Indigenous lessons for climate hope
These young leaders will restore your faith (and renew your commitment) in the battle for our planet.
Nansedalia is a spokesperson for an international association for forests from the campesinos movement in the state of Guerrero in Mexico. Jakob is the chairman of a national Indigenous youth organization in Indonesia. Eric is the founder of a network of over 200 collaborators of an Indigenous-run media collective. Nadino represents the Indigenous Youth of the Amazon Basin and is a leader in his community.
“Today Indigenous youth are taking over the political protagonism, we are journalists, lawyers”. Eric Marky Terena.
Together they are the youth leaders of an amazing group of Indigenous and traditional associations, which together protect 840 million hectares of forests and ecosystems. They are part of a network that brings together multiple cultures, generations and realities, propelling the Indigenous movement to a whole new level.
Fixing a broken world
Indigenous rights are declining in many parts of the world with land invasions, violent attacks, persecution and even threats to their constitutional rights. And yet, the Indigenous movement has never been so strong.
“The new generations are committed. There are a lot of dreams, aspirations that are coming together like never before, we are uniting at a global level. Extractivism, invasion of territories, we are united by the same struggles”. Nadino Calapucha
Listening to these young leaders gave me a boost of hope and motivation like I haven’t felt since before Covid-19 times. Climate activists are feeling the undeniable toll this work takes on their lives, so learning the source of strength of these Indigenous leaders can be a valuable if not lifesaving lesson.
For these four people, stopping the fight is not even an option. Quite the contrary, they have a strong conviction that their existence is deeply connected to the struggle. “If we stop fighting, everything will come apart — Indigenous People and communities could stop existing. We are the ones that are protecting the biodiversity of the entire world.” Nansedalia Ramirez
So here are some of the inspirational bits gathered from our conversation.
Lesson #1 — Foster the deep conviction that victory will come
“Until now I have strong motivation, imagination and hope that in the future we will win. We will have a victory and live in prosperity, with no more criminalization, no more violence, no more fighting every day, every minute, for our homes”. Jakob Siringoringo
Lesson #2 — Strong movements are intergenerational
“My inspiration is Nai Marsinta, a grandmother who fought against the pulp and paper company Toba Pulp Lestari. The owner, Sukanto Tanoto, is a tycoon who also owns APRIL, a giant palm oil company in Indonesia. She had no fear at all. She fought the police and the army against the company. Nai Marsinta led nine women, together they were 10 women fighting against this company. And it was a tremendous fight. Her leadership that we inherited encouraged me to continue the struggle today”. — Jakob Siringoringo
“The fight for land and liberty for enslaved peasants in Mexico led by Emiliano Zapata, is the reason rural communities have the ownership of their territories. That is the motivation for me to continue fighting. A lot of people died to make that possible, we want to make sure it wasn’t in vain”. Nansedalia Ramirez
Lesson #3 — We are responsible for future generations
“Mexico leads in assassination of local leaders. But that is also a motivation for us to carry on the fight and future generations. Our territories and forests depend on what we do today. What we do now will determine the lives of future generations”. Nansedalia Ramirez
Lesson #4 — Unity is strength
“There is a great union of the communities of all over the world, something we had never seen. We didn’t know the attacks on communities were so similar. I used to be focused on my territory and I thought the problems were local. When the opportunity came to collaborate internationally, we realized how similar our fight was. Especially when it comes to climate change”. Nansedalia Ramirez.
Lesson #5: If we don’t take care of nature, nature won’t take care of us
“Nature should never be seen as a resource: Nature Based Solutions reinforce that the Amazon is a natural resource. We say it is not a resource. It has life, therefore it demands respect.” Nadino Calapucha
Final lesson: be an ally
“This is not a fight of Indigenous people, this is a fight of urban groups and humans are becoming conscious. We don’t feel alone anymore and we will carry on fighting.” Nadino Calapucha
“There are many ways to help. Like the soya that feeds Europe, coming from violently disputed lands. Mining in the Amazon, destroying rivers. Family agriculture, without pesticides should be the norm, not the international consumption depleting natural resources that prevails today”. Eric Marky Terena
I hope you are inspired by the passion and immense courage of Nansedalia, Eric, Jakob and Nadino. To support their work, read more about them below and follow the Guardians of the Forests: https://twitter.com/GuardianesBos
To download the cards in this post, visit: bit.ly/digitalcontentlibrary
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Learn more about these young leaders and their work
Jakob Siringoringo, Indonesia
Jakob coordinates a homecoming movement to build awareness, consciousness and pride for the next generation of Indigenous youth. He is a chairman of Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara (the Indigenous Youth Front of the Archipelago), a national Indigenous youth organization and AMAN’s wing organization in Indonesia.
Learn more about Aman: https://ifnotusthenwho.me/who/aman/
AMAN’s website: https://www.aman.or.id/
Nansedalia Ramirez, Mexico
Nansedalia brings together the ancestral knowledge and new technologies to improve the communication networks of the global youth community, she is also the first female Secretary in the local community’s Commissariat and youth coordinator for AMBP.
AMPB’s website https://www.alianzamesoamericana.org/en/about-us/
Follow AMPB on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alianzabosques
Nadino Calapucha, Ecuador
Nadino is Kichwa, he represents the Indigenous Youth of the Amazon Basin. He is a leader in his community and applies the knowledge of the elders to guide the traditional fishing, hunting and stewardship of the land.
COICA’s website: https://coica.org.ec/
Follow COICA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coica_amazonia_oficial/
Eric Marky Terena, Brazil
He is one of the founders of Mídia Índia, an Indigenous run communication channel, with more than 200 collaborators from all over Brazil. Eric is helping build local communication networks in remote Indigenous regions of Brazil such as the Xingu, Pantanal and Cerrado.
APIB’s website: https://apiboficial.org/?lang=en
Follow Mídia Índia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midiaindiaoficial/
