Katherine Dominique Lind . In 2014, Nature found her voice. Struggling against deforestation, gasping for air, and fed up with the carelessness of her tenants, Nature spoke up. No more passive-aggressive notes on the fridge; no more pleas imploring care and consideration. Nature put her foot down and reminded humans that she doesn’t need us,

by Faith Baisden, Thomas Dick, Carolyn Barker, and Kristina Kelman . . For tens of thousands of years, the rich and beautiful sounds of hundreds of different languages washed across Australia. Over all of the continent it is believed there were more than five hundred languages at one time. Around two hundred years ago, a new

by Clint Carroll . . Amid the ever-present concerns throughout Indigenous communities over the health and vitality of our people, lands, and ways of life, our elders represent sources of knowledge and wisdom that we rely on for guidance and direction. Yet, increasingly, traditional ways of passing down knowledge through person-to-person relationships and kinship bonds

by Ajuawak Kapashesit Language endangerment is a growing issue around the globe. Of the less than 7,000 languages spoken today, many are not expected to survive into the next century. Because of this growing threat to our planet’s linguistic diversity  —  something that should be cherished as much as our biological diversity  —  many language

by Javier Domingo in conversation with Dora Manchado Getting to Doña Dora’s home on foot is no picnic. It’s a long way, and stray dogs can be a serious threat. But it’s all part of my job with the Intercultural Bilingual Education System of Santa Cruz, coordinated by anthropologist Marcela Alaniz. It’s what I call

by Hēmi Whaanga and Priscilla Wehi . . E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū “The tūī chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos.” (A saying for “It takes all kinds…”) Hēmi: As a young child, I often sat at the window of my house peering out at the

by Andrea Lyall Tsa̱g̱a̱ł (thimbleberry). Photo: Andrea Lyall, 2016. Kwak̓wala is the Indigenous language of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw on the mid-coast of present-day British Columbia. It expresses a connection to the land through words, stories, and ceremonies, which describe the patterns of the seasons, traditional use, important places, and cultural and spiritual values. When I was young,

Photos and text by Sheetal Vaidya and Asha Paudel Dakshinkali is a sacred grove located at 1550 m of altitude about 22 km south of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. It is a local symbol of divinity, devoted to the Goddess Kali. Hindus consider Kali to be the supreme, dark female power whose role is to destroy

by Kagole Margret Byarufu My name, Kagole, was given to me upon my birth. It initially belonged to my father’s aunt who had died a few months before I was born. She was herself a custodian of the sacred natural site cared for by my family, so the other members of my clan in the

by Joanna Dobson . I traveled to Altai for the second time in 2002. On my first visit there two years back, the landscapes of this small republic in southern Siberia made such a profound impression on me that I felt I had to return. When I recall this second journey, I find that I