A Time for Open Arms
The sun is hot today. Each stroke of the paddle is grueling for the body and mind. Sweat begins to accumulate on your forehead and back. As it runs down your face you lose track of how much is sweat and how much is tears. You look ahead at a distant land the same way an astronaut would look at a strange new planet. A wave crashes hard into the back of your canoe. You slowly turn your head around to look at your home, a home that is in grave danger of destruction. You desperately want to to save it for your kids and parents but can do nothing to stop the forces of nature. You know that in a few short months the glorious island you adore will be under water. It takes all of your strength to twist your gaze away from the place you grew up to peer cautiously at the place you will grow old. As your canoe lands on solid ground you step reluctantly on to the sand. You fear for your friends. You fear for your children. You fear for your happiness.
This tale may be just a story for many people in the United States, but it will be a reality in the next fifteen years for the Guna people in Panama. The Guna people live on the San Blas Islands on the southeastern coast of Panama. The Guna people originally lived in the Darien gap of Colombia and Panama but were forced out during the Spanish Invasion. Their diets consist mainly of fish, coconuts, and plantains, which means they are completely dependent on the land but self reliant as a community. (Plautz, 2015) The Guna people have contributed little to climate change, as they use little fossil fuel. Although the Guna people have not contributed to climate change they will be some of the most affected peoples on the planet. It is estimated that the San Blas Islands will be under water within the next ten to fifteen years.
Soon the Guna people will be thousands among millions of other climate refugees (also called environmental migrants) around the globe. These people will have to become accustomed to completely new ways of living, including growing food, language, and community structure. Cities will likely become a common place of refuge for those that have been uprooted from their way of life.
The Guna people root their culture in strong bonds formed through meaningful dialogue. The leaders of the Guna people learn to facilitate dialogue by undergoing a process of apprenticeship long before they are made to be leaders. During this time the young leaders are taught the importance of reflection and openness to new communities and ideas. Collective identity is a main source of motivation for Guna community members to engage in governance. (Apgar, 2015) The structure of Guna culture is at a great risk of of becoming disorganized and scattered as they are forced to move inland, to places that have vastly different cultural norms.
The individualized boxes that the western world tends to split us up into would be incredibly detrimental to the collective, community structure that the Guna people have relied on for hundreds of years.
As the world grows warmer I think there are some essential questions that we must ask to create a compassionate future. Some of these questions include; How can our cities be transformed into a safe and healthy refuge for climate refugees? What can be done to preserve wellness both physically and spiritually for climate refugees? What can we learn from a way of life that promotes living in congruence with the earth’s natural systems? What can we do to help integrate climate refugees into our society without impeding on their cultures, values, or beliefs? In the coming years asking questions like these and staying open to innovative possibilities will allow us to adapt our current world to be more habitable for both new comers and long term residents.
I initially became interested in the story of the Guna people while living in Panama, and hearing that another indigenous group was facing the reality of having their home taken from them from the actions of other people. While there I studied rainforest ecology in relation to climate change. The rain forest is an amazingly bountiful place filled with more species in a a 25 acre plot than all of North America combined. (More information can be found here: Rain-Tree). The great amount of biodiversity also means that climate change will have an immense negative impact, wiping out species that are so interconnected, one species’ disappearance could lead to an entire ecosystem’s collapse.
I was amazed by the gifts offered by the Panamanian rain forest while living there, and sad to see that these gifts would soon be lost to climate change. This is an issue that will first impact island and costal residents, then will hit the people that are dependent on delicate or intricate ecosystems like the rain forest. The movement of people over the next century will be a global issue far greater than any refugee crisis we have seen.
Climate change will not only impact the coastal or island regions of the world, but will also change things in the midwest region of the U.S. There are anecdotal reports popping up all over the place from fishers in the northern parts of Minnesota noticing how late the lakes are freezing and how early they are melting. Or from people in southeastern Minnesota noticing how early frogs begin calling in the spring, even compared to ten years prior. Minnesota has also experienced huge shifts in the amount of rainfall, and a rise in year-round temperature, leading to the decline of some species such as moose, aspen, and tamarack, and the increase in other species such as Lyme disease-carrying ticks and possums. These changes will only grow more severe as climate change continues (Koyer, 2015).
This issue of climate change and the movement of people will take a global effort to manage. All aspects of climate change from carbon emissions, to sequestration, to sustainability, will have to be targeted to reverse the current effects. The same thing is true with the movement of people. Everyone around the world will need to be on board to solve an issue of this magnitude. I believe that compassion and radical hospitality will be crucial in our work serve refugees. Radical hospitality requires open doors, even when fear is telling you to lock your doors for good. Radical hospitality means giving more than you thought you could give, solely for the benefit of another. In the future this will look like higher acceptance rates of refugees into new countries. It will also look like places to live, community engagement programs, and education for refugees once they arrive in a new country. This effort will take the recognition of everyone that we are all one, and we need to start caring for each other.
There are some places here in Minneapolis that are practicing these values of radical hospitality, one being First Nations Kitchen. First Nations Kitchen aims to provide organic and healthy meals for an indigenous diet. They serve food that is local to the Midwest, including carrots, onions, potatoes, elk, bison, and salmon. First Nations Kitchen works to create a welcoming environment that is full of love and laughter. They want to do much better than traditional soup kitchens by serving people as they are seated instead of making them wait in long lines. First Nations Kitchen also recognizes the power dynamics that can form between volunteers and the people they are serving, and they aim to dismantle that power dynamic to create a loving environment. I can attest to the happy, caring atmosphere that is created at First Nations Kitchen. After volunteering there for three months I have seen the beauty that arrises when people come together with a common purpose to make people happy and truly be with each other. I usually left my shift feeling lighter, with a natural energy buzz from all of the wonderful conversations and smiles. First Nations Kitchen and places like it provide us with a beacon of hope, a hope that a better world can and will be created. If we can follow the wonderful examples all around us, I believe the world will change for the better.
This piece is part of a series written by college undergraduates enrolled in off-campus study programs through the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA). HECUA programs offer students a chance to think deeply about the issues that matter most, and we’d like to share a piece of that experience with you. Every student post on the HECUA Medium page considers a theory or reading that intersects with that student’s lived experience. For more information about HECUA programs, click here.
Citations:
Apgar, Marina, et al. “Understanding adaptation and transformation through indigenous practice: the case of the Guna of Panama.” Ecology and Society 20.1 (2015).
Plautz, Jessica. “Guna Yala: The Indigenous People beyond Panama’s Tourist Paradise.” Mashable, Mashable, 3 May 2015, mashable.com/2015/05/03/guna-yala-panama-ecotourism/#gFAfkHQUl8qp.
Rainforest Facts, www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm#.Wjk977Q-d7o.
Alex Kolyer / For MPR News, et al. “Climate Change in Minnesota: 23 Signs.”Minnesota Public Radio News, 2 Feb. 2015, www.mprnews.org/story/2015/02/02/climate-change-primer.
“Why Are Rainforests Important?” Wonderopolis, wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-rainforests-important.
Paisley. “Renfrewshire Takes Partnership Approach to Help Refugees.” Paisley Scotland, Paisley Http://Www.paisley.org.uk/Wp-Content/Uploads/2015/09/Paisley-Logo-Trans.png, 24 Sept. 2015, www.paisley.org.uk/2015/09/renfrewshire-takes-partnership-approach-to-help-refugees/.
“Environmental Migrant.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_migrant.
