Jodi Rave: American Indian Institute tackles issues

National

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

"The world can learn from indigenous people, particularly in these times when the global economy falters and the Earth rumbles under the stress of climate change, Oren Lyons said here Saturday.

The indigenous message begins with educating the dominant society about “community, family and collective will,” said Lyons. “This idea of private property has brought us bad times. The problem is, how do you retrain a nation about collective sharing, a nation that is driven by greed. It's a big job. But if we don't do it, we'll suffer the consequences.”

Lyons, an internationally respected spiritual and traditional leader from the Onondaga Nation in New York, gave the keynote address at a workshop Saturday at Blue Bay Campground on the Flathead Reservation.

The three-day, invitation-only workshop sponsored by the American Indian Institute, a nonprofit leadership group based in Bozeman, included about 125 traditionalists and scientists, activists and feminists. The “Ancient Voices - Contemporary Contexts” gathering ends Sunday.

The event united Native and non-Native people from across the country, including American icons Gloria Steinem and Wilma Mankiller. Its purpose: to give voice to indigenous people and bridge two cultures exploring common concerns about the human condition in modern times.

“It's incredible that we've come to this place where we can now invite special group leaders and speakers to come and inform the general public,” said Anne Stephenson, wife of the American Indian Institute's founder. “That's what it's all about is understanding and cross-cultural exchange.”

On Saturday, the group focused on global warming."

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Indigenous workshop looks to past for solutions (The Missoulian 9/21)