Working Together Respectfully Means Not Making Assumptions
Our beautiful planet needs each and every one of us to step up and work together to stop the damage and clean up the mess. As Shoshone spiritual Leader Corbin Harney used to say every day, we only have One Water, One Air and One Earth. Working together in any new relationship requires a lot of listening and being observant. Overcoming generations of prejudice and misinformation is even harder. Everyone has assumptions based on information from many sources, and often the most important thing we can do to learn about each other is to forget what we think we already know. When in doubt, whether about facts or protocols, it is always best to admit your ignorance and ask.
We have included here a selection of articles and official statements from First Nations peoples speaking for themselves on these important issues of cross-cultural communication and environmental justice.
We appreciate submissions to expand this section to include articles by representatives of many cultures. We hope that you find the following articles useful.
First Nations Protocol, by Kakwirakeron and Dave Good. An excerpt from "front lines", published by the First Nations Environmental Network, and reproduced in On Indian Land, Fall 1996.
Indian Values, Attitudes and Behaviors, and Educational Considerations, by Joann Sebastian Morris.
Principles of Environmental Justice, The First People of Color Leadership Summit, October 24-27, 1991, Washington D.C.
Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing, Jemez, Mexico: "Working Group Meeting on Globalization & Trade", December 6-8, 1996, published by the South West Organizing Project, April, 1997.
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Co-Intelligence Institute, Communication and more.
Making Nonviolence Work, by Starhawk
Peace & Conflict Studies, Norway, 2 yr program in English
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam 'Oasis of Peace' in Hebrew and Arabic, a cooperatively owned and governed village, with only bilingual education in Israel
Northampton Bill of Rights - Our constitutional right to communicate
Randy Schutt- 30 Downloads on Nonviolent Action & Cooperative Decision Making
Resolve- Environmental and Public Policy Dispute Resolution
Earth-Tones- Only long-distance phone company giving 100% of profits to environmental causes