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 Produced by Academy and Emmy award-winner Jeffrey D. Brown,
Wisdom Weavers of the World was shot in Hawaii where Ilarion "Kuuyux"
Merculieff, an Alaskan Unangan leader, gathered a dozen other
elders to hold councils and ceremonies in November 2017.
"Mother Earth is crying for her human children," Merculieff says
in the documentary, shot against a backdrop of volcanic slopes
and surf on the island of Kaua'i.
"She has lived for billions of years. She'll live for more. It's
a question of whether or not we human beings are going to live."
With Wednesday marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-50th-anniversary, a milestone
in the emergence of the environmental movement, indigenous
peoples are increasingly at the forefront of global struggles
against habit destruction and climate change.
The four-day gathering of elders concluded that such problems
will only be solved through a fundamental shift in human
consciousness, rather than a constant striving after purely
political or technological fixes.
"The world is looking in the wrong directions for answers,"
Merculieff told Reuters television by video call from Anchorage,
speaking from a room decorated with traditional drums.
"We have thousands more environmental organisations in existence
today than we had 30 years ago and yet Mother Earth's life
support systems are coming to the edge, and no one is asking
why. The elders are saying that we must look inside, rather than
outside, for the answers."
Leaders who joined the gathering included Zhaparkul Raimbekov, a
snow leopard shaman from Kyrgyzstan, Lorenzo Izquierdo, a Mamo
spiritual priest from Colombia's Arhuacopeople, and Mona Ann
Polacca, a Hopi-Havasupai-Tewa elder and founding member of the
International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers.
The 14-minute film can be seen for free from 1700 GMT (1 p.m.
ET) on Wednesday through the Wisdom Weavers of the World
https://www.wisdomweavers.world website and social media
channels, with translations in 12 languages. Merculieff and
other elders will be hosting a virtual gathering open to the
public at 1730 GMT.
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"HERE FOR A REASON"
The team behind the film see it as a starting point for an
open-ended series of events and collaborations to inspire people to
ask themselves how they could make a deeper contribution to the
lives of their communities and the planet.
"The film offers a gateway to ongoing connection with elders," said
Violet Starkey, of the Wisdom Weavers core team.
In the meantime, Merculieff hopes that people will use the pause
enforced by the coronavirus pandemic to reflect on how they could
help change the "dream" of the modern world.
"It's not an easy job going from the mind to the heart and letting
our heart be in charge of what we do. Because most people would
think that was crazy. But indigenous people worldwide know that
that's the way to go," he said.
"We're placed on this Earth now for a reason," Merculieff added. "If
we have the courage to listen to our hearts, we know that this gift
that we carry will be broadcast and help in some way throughout the
world."
Kumu Sabra Kauka, a Hawaiian studies educator and tradition bearer,
who appears in the documentary, told Reuters wildfires in California
and Australia had been a wake-up call.
"One of the things that we all shared was a deep love and respect
for Mother Earth. And this is a story that has to be shared today
because not everyone remembers it," Kauka said.
Pausing for a moment to reflect, she summed up the message the film
aims to convey: "Listen to your heart. Follow your path. May it be
clear, and for the good of all."
(Reporting by Matthew Green; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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