written 19
May, 2018
published 26 May 18
On Saturday, June 2nd, the Ukiah
United Methodist Church and the Climate Action Group of Ukiah, will host a
Pachamama Alliance Symposium, called "Awakening The Dreamer". The event is free and will be held at the
Methodist Church, 270 N. Pine St., Ukiah, beginning at noon until 4pm.
The Pachamama Alliance website provides
information about their origins. Pachamama
is the Incan Mother Earth goddess. The
Alliance began with the Achuar people who have lived for millennia on the
borders of modern-day Ecuador and Peru. In
the mid 20th century, corporations began exploiting the Amazon Basin for its
oil, unmoved by the irreplaceable ecological and cultural wealth. By the early 1990s, Achuar shamans and elders
were having dreams of imminent threat to their land and way of life. From contact with neighboring tribes, they
knew that oil companies were poisoning the rainforest, steadily moving closer
to their home.
The Achuar were influenced by an
ancient prophecy shared by many Andean and Amazonian indigenous cultures about
the Eagle and the Condor. According to
the prophecy, this is a moment in history when the Eagle (representing
intellect and the mind) and the Condor (representing wisdom and the heart) must
come together to ensure the survival of humankind. Emboldened by this prophecy and the threat to
their very existence, they decided to reach out to the modern world.
In 1995, the Achuar leaders invited a
group of North Americans to travel to visit the rainforest, and shared with
this group the urgent threat to their lands and culture, as well as their
vision for self-determination. They
requested cooperation to help "change the dream" of the modern
world. This change requires shifting from
a culture of consumption to a culture that honors and sustains life. A partnership was begun and the Pachamama
Alliance was founded to carry out the commitment.
Since 1997 the Alliance has worked in
Ecuador's Amazon, defending the rights and homeland of the Achuar, who are
committed to maintaining their stewardship of the rainforest, preserving this
invaluable resource on behalf of all life. Legal and technical expertise strengthened
indigenous self-governance and preserved their lands and cultures, including
mapping, land titling, and sustainable economic development. This allowed the Achuar to gain full title to
nearly 1.8 million acres of rainforest. Based
on this success, work expanded to other indigenous groups in Ecuador, Peru,
Colombia, Brazil and Bolivia, continuing to innovate education and advocacy
initiatives. More than 60 million acres
of the Amazon Basin are now in permanent protection.
With its wealth of natural
resources, including minerals, metals, lumber and oil, Ecuador had been a lucrative
colony since at least the mid-16th century. When the Pachamama Alliance was founded,
Ecuador was still not completely in control of its own resources. International Monetary Fund and World Bank policies
kept Ecuador in a debt cycle, for the benefit of industrialized countries. In the face of these global economic and
political pressures, halting individual projects is insufficient. To fulfill the commitment to the Achuar and
get to the root of the problem, the cultural story behind these policies must
change.
The globalized economy consumes the planet
for profit while driving species to extinction, perhaps even our own. Religions preach hate in the name of God and
justify wars. Political systems
impoverish millions to enrich a few. The
common factor is an assumption of separation between everyone and everything,
and this cultural story drives the nightmare dream we currently inhabit.
Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh says
"we are here to awaken from the illusion of separation", for the
world is whole, and our fates are connected.
The picture of the Earth, taken from space, is the most widely
reproduced image in history, calling to our deep awareness of connection
In 2005, after years of
investigating how to effect a change of story, the Alliance launched a suite of
learning workshops called "Awakening The Dreamer", sharing the values
of ancient wisdom in addressing our modern crises and our personal role in
bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and
socially just human presence on this planet.
Please join us on Saturday, June
2nd, at noon.
