Indigenous World View: Intergenerational Ethics and Heritage

Mona Polacca, MSW
Center for Earth Ethics, Senior Fellow
International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
Indigenous World Forum on Water and Peace, Co-Secretariat

All over the world there are human beings who have not separated themselves from the land, the water and all of nature. Indigenous cultures have an unbroken chain that extends back to the time when our ancestors first settled the continent. For thousands of years we have lived here and it remained much as it was in the beginning under our care, we have utilized the knowledge passed down from our ancestors. The session will address the foundation of our ethics and heritage which comes from our worldview that carries the essential cultural, social, historical, genealogical and economic connectedness of all people, plants and animals in the region. An important consideration is how cultural and social perspectives of our relationship with our place of origin have existed for millennia and are largely overlooked when decisions are made that affect the Indigenous Peoples’ lands, territories as well as our lifeways. 

It is the desire of Indigenous Peoples to bridge the gap, to communicate our worldview to all people of the planet. 

This is the opening talk for Justice Between Generations: Asian, African, Indigenous, and Western Perspectives, a three-day conference engaging with intergenerational ethics through cross-cultural philosophical dialogue.

Participate in the discussion by registering for the Zoom meeting or watching live on our Facebook.

Have questions? Send them to info.4@concordia.ca