Look at these children. How inspiring are they? Lily's Jamaican, Peruvian, Italian & Irish. Haven is Caucasian & Vietnamese, with a Hawaiian & Bible-belt Baptist background. And our True is Pilipino, French, German, & Spanish with bits of Chinese & other stuff in there.
B is a Korean-version of Strawberry Shortcake, swimming in freckles.
These 3 brothers are Creole by way of Alaska with a lot of Northern California.
Some of the new children change with the light & with their expression. There's hints of every culture in their faces, informed by a future that's theirs & not ours. So I think I'm not even able to see most of their beauty. Like, it's there, but I don't know what I'm looking at. They are wonderful.
Tonight's Earth hour. We will have all of our electricity off from 5-11. For the love of a backyard bonfire. Will you be joining us?
And finally, my beloved friend Evon Peter just gave the Keynote Address for the annual Tanana Chiefs Conference on the theme of Culture, Partnership & the Future of Alaska Native Peoples. As a boy he was singled out as a leader in his tribe (Neetsaii Gwich'in) & in his 20's became their youngest chief. He stepped down to give his children a taste of their Maternal culture in Arizona with the Navajo-Dine people. Currently he's the Executive Director of the Indigenous Leadership Institute, where he & his wife Enei support culturally based leadership & sustainability initiatives. www.indigenousleadership.org
Evon's a charismatic, wise soul. I think it's important for Americans to stay current on the needs & conversations of our First Nations. I feel like his talk is relevant globally, as it addresses our current world circumstances with much-needed medicine, but I thought it was relevant to my own life. He pointed to specific solutions that apply to me, & I appreciated the bit on "Defining Ourselves by Respecting Ourselves."
I'm also fascinated with how he introduces himself by naming himself in context, naming his wife, his parents, where he comes from & acknowledges his ancestors. Imagine how much more intentional we would all be with our words if we were always consciously representing our communities, speaking for ourselves, but of them. He doesn't start in English, by the way.
Watch him here
www.evonpeter.net (click on the "Videos" tab on the site to view the speech)
or
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4916401171052337380
Have a fabulous day!
The Golden Sun so Great & Bright
It Warms the World with All it's Might
It Makes the Dark Earth Green & Fair
It Tends Each Thing with Ceaseless Care
oh, May Each Deed throughout the Day
Everything I Do & Say
Be Bold & Strong & True,
Oh, Golden Sun, Like You!
We'd love to have joined you! :( If only we didn't live so far away :)...
Posted by: Our Green Nest | March 30, 2009 at 12:41 PM