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Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls to host EcoSpirit Native American Environmental Conference

by jmaloni

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Tue, Sep 2nd 2014 02:20 pm

Weekend event calls for "Caretakers of Mother Earth"

A gathering of indigenous leadership and environmental experts is planned at the EcoSpirit Native American Environmental Conference, Sept. 27-28 at The Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls St. The conference will feature more than a dozen speakers with presentations and workshops beginning at 8 a.m. each day. Seating is limited. To register for the conference, visit www.ecospiritconference.com.

"Nothing quite like the EcoSpirit Conference has ever happened on the East Coast before," said Bill Tenuto, event organizer. "Native American chiefs, medicine men and elders are saying the time has come to 'return to the original teachings,' to live in balance and harmony with Mother Earth, the way their ancestors lived."

"We need to clean up the environment to have pure air to breathe, to have clean water to drink, to have nutritious food to eat," said Chief Golden Light Eagle, conference host and member of the Yankton Dakota (Sioux) Tribe of South Dakota, who calls on all Native American tribes and people of all nations to come together to clean the environment in unity.

Chief Golden Light Eagle also thanked the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy for welcoming this gathering in Niagara Falls, where the most sacred waters of the Iroquois people are located.

In addition to Chief Golden Light Eagle, other scheduled speakers include the following (more to be added):

•Clifford Mahooty, a 100 percent Zuni Pueblo Indian, an elder and civil/environmental engineer, who has been on The History Channel's "Ancient Aliens";

•Bill McKibben, seen on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher"; environmental author and activist; founder of 350.org;

•Lulu Murphy representing former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Project;

•Chief Blue Star Eagle of the Yankton Dakota (Sioux) Tribe and his wife, Walks With New Beginning Woman;

•Joe Plum, a poet, who, for the past 50 years, has lived in South Central Iowa within a group of trees;

•Barbara Morningstar (Unci Kiaya), a descendant of Oglala Lakota Wisdom Keepers;

•Mike Bastine, Algonquin elder, healer, author and spiritual teacher;

•Uqualla, a member of the Havasupi Tribe (people of the blue-green waters). The Havasupai Tribe lives in the most beautiful and remote areas of the western Grand Canyon. Supai Village is located in Havasu Canyon, which is accessible only on foot, on horseback, or by helicopter.

•Allan Jamieson, an elder from the Wolf Clan of the Cayuga Tribe, one of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. He will speak about "Environmental Stewardship for the Next Seven Generations and Using Water Wisely." Allan is the director and one of the founding members of Neto Hatinakwe Onkwehowe, which means, "Here Lives The People."

The conference also features Native American drummers and vocalists singing traditional, sacred songs. For more information and a schedule of the weekend's activities, visit www.ecospiritconference.com.

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