Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth: A Documentary Rooted in Indigenous Knowledge

In August 2021, The Loka Initiative and the International Mayan League, in collaboration with Indigenous organizations and leaders, hosted Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth: Centering Indigenous Knowledge for Future Generations. This historic convening brought together Indigenous speakers and moderators from a diversity of traditions and regions to share ecological and spiritual knowledge as essential sustenance for Indigenous peoples and all of humanity.

The convening was shaped by the wisdom and leadership of advisors including Gary Besaw, Aaron Bird Bear, Kristin Klingman, Juanita Cabrera Lopez, Dekila Chungyalpa, Mariaelena Huambachano, Elder Janice Rice, Eder Sammy Weru, and Kyle Powys Whyte. Organizational partners included the Center for Healthy Minds, Khoryug, the Loka Initiative, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the International Mayan League, and REKA. The event was further enriched by contributions from Indigenous artists Christi Belcourt, Thundervoice Eagle, Losang Gyatso, Sangre Indigena, Tenzin Tsering, and Jennifer Younger, whose works expressed the spirit and vision of the gathering.

Out of this deep well of shared knowledge, The Loka Initiative committed to executive produce a documentary that would carry forward the spirit of the convening. Sacred Wisdom, Sacred Earth (working title) is a 60-minute documentary focusing on "Sustenance" as the central theme—exploring how humans might live in harmony with Mother Earth through the richness of Indigenous ecological knowledge, especially that rooted in the tribal communities of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.