Recommended Reads: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robina Wall Kimmerer © 2013 by Milkweed Editions, www.milkweed.org In an essay describing hunter-gatherer peoples with few possessions as the original affluent society,...
We Are the Soil That Walks
We Are the Soil That Walks In the lead up to COP26, the climate conference held in Glasgow in 2021, we were invited to submit an article for The Blue Dot, a publication that is presented in conjunction with the conference. The theme for the article is – “What is...Solstice Descent by Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining) Diné
Shared with Permission Solstice Descent by Pat McCabe (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining) Diné SOLSTICE DESCENT My stance: Spirit is greater than any/everything. Almost 30 years ago it was proposed to me that “God is either everything or nothing… what was my...
2021 Year in Review
HOW TO BE A GOOD ANCESTOR I have struggled writing this ‘year in review/preview of what’s to come’. There are few among us who have not experienced tremendous loss, unexpected changes in our lives or those we hold most dear, or the sadness that comes with all that...
Recommended Reads: Wisdomkeepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders
Recommended Reads From Kim Langbecker, Executive Director Welcome to Recommended Reads, Sacred Fire Foundation’s monthly book recommendation series. Today, I am delighted to share an excerpt from Wisdomkeepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders by Steve...
Recommended Reads: The Time of the Black Jaguar by Arkan Lushwala
Welcome to Recommended Reads, Sacred Fire Foundation’s monthly book recommendation series. By Kim Langbecker, Executive Director Once a month, we’ll feature a book that has made a profound impact on our work. Today, I am delighted to share an excerpt from The Time...
“The wisdom of humanity lives in Indigenous people – and it belongs to humanity ” Arkan Lushwala (Andean Ceremonial Leader)
Over the last few years, out of the blue, someone would randomly mention that I “needed” to meet a ceremonial leader from Peru who lived “somewhere near Santa Fe”. Each time, a few more details were revealed but never his name. I’m not certain if those urging me to...
Protecting the Sacred – A Word from Mercedes Caso, SFF Grants Director
How Does Sacred Fire Foundation Protect And Support Indigenous Wisdom? The main purpose of our grantmaking program, Protecting the Sacred, provides modest grants and organizational support for Indigenous wisdom keepers and their communities worldwide. To help them...In Solidarity
IN SOLIDARITY. In one of the hundreds of treasured conversations I’ve been blessed to have with Pauline Tangiora, the subject of us all being “one people” came up. I don’t remember the context or who shared that very common vision, but Pauline, in her gentle...Seeds of Wisdom – Pauline Tangiora (English)
In response to the urgent calling we are all feeling during this challenging and transformative time, and in solidarity with our Sacred Fire Foundation community and the many Elders we have had the privilege to work alongside, we are grateful to be able to share...
What is “Indigenous”?
From recent opinion pieces in The Hill on the importance of listening to the wisdom and worldview of Native and Aboriginal Elders to protect our planet, to stories about the connection between Indigenous knowledge, the protection of biodiversity and the prevention of...
Everything is Sacred
This is a message to everyone who we have had the honor to share space with, in-person at one of our events, digitally through our social media, perhaps even just through e-mail. We are reaching out to you today to remind you, during this very challenging and...
November is Native American Heritage Month
This year’s theme is “Honoring Our Nations: Building Strength Through Understanding. There are hundreds of tribes across the nation, with over 570 federally recognized. They are the Indigenous Peoples of the United States – 5 million strong! This is a time to...
Vital Voices Protecting the Sacred
Words such as “hero”, “warrior” and “defender” are a part of every culture. Some become famous and are part of our collective history. Some go out every day and with very little fanfare, keep us safe, rescue us when tragedy strikes...
Busuréliame, Inner Awakening Through Ceremony
The Sacred Fire Foundation grant provided logistical support, food for the Tarahumara during the planning and conducting of two regional harvest ceremonies which are part of a larger vision and program to strengthen Tarahumara resilience. Busuréliame (Inner Awakening)...2019: the Year of Indigenous Languages
By Mercedes Caso Indigenous languages matter for social, economic and political development, peaceful coexistence and reconciliation in our societies. Yet many of them are in danger of disappearing. It is for this reason that the United Nations declared 2019 the Year...
Voices for the Water
By Alison Wearing For most of us, water is available at the simple turn of a tap. It’s easy to lose our connection to its source, its significance, its spiritual essence. But there are people among us with a deep connection to water and its wisdom, Indigenous Elders...
Creative Steps toward Gender Equality. Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, Belize.
The customs of Q’eqchi Mayan communities in Belize have been under threat from recent evangelical colonization that prohibits the practice of Indigenous cultural traditions. In response, an intergenerational project was created to rekindle an interest among...