If there was only one thing to understand about aboriginal or indigenous people the world over, it would be the spiritual connection they have with their land – the land of their ancestors.
They call it a “place of being”. If we understand this or at least respect it there would be more harmony between the newer arrivals to the land - that is those who now hold the power of decision-making, the politicians, the conglomerates – and the indigenous peoples themselves.
As it is, governments continue to say one thing and make entirely different and damaging moves that render First Peoples fighting for their existence.
Respect is the key.
In our fast and consumerist societies that are showing every sign of breaking down (if we can’t see that now then we are in deep slumber) we would be wise to learn from the people who have, against all odds, survived while respecting, the land, the environment, each other and kept a sense of self and dignity.
The Survival International (SI) short film, The Things They Said, shows governments’ policy throughout the decades and how indigenous people are still here despite it all. For instance, we hear that in 1950 the government of Canada said: “The extinction of Indians as Indians is the ultimate end of Canadian Indian policy.” And in 1994, a Brazilian government minister said: “It is necessary to finish with Indians by the year 2000.”
Indigenous people have the answers to the suffering we are now seeing in the western world. Instead of dying out, those respecting nature, living close to the land and honouring the divine world and Ancestors are thriving.
They could give us a lesson on how to live side-by-side, conflict resolution, having a shared identity, and bringing up children. They know how to live in harmony with each other. A new cycle is upon us. Let us learn from those who have always understood the truth of why we are here, and how to respect the earth.
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