Why We Should Listen to Indigenous Voices About the Climate Crisis

“According to the United Nations, areas managed by indigenous peoples are among the most biodiverse and well-conserved on the planet. 

The Reciprocity Project  is a series of 7 Indigenous-made films exploring the concept of reciprocity in Indigenous cultures, or  “the way of life that centers mutual exchange and sharing amongst all beings, past, present and future, seen and unseen, and the Earth.” And through these films and Indigenous perspectives, the project aims to spark conversation and action on the climate crisis.

We speak with Kavita Pillay, a producer of the Reciprocity Project, and Brit Hensel, director of "ᎤᏕᏲᏅ," which is nominated for Best Short Documentary for the IDA Documentary Award.”

Listen at The Takeaway from WNYC Studios.

Generations later, Mainers confront a genocide that still remains overlooked

“Dawn Neptune Adams dreams of being hunted.

For much of her life, the nightmare remained the same: Adams runs in the woods, chased by unseen captors.

“It is intergenerational trauma,” Adams explained, “from my ancestors being hunted and tortured.”

Adams is a member of the Penobscot Nation and the bounty that was placed on her Indigenous ancestors more than 250 years ago still torments her sleep and her waking hours.

In November 1755, Lt. Governor Spencer Phips of Massachusetts Bay Colony offered rewards for hunting, killing and scalping Penobscot men, women and children living in what is now known as New England.  

The brutal murders of her people, Adams said, runs through her blood and the blood of many other tribal members. The trauma of one generation, she said, is passed onto the next.”

Continue reading at The Maine Monitor.

We Are the Seeds 2022 celebrates Indigenous arts at Cherry Street Pier

“Over 14,000 people identify as Indigenous in the Philadelphia region, and director of We Are the Seeds Philly, Tailinh Agoyo wants you to explore their untold narratives this weekend at Cherry Street Pier.

With the backdrop of the Delaware River, Philadelphians will gather at the Pier on Nov. 18 and 19 to celebrate We Are the Seeds, a local organization that honors the voices of Indigenous and Native artists, performers, educators, and change-makers. “By bringing together indigenous artists and culture bearers to tell their work and their own stories, we’re celebrating who we are,” Agoyo said. “We’re celebrating our continuance and showing that we have not only survived but that we’re thriving.””

Continue reading at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Roger Paul speaks with Rich Kimball from Downtown with Rich Kimball on WZON

“Roger Paul joined us to discuss his work on the documentary, Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn), part of the Reciprocity Project, a series of Indigenous-made documentaries designed to inspire conversation and action on climate.”

Listen at Downtown with Rich Kimball from WZON.

Gwich’in language on full display in new documentary on reciprocity

“Two Gwich’in filmmakers from Fairbanks, Alaska, are bringing their language to the big-screen.

Alisha Carlson and Princess Daazhraii Johnson are the creative force behind Diiyeghan naii Taii Tr’eedaa (We Will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors).

The short film examines the theme of reciprocity, the exchange of goods or services to the benefit of both parties, and how it relates to the Gwich’in language by following Carlson as she participates in cultural practices with her family.

The film is part of Reciprocity Project: Season 1, a series consisting of seven Indigenous-made documentary shorts intended to inspire conversation and action on climate change.”

Listen at APTN National News.

Tulsan's film part of Reciprocity Project's first global screening

“Tulsan Brit Hensel’s Sundance-approved film will be one of seven films shown during an online screening 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17 for season one of the Reciprocity Project. The event will include a Q&A.

The Reciprocity Project, during Native American Heritage Month, is holding its first global online screening. Go to eventbite.com for access.

Promotional information for the event (coinciding with November’s UN Conference on Climate Change) indicated the hope is that, as the world navigates an escalating climate crisis, the project can ignite conversations about reciprocity with the earth and lands on which we live.”

Continue reading at Tulsa World.

Two Gwich'in filmmakers tells us about a special project they made in the language, and what they learned about themselves in the process

“We want to tell you about a special film project on Northwind today. It's called We will Walk the Trail of our Ancestors. Made by filmmakers Princess Daazhraii Johnson and Alisha Carlson It's part of something called the Reciprocity Project. It's a series of Indigenous made documentary short films, and this one is done entirely in Gwich'in.”

Listen at Northwind from CBC Listen.

‘All the Alarm Bells’: Panel Discusses Future of Indian Child Welfare Act at IOP Forum

“A panel discussed the history and impact of the Indian Child Welfare Act — which faces a challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court — at a Harvard Institute of Politics Forum on Monday evening.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case Wednesday against the ICWA, a 1978 law regulating the foster care and adoption systems for Native American children to prioritize placement with relatives or other Native American households. The challenge to the law originated from a Texas adoption case and questions the constitutionality of the ICWA.

Ryan H. Doan-Nguyen ’25 began the event with a land acknowledgment, recognizing that Harvard University was built on the ancestral land of the Massachusett people and neighbors the lands of the Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples.”

Read more at The Harvard Crimson.