S. Janaki – a wise woman bridging tradition and modernity in the Nilgiris (India)
Janaki is a Kurumba woman elder who has emerged as a leader amongst her community, working hard to promote traditional systems of governance and revive important events in the community to keep their pride and identity alive. Protection of sacred … Read more
Pauliina Feodoroff, courageous beacon of hope (Finland)
Mrs. Pauliina Feodoroff is a Sámi woman from the Skolt family– a minority of a minority, who had to relocate to Finland in 1944 at the end of the Second World War due to territorial annexations by Soviet Union. The … Read more
José Leónidas Ramos and Danilo Gómez, champions of ecological community development (Honduras)
The Gulf of Fonseca, in Central America is shared by Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Mangrove ecosystems and other types of wetlands dominate the coast, where mammals, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, and birds interact, and where thousands of fishermen use the … Read more
Dingo Markus, leading by example in Indonesia
“One day, as I was walking from the village to the forest, I stopped by the river and thought that the forest, the trees, the water… they are not just for us to exploit and deplete, they are the source … Read more
Aman Singh, the Orans advocate in Rajastan, India
In Rajastan (India), “Orans” are local community conserved areas that act as a store of biodiversity, enable effective water management and serve as a community-based system to restore and regenerate natural considtions. There are about 25,000 Orans in Rajasthan, which … Read more
Chief Vyacheslav Shadrin: constantly on the move for the rights of indigenous peoples in Russia
Chief Vyacheslav Shadrin is Chairperson of the Yukaghir Council of Elders, of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, in Russia. Since the late days of the Soviet Union, Chief Shadrin has systematically advanced the cause of the indigenous peoples and communities of … Read more
Tapio Kalli: working tirelessly to restore the ecological status of the Kuivasjärvi watershed (Finland)
Mr. Tapio Kalli, long-time leader of the fishermen of lake Kuivasjärvi, lives in Kuivasjärvi village (Parkano municipality, appr. 287 kms northwest of Helsinki, Finland). He is in his late 60s.
Doctor Elias Lönnrot, compiler of the national Epic of Finland … Read more
Felicia Barriento Cuellar: strengthening indigenous women for culture and nature in the Chaco region of Bolivia
Felicia Barrientos Cuellar is a brave indigenous woman from the Isoseño-Guarani people. There are three key aspects of her life’s work that greatly helped to enhance intra and inter community solidarity and contributed to improving the life of the Isoseño … Read more
Alassane Zoumaru: inventing a Taneka cultural bank for collective memory and social cohesion (Benin)
Descendant of the Gnam-nê clan– rainmakers and family of great traditional priests and keepers of the timing of agricultural production in Benin– Alassane Zoumarou, is heir of a rich history and many artistic and cultural values. Very young, he expressed … Read more
The Ntinga Ntaba ka Ndoda: a “decent life of dignity” for all communities (South Africa)
Ntinga Ntaba ka Ndoda is a community-owned and democratically controlled movement that incubates, catalyses and facilitates participatory democracy and sustainable rural development, drawing its members from 13 villages in Keiskammahoek south, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
With … Read more
