"Dear Humanity," a Lovecast with Laura Dawn

A New Philanthropic Paradigm Supporting Plant Medicine Conservation, Indigenous Sovereignty and Biocultural Diversity with Miram Volat & Cody Swift - 54

May 26, 2022

01:29:54

As the world comes to embrace the healing potential of sacred medicines, how do we ensure the original stewards of these medicines are uplifted, honored, and supported in this search for our collective healing? If we envision a future where indigenous peoples, their medicines, & traditional knowledge are honored, respected, and supported to thrive for generations to come then what specific actions can we take to do no harm, to truly be in right-relationship with these cultures?

On today’s episode I speak with Miriam Volat and Cody Swift of The Riverstyx Foundation and the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund about it’s origin story, the Native American and other indigenous communities around the world it supports, plant medicine conservation & how to begin to be in right relationship with indigenous cultures.

This is an extremely complex topic, and these two emphasize that they are still LEARNING, and LISTENING, and part of what you’ll hear and learn on this episode, is about the serious biocultural crisis happening across the planet for these traditional knowledge holding communities as they lose access to land, plant medicine, and even their own language. We answer questions like, what does “right relationship” mean? What does “do-no-harm” mean? What is a bioculture? What does “solidarity-based support” mean? We get into the details of how are funds utilized and organized, how are assessments conducted in these indigenous communities and how are their voices being amplified? In this episode we all expand our perception and outlook on what it means to support indigenous communities and the sacred medicines of the planet, and to remind us that we are all one family sharing the sacred responsibility and commitment to thrive on Earth together.