Global Earth Repair Summit: Earth Repair & Indigenous People

There are approximately 370 million Indigenous people in the world, belonging to 5,000 different groups, in 90 countries worldwide. Indigenous people live in every region of the world, but about 70% of them live in Asia.

“Indigenous people comprise just 4% of world population, but they control 22% of the land on Earth. In their territories, 80% of the planet’s remaining biodiversity has been preserved. Our sacred site reports tell inspiring stories of how indigenous worldviews and values protect biodiversity for us all — and for future generations.”Sacred Land Film Project.

The Earth and all of its life-forms, landforms and waters are sacred.

The Global Earth Repair Summit wishes to highlight indigenous people’s worldview  and viewpoints on restoration. To this end, we seek indigenous representatives to participate and bring their perspectives and knowledge to a global audience.  We invite them to contribute to sacred ceremony.

The Global Earth Repair Summit will have a strong Indigenous Track. Indigenous people will be involved in the opening and closing ceremonies, as facilitators, as presenters, and as participants. There will be indigenous caucus sessions. Indigenous participants can add their components to our Global Earth Repair Action Plan. 

We acknowledge that indigenous people, world over, are discriminated against and their land rights violated for earth-destroying activities like oil, hydroelectric dams, mining, illegal logging, etc. Indigenous people, worldwide are protecting their culture, protecting the land and doing earth repair work. I know that is the case everywhere with tribes in the United States. Datu Sancoan’s slogan that ” We are here to Protect the Earth and the Tribes” is echoed across Indigenous world.

Securing land rights for indigenous peoples and the end of oppression are necessary for earth restoration and we support their struggles against these negative forces as well as provide support for their self-determined, earth repair activities.  

The Global Earth Repair Summit also includes a Nature Communication Track on working with the spirits of the land.  The spiritual side of earth repair. All indigenous peoples spoke to the land, waters, animals, plants, etc and this goes on to this day and indeed there is a resurgence. Earth Repair can be informed by communication with the intelligences in nature. Earth Spirits are invited, acknowledged and respected.

The tribes in the Pacific Northwest part of the USA are in a different phase of struggle than tribes in the Philippines and some other parts of the world. The Pacific Northwest reservations are largely secure (after centuries of the US government breaking treaties). Every reservation of any size has a Natural Resource department with funding to do earth repair work, improve fisheries, wildlife, etc. I was  recently told that the Yakama Nation has the largest natural resources department of any indigenous tribe in the world. 600 employees (figure needs checking). Yakama Nation Fisheries now boasts a staffof over 200. The Yakama Reservation in south-central Washington State is 1.4 million acres and they do earth repair projects in watersheds in their traditional territory hundreds of miles beyond their reservation boundaries.

We give a special invitation to tribal Natural Resources Management people and to Cultural Committee members. 

Earth Repair people from all cultures can learn from each other.  We all have something to contribute.

We acknowledge that the Global Earth Repair Foundation’s office is on traditional S’Klallam territory and we seek their blessings and participation. Other local tribes include the Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Skokomish, Swinomish, Lummi, Saanich and others.

Global Earth Repair Summit 2022

Indigenous presenters as of August 26

* Jeannette  Armstrong, Okanagan Nation, British Columbia, Canada. Presenting an Okanagan worldview of society.

* Ilarion (Kuuyux) Merculieff, Alaskan Unangan traditional and environmental leader and President of the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways. He was indigenous coordinator for the 2019 Global Earth Repair Conference and will be for the 2022 Global Earth Repair Summit. Co-founder of the Wisdom Weavers of the World focused on what we must do NOW physically and spiritually.

* Margo Robbins, President, Cultural Fire Management Council, Yurok tribe, California

* Datu Lanelio T. Sangcoan, Tribes and Natures Defenders, Philippines. Datu and his people are doing earth repair with native trees reforestation project in their denuded sacred mountains. He is contacting other tribal communities in Southern Philippines to join the summit.

* Brenda Selgado. Toltec healer, California and Nicaragua

* Paul Chiyokten Wagner. Saanich Nation, Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada. Founder: Protectors of the Salish Sea.

* We expect many more.