Posted: February 9, 2024
Join us for an evening discussion with a Native American Environmentalist.
Explore Indigenous cosmology, intuitive ways of knowing, and cultural etymologies—highlighting the influence of language on our relationships—in an upcoming public talk with Indigenous scholar Tiokasin Ghosthorse from the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation, South Dakota.
Tiokasin is a musician of both ancient and modern sounds, radio host/producer, and teacher—bringing non-western education to Native and non-Native children.
Tiokasin contrasts Indigenous ways of relational/egalitarian understanding with the rational/hierarchal thinking processes of Western society—and the resulting effects on our cultural views toward Earth—which ultimately determine the “sustainability” or our lifestyles. He has spoken multiple times at the United Nations and lectures at educational institutions that include Yale University, Cornell University, New York University, and the Massachusetts School of Law.
“I work with young environmentalists who are fed up with the system. They know something is going wrong – our connection with the earth is broken – but they don’t know how to express it in language other than the technical vocabulary that educated them…They realize a language of relationship with nature is missing – a language of abundance, gratitude."
Both campus and community members are invited to this free conversation on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. in the HUB Flex Theater, or over Zoom - register here for Zoom. The dialogue will be followed with a reception and refreshments—providing an authentic opportunity to connect while honoring history and traditional knowledge. The event is hosted by the Department of Plant Science, the Sustainable Food Systems Network, and the Indigenous Peoples Student Association.
