Re-Storying Biocultural Diversity: Wisdom from Young Indigenous Leaders Langscape Magazine Volume 8, Special Double Issue Summer/ Winter 2019 . Bringing the Past into the Future by Luisa Maffi and David Harmon . “We, the Indigenous Peoples, walk to the future in the footprints of our ancestors.” So begins the Kari-Oca Declaration and Indigenous Peoples’ Earth

Vova Iadne (Nenets, Russian Federation), interviewed by Galya Morrell I started carving when I was five. But even before that, I saw mammoth tusks in our Nenets tundra and played with them: they were my toys. I watched my father carving. I saw plain bones magically transforming into animals, humans, and spirits. I was intrigued

Khadry Okotetto (Nenets, Russian Federation), interviewed by Galya Morrell I was born in the tundra and grew up with the animals. My first language was the language of reindeer and of Arctic birds. I was raised by my grandparents, like everybody else here. I was a lucky guy. As an artist, I see my main mission

Katrina Trofimova (Even, Russian Federation), interviewed by Galya Morrell For me, art is a mere instrument of survival. I was born in an Arctic village, where fathers and brothers were vanishing faster than ice. I was running away from violence, hiding in nature, and dreaming of a beautiful world where I could live one day.

D’ulus Mukhin (Even, Russian Federation), interviewed by Galya Morrell “As a child,” says D’ulus, “I was beaten at school on a daily basis. My classmates thought I was ugly. They did not like the shape of my eyes, and my ears were too big for them. I don’t hate my bullies; I hug them and

by Soner Oruç & Ceren Kazancı . . In 2016, we set off on a journey to the highlands (yaylas) of the Georgia–Turkey border region. We were very excited and eager to learn new things. We wanted to breathe some fresh mountain air, drink from pasture springs, and get in touch with the pastoralists of the

Story by SX̱EDŦELISIYE (Renee Sampson, W̱SÁNEĆ, age 37), with an introduction by Luisa Maffi, Editor of Langscape Magazine, Co-founder and Director, Terralingua . Luisa Maffi, 2019 It was one of those stubbornly-not-yet-summer early June days on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada, eight years ago. The sky was overcast and

Interview by Luisa Maffi, Editor of Langscape Magazine, Co-founder and Director, Terralingua In June of 2019, I was very fortunate to attend a unique event: the HELISET TŦE SḰÁL “Let the Languages Live” conference in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (June 24–26, 2019). Organized by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council and the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation,

Story by Kewekhrozo (Peter) Thopi, age 30, Chakhesang Naga (India); and Tshenyilou (Lele) Chirhah, age 26, Chakhesang Naga (India) Nagaland is a small mountain state in the North East Region (NER) of India. NER is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, and the diverse ethnic communities of the region have significantly contributed to sustaining this

Story by Hellen Losapicho, age 34, El Molo (Kenya), and Magella Hassan Lenatiyama, age 35, El Molo (Kenya) The last fluent speaker of our language, El Molo, died in 1999, and it is now one of the most endangered languages in the world. When the Samburu people moved into our territories after an outbreak of