Indigenous Spiritualities, Land Rights, and Climate Justice Seminar Report

From 13 to 15 October 2024, a seminar on Indigenous Spiritualities, Land Rights, and Climate Justice was conducted at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey as well as at the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The Rev. Mari Valjakka, a Sámi representative from the Lutheran Church in Finland and moderator of the Reference Group of the Ecumenical Indigenous Peoples Network, states the following:

When we were offered the opportunity to organise a seminar on Indigenous spiritualities, land rights, and climate justice, I knew it would be powerful, informative, and full of great emotion.

I was not wrong. At the seminar we visited each other’s wounds, celebrated gifts together, and wanted to show solidarity in the effort to change injustices.

During the lectures, we learned about the colonized mindsets and what decolonization means—both for us and for the majority population. We visited war and oppressive structures. We heard prophetic voices about climate issues from around the world and sensed art through crafts and poetry from different contexts.

Above all, we heard a story of survival and resilience. We also shared our storytelling traditions, spirituality and know-how that Indigenous peoples have passed on from generation to generation for millennia.

This publication is a reminder that we, the Indigenous Peoples of the world, are still here.

That is why it is still important to continue to tell these stories and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our stories with you.

The report, a collection of voices that continue the tradition of Indigenous peoples in the ecumenical movement, is the fruit of the WCC Indigenous Peoples Network Reference Group and its first in-person gathering in October 2024.

“These voices can inspire and challenge a common witness to bring change and transformation,” notes Rev. Dr Peter Cruchley, director of the WCC Commission for World Mission and Evangelism, in the report’s preface. “The onslaught of climate change; the systemic violence of land loss, racism, poverty, and human rights violations; and the continuing legacies of colonization continue to disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples amongst all peoples.”

Contributor Anne Pattel-Gray, in her essay Freedom from Colonial Christian Oppression, notes that she struggles with any narrative that portrays a colonial God who favours one race over another.

“Our theology is born from our land, founded on our relationship with the Creator Spirit since time began; and it is this deep ancient wisdom that sustains and provides our resilience to survive,” she writes.

She effectively summarizes the Indigenous spiritual insights shared by the authors of this publication. Together, they reveal how Indigenous wisdom is essential to tackling the climate crisis and how that crisis is linked intrinsically to justice concerning land matters.

As contributor Shane Goldie seeks to capture the profound spiritual connection in his poem “Earth’s Pulse,” he speaks of the connection Indigenous peoples have with the land.

He notes: “The way we treat the Earth reflects how we treat ourselves and each other.”