Indigenous Perspectives on Post-Traumatic Growth and Environmentalism

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This chapter explores how Indigenous activism contributes to cultural challenges through post-traumatic growth and adaptation. It discusses the importance of aligning with natural laws for the planet's well-being, learning from indigenous leadership in mainstream environmental activism, and integrating indigenous perspectives on nature into Western legal frameworks. The significance of ceremony, ritual, and prayer in indigenous cultures, the rights of nature, and the impact of industries on the environment are also highlighted in the conversation.

(Conversation recorded on June 12th, 2024)

Show Summary:

As we move through difficult cultural transitions and rethink our governance systems, it will be critical that we listen to voices that are rooted beyond the conventional Western thinking that has come to dominate our society. As such, it is always an honor when Indigenous leaders share their experiences and wisdom with the broader public.

This week, Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Nation joins Nate to recount her decades of work in Indigenous and environmental activism. Her stories shed light on the often-overlooked struggles and tragedies faced by Indigenous communities in their efforts to restore and safeguard their homelands. Casey also shares her current work advocating for The Rights of Nature - which legalizes the same rights of personhood to Earth’s ecosystems - of which the Ponca Nation was the first tribe in the US to implement.

How is the treatment of Indigenous people under the United States government reflective of the exploitative relationship between industrial systems and the Earth? What is ‘Post-Traumatic Growth’ and how could it assist in healing the deeper cultural wounds obstructing genuine dialogue and change? Could aligning our current laws with the laws of nature - followed by every other species - result in a more sustainable, interconnected, and thriving humanity?

About Casey Camp-Horinek:

Casey Camp-Horinek, Councilwoman and Hereditary Drumkeeper of the Women’s Scalp Dance Society of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma, is a longtime activist, environmentalist, actress, and published author. First taking up the cause of Native and Human Rights in the early ’70s, it has been in the last 15 years that she began her plea for Environmental Justice for her Ponca people and people around the globe. Casey has identified and diligently worked to remediate the corridor of toxic industry surrounding the historic lands of the Ponca people.

Because of Casey’s work, the Ponca Nation is the first Tribe in the State of Oklahoma to adopt the Rights of Nature Statute, and to pass a moratorium on fracking on Tribal Lands. Casey was also instrumental in the drafting and adoption of the first ever International Indigenous Women’s Treaty protecting the Rights of Nature. Casey is a board member for Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Movement Rights, as well as Earthworks. Casey Camp-Horinek has also been a film actor since 1988, starring in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Winter in the Blood, Barking Water and Goodnight Irene.

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