Ancestral wisdom is a climate solution

‍

Everything on our planet, including us, are very much interconnected! Before diving deeper into ancestral wisdom, the prompts below will help you connect with yourself, others, spirit, and systems! Choose one and give this conversation a life in the world outside of the interweb. We’ll focus on dimensions of connection: with self, others, spirit, and systems. (When we say “spirit,” we’ll usually be talking about the awe and wonder of the natural world.)

‍

Option 1: When talking about advice for young Indigenous activists, Nemonte shares, “Focus on your own spirituality and your own connection to the earth and to your culture and to your territory, because we carry a lot of trauma.” Due to colonization and globalization, many of us—native folks, settlers, and immigrants alike—have been disenfranchised from our culture and land. But we are ALL from somewhere.

💡 Self/others/spirit prompt: Find a close friend or family member whom you can get deep with. Have a conversation guided by this question, “when you hear about finding your own connection to the earth, what comes up for you? When/where do you feel most connected to the earth?”

‍

Option 2: Nemonte is asked, “What tools would you say have been critical to your success thus far?”

Part of her response is, “We needed to leverage communication strategies and social media and networks of allies, including celebrities, Indigenous rights experts, and people from around the world to support us, stand in solidarity with us, and shine a spotlight on the judicial system to ensure that we could protect outcome and protect the integrity of the process.”

💡 Systems prompt: Reach out to someone you are already building coalition with. Ask them this same question — ”what tools are critical to your success when you think about climate solutions/[whatever work you’re doing]? ​If you don’t have someone in mind doing justice work, practice this connection prompt by asking your boss this question about your job, even if it's software engineering or whatever. The goal is to understand tools and leverage points.

‍

Take what you’ve learned and let it ripple out into the world—because the connections we nurture today are the ones that will shape a more just and interconnected tomorrow!

‍

‍

Humans have always known how to build resilience. We don't know what the other side of this climate crisis will look like, but we know there will be one. If we can build bridges out of trees that grow stronger the more we use them, we can do anything.

‍

The two options below will help you learn about living root bridges and other resilient structures based on ancient practices.

‍

✨Option 1: Watch a Ted Talk on how to build a resilient future using ancient wisdom ✨

‍

‍

In this video, architect Julia Watson shares her global exploration of Indigenous design systems and how they may help us combat climate challenges. 

‍

You’ll learn that:

• 🌳The Khasi people have a  1,500 year-old tradition of building bridges out of tree roots in Meghalaya, India. These bridges grow stronger with time and last for centuries!
  
  
• 🌲The Maʿdān's 6,000-year record of creating floating villages in the southern wetlands of Iraq. The Maʿdān create their infrastructure with dried Qasab reed, which can bind their buildings together with no nails!! Just vibes and reeds!
  
  
• 🌱The Tofinu tribe in Benin who have created an entire floating village as their solution to flooding. Their setup is even building more biodiversity than before!

‍

✨ Option 2: Learn more about Meghalaya’s living root architecture and the use of traditional knowledge ✨

This story from Mongabay about living root bridges in India IS SO COOL. Humans are amazing! Nature is amazing! When we realize we are a part of nature and our fates are tied because they're the same, magic happens. This is how we save the world!

‍

‍

Some highlights:

• 🪴 It's a way to pass on ancestral heritage. "Traditionally, in the Khasi matrilineal society, where family names are passed down through women, men over 50 without female siblings or children are preferred to plant Ficus saplings for construction" so their family name is remembered for their contributions.
  ​
• 🌿These bridges inherently necessitate shared and intergenerational stewardship. The bridges get stronger over time and can take decades to complete. Elders hold the knowledge of these root system and children are actively involved in decision-making. It's an all-ages group project!
  ​
• 🍂They sequester carbon and help our health! This type of architecture is called "regenerative architecture" and it can reduce ambient temperatures by 2-8°C, manage urban stormwater runoff, and provide health benefits like reducing stress and respiratory illnesses.

​

‍

The longest living root bridge in Meghalaya that stretches to 53 metres in length. Located at Mawkyrnot in Meghalaya’s Rangthylliang, the bridge is entirely made with the roots of two Ficus trees. Image by Barasha Das for Mongabay.

‍

In short, by looking to the past, we can save our future.

‍

‍

Looking to the past infuses a deep sense of hope in our veins. Dictators and nefarious systems have always attempted to fracture humans trying their best to thrive, and look at us? We're still going!

‍

Here are some simple commitments that will go a long way to reweave our social fabric. 

‍

1. Find out who the ancestral stewards of your land are.
Who used to live where you live currently? Who is in charge? Who has been displaced? You can find the answer to many of these questions with a simply internet search. In many places, you can use this map to understand historical land ownership.

‍

2. Identify one area YOU are committing to exploring.
Find a starting point that makes sense for you. For example, maybe you love gardening, so you want to learn more about Indigenous land management practices. Maybe you live in a place that's prone to fire risk and you can support a group that's raising awareness for controlled burns. This Wikipedia page on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is a great place to start.

‍

3. Attend the Anti-COP summit next year or help financially support an activist to go.
You might know that COP29 just happened in Baku, and that a lot of...questionable things happen at these global fancy schmancy climate summits. There's a movement against this that centers environmental justice and honors historical knowledge.

‍

4. Schedule a conversation with someone significantly older or younger than you.
Talk about what environmental stewardship means to both of you. What are you observing that's worked in your experience? What's missing? If you are an elder, pass down your own wisdom. If you are younger, ask questions and get curious! Keeping ancestral wisdom alive requires all of us.

‍

5. Do a media audit of the voices you follow.
Whether it's social media or traditional media or your next door neighbor dropping by with daily news, pay attention to the voices who influence your worldview. Share newsletters you love with your friends and unsubscribe from the ones that serve you. Follow elders working on climate justice on the platforms they're at. Make your screen time work for you and the planet!

6. Join a community or initiative that's a little bit outside your comfort zone and nurtures intergenerational conversations.
Of course, you can always join Soapbox Project's membership community for joyful spaces for climate action. In addition, ​Third Act is a community of Americans over sixty determined to change the world for the better. Third Act harnesses an unparalleled generational power to safeguard our climate and democracy. ​Earth Guardians is an international network for youth, led by youth, in the fight for climate justice. Lastly, many cities have local/neighborhood councils that convene regularly to talk about issues that affect them. Same with mutual aid community hubs! These can be hard to find, but it's so worth asking around and then getting involved.

‍

7. Make Ecosia your default search engine.
It plants trees for searches! If you are stressed out about AI weaning its way into every single Google product without consent, Ecosia is an easy switch.

‍

8. Cancel your Amazon prime account.
Notice how this isn't the same as "never buy from Amazon again." I canceled my Amazon Prime account a few years ago and never looked back, but I can buy stuff on there if I'm really in a pinch. Don't give Jeff your money when you don't need to!

‍

Act by committing to at least one area where you will apply ancestral wisdom to your activism and advocacy. All we have is each other, and a long legacy of people like you who have refused to give up in the face of adversity. 

‍

Before we go any further, it's time for you to pledge your commitment. It takes less than 30 seconds to pledge and we can bother you about it in a friendly way, so we can hold each other accountable. Pledge here!

‍

🎯 Action step 4 of 4: REFLECT — what can you commit to? What fresh perspectives can we look at?

‍

Our roots and ancestors help sustain our natural world. Honoring the interconnections of our planet, here's the poem "Remember" by Native American poet Joy Harjo.

‍

Remember the sky that you were born under,

know each of the star’s stories.

Remember the moon, know who she is.

Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the

strongest point of time. Remember sundown

and the giving away to night.

Remember your birth, how your mother struggled

to give you form and breath. You are evidence of

her life, and her mother’s, and hers.

Remember your father. He is your life, also.

Remember the earth whose skin you are:

red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth

brown earth, we are earth.

Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their

tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,

listen to them. They are alive poems.

Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the

origin of this universe.

Remember you are all people and all people

are you.

Remember you are this universe and this

universe is you.

Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.

Remember language comes from this.

Remember the dance language is, that life is.

Remember.

‍

As you reflect, ask yourself: 

• What lines, themes, or images struck you?
• What are the feelings this poem brings up in you?
• What is this poem revealing or reaffirming about yourself and your worldview?

‍

Bonus points if you read this poem out loud this week and ask the people you're with: what does it mean to remember? What is the arc of memory? What are we forgetting that we can't afford to any longer?

‍

As you sit with these words, let them guide you toward a deeper understanding of your place in the world and the people and nature that surround you, and how they shape both our present and future!

‍

‍🏁 Checkpoint: This is the end of action step 4 of 4: REFLECT.

‍

Check out our membership community for more resources like free weekly events with social justice experts, sustainable product discounts, pre-written email templates, a social impact job board, and in-person hangouts with new friends. Thanks for taking action with Soapbox Project!