By Brandi Morin (Cree/Iroquois)
Photos by Julien Defourny
By Brandi Morin (Cree/Iroquois)
Photos by Julien Defourny
Maha Akamine, Keepers of the Earth Fund Program Assistant, is from Brazil and holds a degree in Civil Engineering. She has experience in administration and project management, with a strong focus on socio-environmental initiatives, and over ten years of experience working with grassroots groups and social movements. In her roles as coordinator of the Buen Vivir Fund and as an executive assistant, she developed expertise in investment management, long-term strategy implementation, finance, and database management, working directly with philanthropic and grassroots organizations in regions including Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. She is deeply committed to empowering community-based organizations as drivers of meaningful change and advancing a more equitable and inclusive world. Reach Maha at maha@culturalsurvival.org.
By Mariana Kiimi Ortiz Flores (Ñuu Savi/Mixteca, CS Staff)
With Native American Heritage Month well underway and Thanksgiving/National Day of Mourning occurring today, let us celebrate Indigenous brilliance, honor, and acknowledge the truth in history, recognize whose land we are on, and work towards true allyship.
By Sukanto Barman (CS Intern)
Bharati Rani, 65, sits in the courtyard of her home in Mechkanta Para village, Thakurgaon district, weaving a dhokra (mat) made of jute. The dhokra is not only a piece of handcraft; it is a living testament to Koch-Rajbangshi heritage. Used for seating, drying crops, or special occasions, each dhokra carries the stories, culture, and vivid reflections of the social life of the Koch-Rajbangshi community.
By Elisa Ribeiro (CS Intern), Daniela Mostacilla (Nasa), and John Sabogal
By Edson Krenak (Krenak, CS Staff)
Indigenous Peoples represent one of the most significant multilateral and democratic contributions to climate and land issues, as they are the frontliners of the climate crisis, leaders in ecosystem protection, legal land tenure, and sustainable development. However, at the COP, they struggled to be heard.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Koĩts-Sunuwar, CS Staff)
Indigenous Peoples’ collective closing statement at COP30, delivered by Diana Chavez Vargas of Ecuador.
Thank you, Chair,
The Amazon, our home is the next global oil frontier.
Indigenous Peoples are under attack.
We face colonial militarization of our territories, where states and corporations trade our lives for fossil fuels, transition minerals, and large-scale renewables.
We stand in solidarity with our Amazonian relatives and condemn the killing of land defenders. This was mirrored by the heavy militarization of this COP.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.