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The army of women saving India's storks

Neeta Lal

November 08, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Pub Majir Gaon, Assam

After a conservation biologist noticed that the number of birds in her Indian village dwindled over the years, she knew she had to take action. Purnima Devi Barman started to help educate her community about the historical significance and importance of the greater adjutant storks, and formed the “Hargila Army,” a volunteer crew of 400 women who help protect the birds. Thanks to their efforts over the last 13 years, they’ve been able to increase the endangered species’ numbers from just 27 in to more than 210.

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Indigenous Colombians mount a spiritual defense of the Amazon

Ocean Malandra

November 04, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Mocoa, Putumayo

Five different Indigenous groups formed an alliance known as the Union of Traditional Age Medics of the Colombian Amazon to practice spiritual ceremonies and community healing based on the ingestion of a potent hallucinogenic tea known as yagé. These groups are at risk of physical and cultural extermination due to deforestation. By engaging in traditional yagé ceremonies, they use their traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom to help make decisions and retain their autonomy in the rainforest.

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Chennai Ran Out of Water — But That's Only Half the Story

Erica Gies Dhritiman Mukherjee

October 30, 2020 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

The city of Chennai in India is engaging in wetlands restoration and stormwater management by using traditional knowledge and community action to reduce flooding and ensure that people have access to drinking water. Through a development program called Water as Leverage, they are implementing “slow water” projects that restore flow paths for water, which could provide greater water resiliency for humans and protect and restore natural ecosystems. While it can be difficult to get government engineers to embrace green solutions, public awareness of the environmental work is helping move the projects forward.

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Botswana's Radical Experiment in National Unity

Bastian Berbner

October 23, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Botswana

Botswanans have deprioritized deeply held tribal identities, created a national identity, and found societal stability by using the practice of randomly assigning civil servants to different parts of the country. Sending the over 120,000 civil servants to work away from friends and family, immersed in a new culture, has led to intercultural exchanges, new friendships, and even many marriages that resulted in children whose parents belong to different tribes. Increasing contact across tribal groups led to thousands of new personal relationships, which reduced prejudices and created a shared national culture.

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New app helps Inuit adapt to changing climate: ‘It's time for the harpoon and computer to work together'

Anna Kusmer

October 15, 2020 |

The World |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Flaherty Island, Nunavut

The Arctic Eider Society, an environmental and social justice organization based in Nunavut, developed an app called SIKU that allows users to enter real-time data on conditions in the arctic. Inuktitut hunters use the app to alert others to hazardous ice conditions and observations about wildlife and vegetation. The app is funded by private foundations as well as federal and indigenous governments and has over 6,000 users. Users maintain intellectual property rights of their data and the app respects traditional knowledge by encouraging indigenous communities to merge old ways with new technologies.

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Reclaiming Indigenous Legacy One Beer at a Time

Bailey Berg

October 12, 2020 |

Life & Thyme |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma

A coalition of Native American–owned breweries is using lagers and ales to educate the public about their heritage and to correct the racist narrative about Indigenous peoples’ relationship to alcohol. For example, Skydance Brewing Co. in Oklahoma labels its beers with names that pay homage to the experiences of Native Americans. “It’s important that we have Native American entrepreneurs tell our story for ourselves,” says Jake Keyes, the brewery founder. “For us to reclaim it.”

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A Special Court Keeping Native Americans Out of Jail

Lisa Bartfai

October 12, 2020 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, Maine

The Penobscot Nation's Healing to Wellness Court is a drug court, diverting people charged with drug offenses from possible fines and jail into therapy. But it has an added cultural element, providing traditional healing approaches alongside mainstream behavioral therapy. The cultural piece recognizes that Native Americans' historical trauma and disconnect from their culture can contribute to the problems that lead to addiction. The court is far less expensive than jail or prison, and its participants have not been jailed for failing treatment in more than two years.

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A Native American Clinic Gives Doses of Cultural Healing During COVID-19

Cole Premo

October 08, 2020 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Native American Community Clinic in Minneapolis is utilizing telehealth practices to treat both the medical and spiritual needs of the community and its patients. Although the "spiritual-meets-traditional care program" was already in place and had received funding before the coronavirus pandemic, it is now being implemented as a telehealth system with patients reporting that it has helped to create a sense of connection despite the adherence to physical distancing.

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Migratory birds openbill storks find safe haven in Andhra village

Sahana Ghosh Manish Kumar

October 06, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Telukunchi, Andhra Pradesh

The Asian openbill stork makes its home in the Telukunchi village in India for six months of the year, and the locals band together to protect this migratory bird. The birds thrive off of the wetlands environment and up to 10,000 storks breed and lay eggs there each season. This community has largely been able to protect these birds over the years, but more could be done to work with the government to legally protect these habitats.

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With Buffalo, Native Americans are Restoring a Wildlife Economy

Jake Bullinger

September 30, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wyoming

Massive herds of bison once roamed the American prairie, powering the "wildlife economy" and making Plains Native American tribes both rich and healthy. Now, indigenous tribes are bringing back what was once a cultural and economic mainstay in the indigenous culture. In doing so, members are able to renew traditional practices such as using bison for meat, making robes, and using parts of the animal in ceremonies. The eradication of bison took place in the 19th century as a tactic to force tribes off their native lands and onto reservations. The return of the animal signifies a step toward healing.

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