By Kristin Scheer
“Exercising Indigenous Wisdom for Responses to the Climate Crisis” is a workshop that PeaceWorks KC is proud to cosponsor. The event is brought to us by the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. They announce this gathering on their website and say, “The workshop will discuss Indigenuity: Indigenous ingenuity and wisdom derived from millennia of careful mindfulness and attentiveness to place, and the recognition that the land, water, air, and all life on Mother Earth are relatives, not resources.” The workshop will explore “how this indigenous wisdom is essential for resilient responses to the climate crisis.”
This event is part of the Climate Council’s 2025 Earth Festival and will be held at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, at 4750 Troost Ave., KC MO 64110, on Sat., April 26, 1-3pm.
Dr. Daniel Wildcat (Yuchi Muscogee) will speak. He is a distinguished professor at Haskell Indian Nations University and a faculty member in the American Indian Studies Program. He is the author and editor of several books, including Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge and On Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth.
Ira Harritt of the Greater KC Interfaith Council says they have been participating with the Climate Council and sponsoring events for the last 4-5 years to encourage people of diverse faith beliefs to apply their beliefs to matters of social justice and environmental concern. “Dr. Wildcat is a phenomenal resource,” Harritt says. “Native traditions teach us to live in harmony with nature and teach that it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth. Dr. Wildcat calls for a climate cultural change.”
Harritt adds, “We are hoping for a big response, especially as governmental efforts towards environmental conservation are being undercut by current politics.”
An auditorium at the Discovery Center will accommodate the event, but with a good response, seats will fill, and they are asking for an RSVP (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exercising-indigenous-wisdom-for-responses-to-the-climate-crisis-tickets-1275260381129?aff=oddtdtcreator). Join the livestream of this event at https://Youtube.com/ClimateGKC.
Hope to see you there or on livestream!
–Kristin Scheer, who serves on the PeaceWorks KC Board, leads the group’s Communications Team.
