IC Sojourners Episode 2: The Seven Generations Rule (A Principle of the Iroquois Nations)

In this week’s show our guest is Ryan Ratigan a former host of the Mystic-Skeptic Podcast, he is also an attorney, activist and naturalist. We explore his involvement with movement to support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota. They not only want to reclaim their national sovereignty, protect their territory from corporations, but they want to preserve water resources and create a more ecological future for our descendants. As part of the Sojourners Series we explore the” Seven Generation Rule” which Ryan explains to be a source of inspiration for the principal of protecting the environment and honoring past and future generations. Ryan was a legal observer at Standing Rock and witnessed an almost military operation by the local police and and private contractors. This peaceful protestors or “protectors” have taken a stand against corporate interests since April 1, 2016. On March 6. 2017 a march on Washington was organized by The Indigenous Environmental Network. According to an article from PBS.org: “The protest comes as a federal judge in Washington is weighing a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to halt construction of the last section of the Dakota Access pipeline pending the outcomes of their lawsuit seeking to stop the project. The tribes say that section of the pipeline, which will pass under Lake Oahe, a large Missouri River reservoir, will threaten their water supply, sacred sites and religious rights. The judge is expected to rule this week.”(BLAKE NICHOLSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS March 6, 2017 at 3:28 PM EDT) Below is Ryan’s post on Facebook that inspired this show: “I see a worldwide awakening as to who we are as natural, living beings on this planet. I see the current extremes of death, insanity, destruction, etc… as the catalyst that leads to our awakening. I have met many liberated beings in the last few months and these meetings have given me a renewed spirit of hope and optimism. I see our indigenous relatives guiding us on our collective paths towards a collective evolution; spiritual, individual, and relational. I see the divine love that exists within each of us coming out of its shell. This is not an easy evolution, however it is what our hearts and souls desire.” With little media coverage please visit the following websites for more information: https://www.democracynow.org/topics/dakota_access https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/01/30/18796017.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_Access_Pipeline_protests