RHINEBECK, NY– As groups around the world come together on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to share their knowledge and experience on the transmission of traditional ancestral knowledge, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) is announcing Coming Home: Indigenous Wisdom Tools for Restoring Self, Community, and the Earth, a weekend conference at Omega Institute, October 14–16.
At a time when attention to and appreciation of Indigenous wisdom traditions is increasing, this unique event brings together a dozen Indigenous leaders such as Penobscot author and attorney Sherri Mitchell, Akwesasne seed keeper Rowen White, Otomi-Toltec youth activist Xiye Bastida, and others working to build a just and more resilient future in the face of real challenges.
“It’s not hard to see that our social systems and environment are under stress, which is a symptom of being disconnected from each other and the natural world. At Omega, we believe the well-being of every individual is deeply connected to the well-being of all living things, which is also at the heart of Indigenous wisdom traditions,” said Robert “Skip” Backus, chief executive officer of Omega and founder of the OCSL. “We are living in a time that calls for new thinking and an expanded perspective on our interdependence, which can be thought of as spirit-based change.”
“Our songs, stories, and mythologies all speak of our interrelatedness. From birth, we are taught to be aware of the expanded kinship networks that surround us, which include other human beings along with the beings of the land, water, and air, and the plants, trees, and all remaining unseen beings that exist within our universe,” writes author and activist Sherri Mitchell Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset in Sacred Instructions.
Omega’s weekend conference is an opportunity to enter into deep listening and community with Indigenous leaders and activists—who speak from rooted traditions and an authentic and inherent bond with the land—to gain insight into how to approach necessary change. This immersive gathering offers the opportunity to actively practice decolonization within oneself, and is open to anyone interested in gaining new skills and a roadmap for adaptation, resilience, and hope.
Conference highlights will include:
- Featured topics: Grounding in Spirit as a Foundation for Change; Protection of the Water: Giver of Life; Decolonization of Our Core Relationships: Personally & Professionally; and Planting Seeds for the Future.
- Presenters: Sherri Mitchell Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset, Xiye Bastida, Makaśa Looking Horse, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, Edgar Villanueva, Rowen White, Tiokasin Ghosthorse and Grandmother Flordemayo
- OCSL Eco Machine™ Tour
- Saturday night musical performance by Jeremy Dutcher
- Closing gathering with Grandmother Flordemayo
For more information, visit eOmega.org/ComingHome and follow on facebook.com/Omega.OCSL, and on Instagram and Twitter: @Omega_OCSL
About Omega Center for Sustainable Living
Founded in 2009, the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OCSL) originated as the first green building in America to achieve both LEED® Platinum and Living Building Challenge™ certification—the highest standards currently available in sustainable architecture. Located at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, in Rhinebeck, New York, the OCSL is an environmental leader, offering programs that teach the regenerative thinking and environmental practices modeled by the building. eOmega.org/OCSL