international movement to reforest minds and hearts to defend Indigenous land rights, respect women’s rights and protect Mother Earth. Learn how you can join the movement. “The fight for Mother Earth is the Mother of all fights!”