"Jessica Alba said, "We need a cleaner Earth." We Native people have been saying the same thing since Day 1.

My Episcopal bishop told me for Native Americans to have survived what happened to them is the greatest survival story the world has ever known. I believe we survived to save the world. We have to stop global warming.

The villages -- our homelands -- are the best place to advocate and get the attention of the world. Whether they know it or not, the whole world needs Alaska Natives/Native Americans more than anything right now. Humans have angered Mother Nature. The world needs our sustainable and environmentally friendly mentality, spirituality and living.

Speaking to our traditional Native elders is like speaking to the land: Learn our Native people's ways. Our elders are leaving us, so we have to act fast. Time is running out. Ask them: "What can we do to save our villages and the world? How can we reach our lost brothers in the industrial nations and tell them to stop?" In the meantime, we can advocate against fossil fuel use, expanding unsustainable structures, China's growing hunger for resources, and killing people for resources. "

Get the Story:
Matthew Gilbert: World needs to learn from Native culture (The Anchorage Daily News 6/9)