VIDEO: Yurok medicine song opens United Nations Equator Prize ceremony

Thursday, September 26, 2019  

The Yurok Tribe made history this week, becoming the first Indian nation in the U.S. to receive the prestigious Equator Prize from the United Nations.

The United Nations Development Programme's Equator Prize recognizes the tribe's unique approach to natural resources management, which merges traditional ecological knowledge with western science to facilitate the restoration of healthy forests and sacred salmon populations. Rehabilitating biologically diverse woodland habitats is critical to resolving the climate crisis, according to Yurok leaders.

“We are incredibly honored to accept the Equator Prize on behalf of the Yurok people,” said Lana McCovey, who was part of the Yurok delegation in New York City for the ceremony. “Similar to tribal nations all over the globe, our culture, quality of life, and economy require intact forests to flourish.”

“The Yurok Tribe is proof positive that it is possible to live in harmony with the environment in the 21st century,” added council member Mindy Natt, who has been attending the UN’s 74th General Assembly all week . “As we restore biodiversity to our forests, we are creating a landscape and a community that is resilient to climate change.”

Amy Cordalis, the tribe's general counsel, took center stage at the event, held Tuesday evening at the iconic Town Hall Theater. She opened the Equator Prize ceremony with a song in the Yurok language -- her grandmother's medicine song.

Javier Kinney, the tribe's executive director, was also part of the Yurok delegation. He joined the council members and Cordalis on stage as they displayed the tribal flag while accepting the Equator Prize, which comes with a $10,000 cash prize.

"There is inequality at a global scale. We have to solve inequality to solve climate change," said actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program.

The Yurok Tribe is making history at the United Nations! The tribe is receiving the UN's Equator Prize, the first Indian nation to win the prestigious award. Yurok delegation in New York City, from left: Lana McCovey, Amy Cordalis, Mindy Natt, Javier Kinney. @TheYurokTribe @undp pic.twitter.com/gwkA7FcfId

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

The UN's Equator Prize recognizes the Yurok Tribe's approach to natural resources management, which merges Traditional Ecological Knowledge #TEK with western science to facilitate the restoration of healthy forests and sacred salmon populations on the Klamath River. #California

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

Yurok Tribal Council members Lana McCovey and Mindy Natt will accept the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Prize at the iconic Town Hall Theater in New York City on Tuesday evening. Tune in at 8pm Eastern: https://t.co/ldJgdj0ZOP @TheYurokTribe @UNDP

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

“We are honored to receive recognition for our traditional ecological knowledge and western science-based approach to managing the temperate rainforests in our region,” Chairman Joseph L. James of the Yurok Tribe said of the United Nation’s Equator Prize. @TheYurokTribe @undp

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

“Our tribe is rebuilding biodiversity in our forests and restoring resilience within our community. This time-tested strategy for rehabilitating critical habitats can be duplicated all over the world to reduce the impact of climate change," said Chairman James. @TheYurokTribe

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

To learn more about the Yurok Tribe's efforts to protect its homelands visit the Equator Initiative site: https://t.co/cwIl0QtrYh @TheYurokTribe @UNDP #ClimateWeek2019

— indianz.com (@indianz) September 24, 2019

'This was always our home': Yurok Tribe welcomes indigenous leaders to forest (September 28, 2018)