The archipelago of hope : wisdom and resilience from the edge of climate change

Book

The archipelago of hope : wisdom and resilience from the edge of climate change / Gleb Raygorodetsky.

Raĭgorodet͡skiĭ, Gleb, 1965- (author.).

Summary:

The ecological and cultural researcher discusses indigenous communities throughout the world and their creative efforts to deal with climate change, arguing that biological and cultural diversity are key to resilience.

"An enlightening global journey reveals the inextricable links between Indigenous cultures and their lands--and how they can form the foundation for climate change resilience around the world. One cannot turn on the news today without a report on an extreme weather event or the latest update on Antarctica. But while our politicians argue, the truth is that climate change is already here. Nobody knows this better than Indigenous peoples who, having developed an intimate relationship with ecosystems over generations, have observed these changes for decades. For them, climate change is not an abstract concept or policy issue, but the reality of daily life. After two decades of working with Indigenous communities, Gleb Raygorodetsky shows how these communities are actually islands of biological and cultural diversity in the ever-rising sea of development and urbanization. They are an "archipelago of hope" as we enter the Anthropocene, for here lies humankind's best chance to understand how to take care of the Earth. These communities are implementing creative solutions to meet these modern challenges. Solutions that are relevant to the rest of us. We meet the Skolt Sami of Finland, the Nenets and Altai of Russia, the Sapara of Ecuador, the Karen of Myanmar, and the Tla-o-qui-aht of Canada. Intimate portraits of these men and women, youth and elders, emerge against the backdrop of their traditional practices on land and water. Though there are brutal realties--pollution, corruption, and forced assimilation--Raygorodetsky's prose resonates with the positive, the adaptive, the spiritual--and hope."--Jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 9781681775326
ISBN: 1681775328
Physical Description: xx, 297 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: First Pegasus books edition.
Publisher: New York : Pegasus Books, [2017]
Copyright: ©2017

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-289).
Formatted Contents Note:: Prologue: Thousands of stories -- INTO THE WIND. Uneasy stroll ; Knowing the place ; New winds -- CHANGING WITH THE LAND. Backbone ; Peacemaking ; Sauna ; Soul of salmon ; The color of northern lights ; The magic -- THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. Toundra sea ; Real people ; Rain-on-snow ; Time to kaslat' ; Yamal or bust ; Thawing Earth ; Arctic heat ; Potemkin's village ; The road that shou1dn't be there -- THE MELTING TOMBS OF ALTAI. Goat-pulling ; Golden mountains ; Uch-Enmek ; Earth doctor ; Glacial retreat ; Melting tombs ; Shaman's vision ; Keeping the balance -- PACHAMAMA'S BLOOD. Blood ; Naku ; Children of Aritiaku ; An Amazon ; Yuca gardens and medicine trails ; "Keep the oil in the ground" ; Alcides's tale ; Of dragons and spirits ; Not in vain -- SWIDDEN HONEY. Jar of light ; Shifting cultivation ; Cool Earth ; Karl Marx, poppies, and forests ; Of Snakes and bats -- EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. Survivors ; Enchanted island ; Ancient woods ; Salmon people ; Tribal parks ; A better way -- GIFTS. Levi the Kaa-muth ; Land is life ; Knowledge cocreation ; Indigenous rights ; Healing journey -- Epilogue: Being a good ally -- NGOs that support indigenous communities featured in the book.