Do you respect the land you live on?

Do you recognize the original people who live/lived on the land you now call home? If you are the original people, what messages might you share with humans as we transition through the pandemic, climate migration and Earth warnings of Xtreme weather, wildfires, floods, sea level rising? We are in the middle of the 6th mass Xtinction. Is your place quieter, lonelier, with fewer life forms to keep you company and entertained? 

In the midst of assembling the pieces to launch a 3 day climate activation called LIVING BRIGHTLY, a team mate suggested we offer a land acknowledgment for the Yawanawa Tribe. At the end of Day 1 we are hosting an after party online with singer-songwriter Elizaveta (her SOS video is charming and deeply moving), Mark Matson doing a comedy piece on climate impact, and Tashka & Laura Yawanawa. 

This is what we came up with: 

TRUST acknowledges the 500,000 acres of Amazon rainforest in the state of Acre, Brazil of the traditional homeland of the 1,200 who protect and reinvigorate the The Yawanawá Tribe and it's culture. We respect their economically and socially empowering relationships with the outside world. Revenue from the all access after party will be gifted 100% to the Yawanawa Tribe for their LIFE PLAN. We respect The Yawanawá Life Plan, a model blueprint for how indigenous communities everywhere can think and act to strengthen their culture, their message, and to protect Mother Earth. The Yawanawá Life Plan is like a tree; it has many branches. It is a strategic plan that The Yawanawá developed over a five-year period for the whole community, and its children, men, women and elders. Its aim is to secure their territory, health, education, culture, language, economy, and identity, so they can continue being Yawanawá in their preserved land for the next generations. By listening to and making alliances with indigenous people, all humankind can benefit from maintaining living forests and ways of life. We are grateful to The Yawanawá for the care they give to life in their lands. For more from Sanctuary India.

How would you acknowledge your land? How do you celebrate the water upon which all life depends? Do you have a ritual that celebrates the air we breathe? Are local songs ways of linking ancient wisdom with practical daily living? What are you teaching your children about Earth?