“We’ve left behind the ‘I’ in order to work for ‘us’ and the ‘my’ to work for ‘ours’. What is mine? The house, the clothes. And what is ours? The land.”
Benedito Alves da Silva (ben-eh-dee-toe ahl-vays dah-seel-vah), President Association Ivaporundura
“We only worked collectively, doing collective projects, puxirum (poo-she-room) as we called it, and the work was always divided with the plots right next to each other.”
Daniel de Souza (dah-nee-yell day soh-zah), territorial leader, Jauary
“We do as our ancestors taught us. People need to know where (their) food… comes from. Our typical dishes came from the slave quarters and remain made without chemicals or poison.”
Heloísa de França Dias (eh-low-ee-zah day-fran-kah dee-ahz), community educator, Sao Pedro
“Our struggle, like our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’, is to defend this land so that we can hand it over to the new generations just as it was when we received it.”
Adrienne (Drica) (ah-dreen) (dree-kah), teacher, Cachoeira Porteira
“How do we prepare to be the ancestors of future people?”
Nalani Minton (nah-lah-nee min-tun), community wellness educator
“The land is immortal. Man is mortal. Therefore how can man possibly own land?”
Herb Kawainui Kane (herb kah-vah-ee-new-ee kah-nay), artist and storyteller
“Go to the place and sing the songs for the place so the place can hear the words.”
Maya Kawailanaokeawaiki Saffery (my-ah kah-vah-ee-lah-nah-oh-kay-ah-vah-ee-kee saff-er-ee), language keeper
“You only know where you are on the ocean by memorizing where you came from.”
Nainoa Thompson (neye-no-ah tom-sun), master navigator & wayfinder
“The earth is a living body. Damaging certain places damages the whole body.”
Mama Pedro Juan (mah-mah pay-drough wahn), Kogi spiritual leader
“To us water is female. Mistreating a woman is mistreating water.”
Saga Narcisa (sah-gah nahr-see-sah), Kogi spiritual leader
“It should be a human right to know the meaning of mother earth.”
Leonor Zalabata (lay-oh-nor sahl-lah-bah-tah), Arhuaco leader
“We see the natural world as a living being with rights. The rights of the natural world—of the air, the water, the moon, the stars—always take precedence.”
Mamo Amado Villafaña (ah-mah-dough vee-yah-fahn-yah), Arhuaco spiritual leader
“I have come here to deeply listen to what the seeds have to share.”
Rowen White (row-when wite), Mohawk seedkeeper
“Every human being comes from an indigenous people.”
Tom Porter (tahm pour-terr), founder of the Mohawk community of Kanatsiohareke (gah-nah-jo-ha-lay-gay)
“We are a people who sat under a tree for a long time…talking about the importance of community.”
Oren Lyons (aw-ren lie-unz), Onondaga faithkeeper
“We are responsible for seven generations, in my tradition, seven generations into the future.”
Audrey Shenandoah (aw-dree shen-on-dough-wah), Onondaga clanmother
“In the old times the people of the tundra used stars for everything… There was no light, so they navigated using stars.”
Zoya Tokareva (zoy-ah toh-kah-ray-vah), Nutendli community member
“Our Elders did not pray, they just talked with nature. I can do the same.”
Dmitri Nikolayevich Begunov (duh-me-tree nick-oh-lie-ah-vitch beg-oo-nov), reindeer herder
“When our families conduct their rituals, we always give offerings to sun. It is the source of light in our lives.”
Jegor Nutendli (yay-gor new-tend-lee), knowledge holder
“Nature has soul. Body rests when you are in nature. It is wonderful to walk on your own land.”
Anna Aleksandrovna Kaurgina (ah-nah ah-lek-sahn-drawv-nah kaw-oor-ggee-nah), climate activist