Indigenous Leadership

Learning from our oldest cultures.

What’s Wrong with Avatar?

by Fran Korten

posted Jan 15, 2010

James Cameron's Avatar has its pluses, but it elevates violence instead of depicting a real path to peace and cultural transformation.

Bolivia's Economic Success

by Sara Kozameh

posted Dec 16, 2009

By regaining public ownership of natural resources and focusing on social programs, the Morales administration has achieved record growth despite the recession.

Climate Hero Clayton Thomas-Müller

posted Dec 01, 2009

Clayton Thomas-Müller is working to keep corporations from privatizing the atmosphere, as they have privatized the land and exploited the natural resources that once belonged to the First Nations of Canada.

Reconsider Columbus Day

posted Oct 12, 2009

Does honoring Christopher Columbus with a federal holiday perpetuate a philosophy of racism and domination? A video sponsored by the United Confederation of Taino People, International Indian Treaty Council, and Rethinking Schools says that it does.

People We Love: Valerie Fast Horse

by Heather Purser

posted Sep 18, 2009

Bringing technology to tribes

Native Recipe for Health

by Gabriel Thompson

posted Sep 17, 2009

The Tohono O’odham Nation tackles diabetes with a return to desert foods.

Climate Activists Dream a New Future

by Madeline Ostrander

posted Sep 09, 2009

The Pachamama Alliance encourages a re-examination of the values and assumptions that have led our society into social and environmental crises.

Episcopal Church Repudiates Doctrine of Discovery

by Gale Courey Toensing

posted Sep 01, 2009

Tackling an injustice enshrined in international law for centuries.

Signs of Life :: Tribes Approve Same-Sex Marriage

by Heather Purser

posted Aug 28, 2009

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Oregon, but an Oregon tribe has exercised its sovereignty to recognize same-sex marriages on its 10-square-mile reservation.

Signs of Life :: Amazon Tribes Win Against Big Oil

by Lisa Gale Garrigues

posted Aug 28, 2009

In the Amazon rainforests of Peru and Ecuador, indigenous groups are on the front lines of the climate change battle.

Cultural Renewal to Improve Health

posted Aug 14, 2009

The Tohono O'odham Nation turns to native recipes and local foods to tackle diabetes.

Navajo Nation Council Votes For Green Jobs

posted Jul 31, 2009

The first green jobs bill from America's First Nations promises much needed, culturally appropriate jobs.

Age-Old Wisdom for the New Economy

by Sarah van Gelder, Rebecca Adamson

posted Jul 07, 2009

Indigenous peoples have learned a few things about making it through hard times. Rebecca Adamson discusses what traditional economies did to foster abundance, sharing, and harmony with Mother Earth.

Signs of Life :: Bolivia Constitution Reform Likely

by Jim Shultz

posted Oct 31, 2008

Bolivia is poised to pass a new constitution aimed at providing indigenous autonomy, land reform, and popular control of natural resources.

Ecuador: Protecting Diverse Forests and Peoples

by Brooke Jarvis

posted Jan 29, 2008

Ecuador's president Rafael Correa offered to stop development of one of the country's largest oil reserves in exchange for debt relief. The ITT oil fields, located within Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, have become the center of an experiment that could bring equity and human rights into the climate equation.