Events

[CONFERENCE] It’s official, in recorded history the earth has never been hotter. July was the warmest month on record since 1880 and it’s clear that the enormous changes the earth is undergoing as its human population infringes upon the boundaries of sustainability has brought us to an unprecedented historical tipping point. A conference this weekend in Niagara Falls aims to address this moment within the context of Native American teaching and spirituality.

When asked how EcoSpirit Conference found its way to Niagara Falls, organizer Bill Tenuto paused and asked, “Are you a spiritual person?” Tenuto, on the phone from New Jersey, went on to explain how an encounter with Chief Golden Light Eagle shaped the conference. The Dakota chief told Tenuto of a dream, or rather a vision, that he had for a “conference on cleaning up the environment in New York State.” Tenuto added, “Native people, when they have a dream, the don’t question it.” And neither did he.

Entering its second year in the Falls, the conference brings together tribal leaders, authors, healers, drummers, singers, and activists from across the spectrum of Native American culture to confront this crucial moment in human history. Presenters will come from as far distant as the American Southwest, like Uqualla of the Havasupai tribe and Zuni elder and environmental engineer Clifford Mahooty; and as nearby as Tuscarora teacher Tahwehdahqui and Erie County’s own Algonquin healer and author Mike Bastine.

Bastine recently sat down with The Public over a plate of chicken wings and characterized the problem with the environment as one of economic short-sightedness where profit is king. Gone are the lessons imparted to early Americans by the Iroquois, that decisions should be weighed for their impact for seven generations into the future.

“EcoSpirit is something we should all participate with and help not only the public, but the agencies that are doing the decision-making to let them know you’re not immune from this practice, this stuff you’re putting out there,” Bastine described. “It’s gonna hit your families too. So let’s get more responsible.”

While most Native American conferences and gatherings focus on the cultural and spiritual practices among tribes, Bastine doesn’t see much of a line between spirituality and ecology. “We don’t separate things the way mainstream society does. We think that every part of this life in intertwined.”

Tenuto’s vision is a bit more focused on the recovery of a bygone philosophy towards nature. “Native American chiefs, medicine men, and elders are saying the time has come to return to the old teachings, to live in balance and harmony with the earth, the way their ancestors lived,” his press release reads.

A machinist at Moog in East Aurora, Bastine betrays his lifelong residence in Western New York with his discomfort with the title of “healer.” “Other people call me that, I don’t,” he explains with a hint of humble embarrassment. What other people call healing to him is simply keeping up traditional rituals and ceremonies that revolve heavily on natural elements like tobacco and bird feathers, for example. Practices that connect the living human with their Creator and their ancestors.

On the future health of the planet, Bastine remains sanguine: “If we don’t get ourselves in alignment with what’s coming…it’s not the end of world but it’s certainly dramatic change that’s going to alter everyone’s life. My take on it is: You’re all going to get enlightened whether you want it or not, so why are you fighting it? It’s for a better life for you and everyone.”

Those not willing to wait for that enlightenment to occur would be best served by attending the conference this weekend in the Falls.