Ilarion Merculieff – Unangan Wisdom Keeper

Ilarion (Larry “Kuuyux”) Merculieff is an Indigenous messenger and teacher. An Unangan Elder and advocate for his people, he is one of the last generation of Aleuts of the Alaskan Pribilof Islands to be fully raised in the traditional way. Kuuyux, a name given once a generation, means extension, like an arm extending from a body. His work now extends internationally, as he facilitates the use of traditional ways of dialogue, decision-making and consensus building, and talks about Indigenous elder wisdom for modern times. As the founder of the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways, he shares the wisdom of Elders and wisdomkeepers around the globe, leading many conferences and gatherings in support of Indigenous rights and the preservation of Mother Earth. He has also served in multiple leadership capacities in “western” organizations, including City Manager of St. Paul Island, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development, Chairman of the Board of The Aleut Corporation, Co-chair of the Japan-Alaska Fishery Cooperative, Deputy Director of the Alaska Native Science Commission, on the National Research Council Committee on the Bering Sea Ecosystem, chairman and co-founder of the Alaska Indigenous Council on Marine Mammals; chairman of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska chapter; co-director of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Alaska chapter; co-founder of the International Bering Sea Forum, the Alaska Forum on the Environment, and the Alaska Oceans Network. Over the course of his life of staunch advocacy in these organizations, Larry has helped secure recognition of Alaska Native subsistence fishing rights, and develop culturally- based adaptation strategies for the impact of climate change. 

Issues related to cultural and community wellness, traditional ways of living, elder wisdom, and the environment are close to his heart. He recently chaired the Indigenous knowledge sessions at the Global Summit of Indigenous Peoples on Climate Change attended by Indigenous representatives from 80 nations.

Larry was featured in National Wildlife magazine as an “American Hero”, having called national and international attention to major adverse changes in the Bering Sea ecosystem.

“We don’t have a word for sustainability because we live it.”

Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Organizations: Indigenous Peoples’ Council for Marine Mammals, Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways; Senior Advisor to the World Wilderness Congress and advisor to the Native Lands and Wilderness Council. 

Books:   Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education; Wisdomkeeper: One Man’s Journey to Honor the Untold Story of the Unangan People; Ilarion is featured as one of ten Native Americans in the book Native American Men of Courage by Second Story Press. Ilarion’s co-authored book, Aleut Wisdom: Stories of an Aleut Messenger

Websites:
1) Native Perspectives on Sustainability
2) Global Center for Indigenous Leadership
3) Wisdom Weavers 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unangan.guy, https://www.facebook.com/wisdomweaversoftheworld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdomweaversoftheworld/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilarion-larry-merculieff-15b6429/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/wisdom-weavers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lmerculieff3, https://twitter.com/Wisdom_Weavers

Video 1: Wisdom Weavers
Video 2: Interview at Google
Video 3: TED Talk