the world, and those who live in it,
for he has founded it on the seas
and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob
Psalm 24:1-6 NRSVue
It's pouring rain here as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl pass through Southern Ontario. Of course, what we're experiencing is nothing like the destructive force of the storm through the Caribbean, Mexico, and the US.
It seems appropriate that we heard Amazon rainforest news this morning, a CBC Radio item about Ecuador's successful efforts to protect their portion of the vast and biologically diverse tropical rainforest. This includes stricter laws and enforcement along with citizen vigilance. I did some snooping and discovered that there is a patrol group of 35 Indigenous women who are fiercely involved in this effort. Here are a couple of paragraphs from a BBC piece from earlier this year:
As the first rays of light begin to filter through the tree canopy, a diverse assembly of 35 women, ranging from 23 to 85 years old, arrives one by one at the ceremony. The eldest among them, Corina Andy, who is fondly called "abuela", "the grandmother", leads them in a collective cleansing ritual using medicinal plants.Meanwhile, the younger women chant and dance to traditional songs in their native language, Kichwa Napo. "Strength, strength!" Cerda shouts, and as the echo lingers, the women respond with "guard, guard!"
The group goes by the name of "Yuturi Warmi". Elsie Alvarado, one of the youngest members of the Yuturi Warmi, explains that in the Kichwa language "Yuturi" references a type of ant in the Amazon known for its strong and defensive nature, and "Warmi" means woman."We chose this name for the group because it symbolises our fight and strength, much like the ants that resist and protect their territory," she says.
In the past couple of years I've become much more aware of the courageous efforts of Indigenous peoples around the world to protect homelands which have been devastated by extraction companies that take a psychopathic approach to rape and run.
Lyell Island Blockade
Readers will know that we are just recently home from a week on Haida Gwaii, the group of islands off the British Columbia coast that are home to the Haida people. Nearly 40 years ago the Haida set up a blockade against logging trucks on what was then called Lyell Island. They could see that outside companies were clearcutting vast areas of old growth temperate rainforest with limited benefit for their people. These southern islands are now encompassed in Gwaii Hanaas National Park, an area of astonishing beauty. We spent a day there, by boat, and visited a historic site now safe-guarded by Haida Watchmen (and women!).
Watchman Ken
Why is it that even though our Judeo/Christian scriptures tell us that the Earth belongs to the Creator and must be treated with respect we have ignored these holy words? Too often representatives of the Christian church were agents -- literally -- of those who had no regard for the forests and seas and those who had lived on them for millennia. It's not an exaggeration to say that this haunts me. We must "re-enchant" our Christian tradition and faith expression.
Thank God for all those who have demonstrated strength, the determined ants of different cultures who know that the Earth belongs to the Creator, now and always.
Ruth and an Old Growth Tree on Haida Gwaii
No comments:
Post a Comment