Ilarion Merculieff discusses what Mother Earth is saying about the trials and tribulations of the world, what it means, and what the Indigenous Elders say we must do. 

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Ilarion Merculieff discusses what Mother Earth is saying about the trials and tribulations of the world, what it means, and what the Indigenous Elders say we must do. 

We have more environmental organizations in existence today all over the world than there were thirty years ago, and yet Mother Earth's life support systems as we know it are coming to the edge and no one asks why. Ilarion argues that we need to examine the cause and realign ourselves in terms of the way we deal with the trials and tribulations of humans today. Business as usual is simply not going to work.

Ilarion Merculieff has more than forty years of experience serving his people, the Unangan (Aleut) of the Pribilof Islands, and other indigenous peoples in a number of capacities—locally, nationally, and internationally. Throughout his entire career, Merculieff has been a passionate advocate for indigenous rights, and for a harmonious relationship with Mother Earth. He has received a number of awards for his work, including the Environmental Excellence Award for lifetime achievement from the Alaska Forum on the Environment. Ilarion is currently an independent consultant, president of the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways and serves as a Senior Advisor to the World Wilderness Congress and advisor to the Native Lands and Wilderness Council.

Moderated by Andrei Gheorghe.

Published on Nov 5, 2014