Dahr Jamail

Following another summer of record heat waves, droughts, floods, and wildfires across vast swaths of the planet, the injuries done to the planet by the Industrial Growth Society have never been so conclusive. As I grapple with collapse, I wanted to speak with Dilafruz Khonikboyeva, an Indigenous Pamiri from Tajikistan, who has lived through it and come out the other side.

How is it possible to maintain perspective on the polycrisis? Dr. Lyla June Johnston, who is of Navajo, Cheyenne, and European lineages, has brilliantly woven her knowledge into her public speaking and multigenre art, inspiring international audiences towards personal, collective, and ecological healing. 

How do we find true belonging, and true community in the most literal sense of that word? To answer this question, Dr. Yuria Celidwen, from Chiapas, Mexico, combines Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science in her research. 

Shoba is a Boorana woman who promotes health and education in pastoralist communities in Kenya. Her work, and how she lives her life, offer a model of how to continue to serve and do our work, no matter the results. 

In this podcast we’ve heard several people speak of the grave crisis facing humanity today, but from the perspective of how Indigenous communities have been living in these crises for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years. Yet, despite facing the most challenging forces of colonialism, they are still here, still persisting with resilient cultures. Alson Kelen, a native of Bikini Atoll, is one of the world’s few masters in the ancient art of wave-piloting. 

Before we can take the necessary actions to serve and protect the Earth, we must first fully understand and embody the interconnectedness of all things. Paty Gualinga of the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, an Indigenous community based in the Ecuadorian Amazon, spoke directly to this.