Several months ago I went to Brazil, where I had the honor of meeting leaders of the Amazonian Earth Elders.
Mindahi Bastida is the Founder & Convenor of The Earth Elders, an indigenous-led organization working globally to protect and regenerate 52 biocultural territories, safeguard Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and elevate the role of Original Peoples as stewards of nature. Lara Mastropasqua works with the group in spreading their knowledge, having spoken at such places as the Earth Summit and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
Mindahi’s message is the message that humanity needs to hear. Honoring nature is our only hope for surviving the chaos we have created. Humanity turned away from something to which we can now make a sacred return.
Mindahi has met both Pope Leo and Pope Francis and managed to have the Vatican formally repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, acknowledging its harm to Indigenous peoples and declaring it inconsistent with Catholic teaching. He also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, delivering several talks, including a keynote at the Nature Lunch on the closing day.
I was happy to have a chance to dialog with Mindahi and Lara here. I hope you’ll be as moved by them as I am.
