By Fabian Veron
“We are children of the sun, walking upon the face of the earth, through the rhythms of the moon”…. Jose Argüelles.
The beauty about the indigenous people of the world is that their worldview is embedded within the midst of time immemorial. Their ancient ways honor time as sacred and enchanted, compared to our clock based time, which is linear and disconnected from nature’s celestial rhythms. Traditional indigenous cultures of the world are the keepers of ancient stories, customs and rituals that honor our living earth and the greater cosmos.
The late Mayan scholar, Linda Schele encapsulates the authentic ancient ways of the world’s indigenous people: “at its heart, is the experience of a spiritual and magical world. It is a world in which ancestors affect the fate of the living, where human beings can transform into their animal counterparts, where ritual transforms space and objects into powerful energy carriers. It is a world alive in all its parts”.
Their ancient worldview places the human being at the center of the cosmos in a reciprocal relationship that bestows humanity with the responsibility of engaging life, as an ongoing and eternal process. The past and present traumas of conquest, colonization and policies of cultural genocide have damaged the fragile threads, connecting the indigenous heart and soul to their ancestors and way of life.
In our time of great change and ecological erosion by the modern world, the voices of the indigenous are still singing and dancing the wonders of life. It’s time for all of us to reconnect to the indigenous soul, deep within us all and join in solidarity with the keeper’s of nature’s ‘lore’! Fellow citizens, let’s seek out the warmth of the fire, under the starry night sky and share through song and dance our ‘Commonwealth’!
Encuentro and friends are committed to supporting the plight of our indigenous brothers and sisters from across the world. We thank all those individuals, families and musicians that gave freely of their time last month in making the Tobas fundraiser a great success – we raised $1400 in our efforts. This money will go to an organisation founded by the legendary Argentinean singer songwriter- Patricia Sosa.
Patricia was shocked to find the once proud Tobas of Northern Argentina in a state of disrepair and was moved to act upon her convictions. Patricia’s efforts have helped to mobilise a campaign within her home country, thereby raising awareness and funds towards the Tobas’ plight. Patricia’s drive inspired us to help support the cause in Canberra and we hope that the effort can inspire fellow Australians, rediscover the richness of the Tobas culture.
Encuentro and friends are looking towards the next challenge, which is to help indigenous communities, of up to 80,000 people in Altai (Central Asia). Altai is described as the ‘Pearl’ of Central Asia and its wild rivers; rugged terrain and pristine forest, are facing the extreme pressures of a modern world hungry for resources. Encuentro and friends hope to raise awareness and much needed funds to help the Altai indigenous retain, their ancestral lands.
Finally, all enquiries to help the Altai cause in Australia can be addressed to: [email protected] – For information on Encuentro activities go to: www.encuentroinc.com – Altai campaign: www.altaimir.org – Patricia’s Tobas campaign: www.translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.patriciasosa.com/pequenosgestos
