As I think of it in relation to Earth Day, I am moved to post a link to Day 15 of the epic, non-fiction saga, Odyssey of the 8th Fire.

Odyssey of the 8th Fire is a an online journal I created in 2006 to tell the true story of a prayer walk for the Earth that lasted for eight months as a band of pilgrims walked from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, listening all the way to the call of the  land, as well as to the people, plants, and animals who live with the land.

On Day 15 of this historic journey, the band of walkers arrived at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City. While at the UN they remembered the explicit messages of the traditional elders of Turtle Island (North America), as they fulfilled one of the core traditions of the land they have responsibility to caretake. Because the elders words remain relevant and worthy of careful consideration, I am posting a link to that one, small but significant part of the great, long saga of a pilgrimage across our land.

Traditional elders of the Four Directions meet with UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali in his office at the conclusion of the Cry of the Earth. Photo by Wanelle Fitch, 1993.

Note: My friend Cindy Pickard has produced a positive, empowering film that explores these themes through other media: The 8th Fire.