Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth: Centering Indigenous Knowledge for Future Generations

This free, virtual convening program coordinated by the UW–Madison Loka Initiative from August 9-11, 2021 will celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with five virtual sessions: Water, Food, Medicine, Sovereignty, and Spirit. Find the full program schedule here.

The convening will bring together and center Indigenous speakers and moderators from a variety of traditions, regions and backgrounds to share Indigenous ecological and spiritual knowledge as means of sustenance for all Indigenous peoples and all humanity.

In these sessions, we will explore environmental and community threats and solutions that traditionally receive minimal mainstream media attention but are powerful examples of Indigenous leadership, adaptation and community resilience. The three-day convening contains five panels; Water and Food on the first day, followed by Medicine and Sovereignty on the second day and Spirit on the morning of the third day. Each moderated panel holds an Indigenous elder, a knowledge holder (modern or traditional) and a youth leader, and will be followed by three “listening rooms” so that participants can be part of a community of practice and kinship in a deeper way with one of the speakers.

The Loka Initiative mission is to support faith-led environmental and climate efforts locally and around the world by helping build capacity of faith leaders and culture keepers of indigenous traditions, and by creating new opportunities for projects, partnerships, and public outreach.