Thought leaders and environmental activists from all over the world have come together at the 26th UNFCCC Conference of Parties, in Glasgow, Scotland, in an effort to unite in the battle against climate change, and to share ideas of how Western science and Indigenous Knowledge can come together for the common good of mankind. Indigenous Peoples from Ecuadorian Amazon, Chad, Alaska, Sweden, Indonesia and Australia, Russia, the USA, and many other places are making sure that Indigenous voices are heard at COP26.
Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, women need to be at every table where decisions are made. In this podcast, we speak to Jannie Staffansson (Saami), a renowned Indigenous climate change expert and aCultural Survival board member. Staffansson tells us about balancing traditional lifeways today.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris
Interviewee: Jannie Staffansson (Saami)
Can traditional knowledge from Indigenous communities provide us with answers to fighting climate change? We speak with Andrea Carmen (Yaqui), Executive Director of International Indian Treaty Council. She speaks about how Indigenous women are very strong voices in the work for the protection of the environment, through their role as food producers, knowledge holders, and the first teachers of children.
In Mbororo communities in Chad, Indigenous women are the most affected by climate change because they are the ones collecting food, water, and traditional medicines for their families. Changes to their environment have cause increased hardship on the Mbororo who are pastoralist cattle headers, as they are forced to move more frequently to cope with increasing drought conditions.
What is the role of Indigenous Peoples in the current climate crisis? What responsibility do Indigenous Peoples feel towards Mother Earth today? Listen to three Indigenous women leaders give their perspectives on their feeling of the interconnection between all living things and our planet in the face of climate change, and what they feel should be done with that knowledge.
Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard (Anishinaabe, Canada) explains how the concerns that have been labeled as “women’s issues” are in fact central to the progress of Indigenous rights. Often, concerns such as domestic abuse, schooling, and healthcare are often sidelined in favor of focusing on issues that are seen as more universal. Dr. Lavell-Harvard places them at the center of her activism efforts, showing that there is no need to compromise or postpone the rights of Indigenous women in Indigenous movements globally.