Oren Lyons on Changing Our Values to Survive

In this episode of EcoJustice Radio, we are graced with the profound wisdom of Oren Lyons, an Onondaga faith keeper and a towering figure in the realm of Indigenous sovereignty and environmental activism. This episode takes us to the roots of the great white pine tree spreading far and wide, symbolizing the peace and unity of the Haudenosaunee peoples.

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Voices of the Earth: Oren Lyons on Survival and Change

This week, we focus on the enduring legacy of 94-year old elder Oren Lyons, Onondaga Chief and a beacon of Indigenous culture and environmental activism. We explore Oren’s insights from the 2024 Bioneers conference, his reflections on the Haudenosaunee principles of peace, and his impassioned plea for a value shift towards communal living and environmental harmony. His keynote address was entitled To Survive, We Must Transform our Values. His words are a wake-up call to humanity, urging us to transform our values and align ourselves with the principles that have sustained Indigenous communities for millennia. Discover the unwritten history of Turtle Island and the wisdom that could lead humanity to a more just and sustainable world.

“The Earth is quite old and has seen species after species come and go, and we haven’t been here that long as a species, you know, not very long at all.” — Oren Lyons

Bioneers [https://bioneers.org/] is a nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, they act as a hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges.

Listeners will be captivated by the stories from the Sacred Land Film Project, part of Earth Island Institute, including “We are Part of the Earth.” Oren further decodes the classic story “The Wizard of Oz”, from a Native American perspective. L. Frank Baum’s tale as a Utopian American Dream soft-peddles an anti-nature-prejudice amid dazzling urban-industrial landscapes. This bias manifests at the expense of the Earth’s resources, and contributes to today’s environmental, economic, and social collapse.

“Human beings are like fleas on a dog. You’re quibbling amongst yourself, you’re squabbling amongst yourself, and the dog is getting ready to shake.”  — Oren Lyons

But it’s not all about the challenges; it’s also about the solutions and the hope that Indigenous knowledge brings to the table. Oren’s message is clear: peace is the only answer, and every individual has the power to choose a path that honors the Earth and its inhabitants.

Finally, we include an excerpt from the Indigenous Forum at the Bioneers Conference in Berkeley, California. Recorded by friend of the show Janet Sager in March 2024. The panel is entitled Listening to Wisdom Keepers. We feature the moderator, Alexis Bunten, co-director of the Indigeneity Program at Bioneers, a song from Greg Castro, and discussions from Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, and of course, Oren Lyons. These voices, often marginalized in mainstream discourse, are now at the forefront, guiding us towards a more equitable and sustainable way of living.

“Every morning when you wake up, you have an option to either be the best in the world or the worst. It’s an option, and there’s over 8 billion of those options right now.”  — Oren Lyons

So, if you’re ready to be inspired, to learn, and to be part of the change that our planet desperately needs, this episode of Eco Justice Radio is a must-listen. Join us as we delve into the teachings of Oren Lyons and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper connection to the Earth.

“Peace is the only answer to the situation that we face today. And it was the answer and it was the instruction in the beginning.”  — Oren Lyons

Remember, as Oren Lyons says, “It ain’t over till it’s over. And it ain’t over.” Let’s take this journey together, for the sake of the seven generations to come.

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More Info:
Bioneers Conference https://conference.bioneers.org/

Oren Lyons, “We Are Part of the Earth” Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/bSwmqZ272As?si=crGAyku6eCrFwbaC

Oren Lyons on The Wizard of Oz, Sacred Lands Film Project: https://youtu.be/t8ttzSwYFa8?si=43nbAQNXGPcz1ZuI

More on Oren Lyons: https://wilderutopia.com/international/earth/oren-lyons-on-the-unity-of-the-earth/

Oren Lyons, a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan who serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Haudenosaunee peoples), is an accomplished artist, social and environmental activist, and author; a Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo; a leading voice at the UN Permanent Forum on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples; and the recipient of many prestigious national and international prizes including The UN NGO World Peace Prize.

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia, a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats
Episode 215
Photo credit: Sacred Land Film Project

Updated 7 December 2024