Tuhaymani'chi Pal Waniqa (The Water Flows Always) in the Mojave Desert

For this episode of Seedcast, let’s meet in the Mojave Desert in a spot where we can gaze upon Mamápukaiv, also known as the Old Woman Mountains. We’re surrounded by boulders, mesquite, deer, bighorn sheep, and even eagles. The air smells of creosote, and when it rains, you can smell tar. Water is an extremely precious resource here, and the survival of every living thing - humans, animals, and plants - depends on it.  

Almost thirty years ago, a group of Native Peoples came together to form the Native American Land Conservancy to protect not only the land their peoples are from but to revitalize their cultural wellbeing.  

“With the land comes a lot of knowledge. And this knowledge is inside the rocks, it's inside the water, it's inside the plants,” explains Sean Milanovich, a member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in Southern California, a PhD, and the Vice President of Native American Land Conservancy. 

Right now, Native American Land Conservancy is fighting a big corporation threatening their lands, their water, and their traditional ways of life. In this episode, Sean shares about Native American Land Conservancy's work to buy back land, to protect the water, and to engage people like you to help them in their work to heal our shared planet through interviews with Sean and audio from the Wayfinders Circle film about Native American Land Conservancy, “Tuhaymani'chi Pal Waniqa (The Water Flows Always)", directed by Nils Cowan and Gina Milanovich (Cahuilla, Cupeño.) 

We’re grateful for the collaboration on this story with Sean Milanovich and Native American Land Conservancy, which is part of the Wayfinders Circle. Wayfinders Circle is a global network of Indigenous Peoples from around the world who work to strengthen self-determination in managing their lands and territories and maintain the cultural and spiritual continuity through intergenerational transmissions. It is a joint effort convened by the Pawanka Fund, World Union of Indigenous Spiritual Practitioners, and Nia Tero. 

Special thanks also to Nia Tero Wayfinders Circle collaborators Mariana López, Marianna Olinger, Michael Painter, and David Rothschild. 

Host: and Producer: Jessica Ramirez. Story Editor: Nils Cowan. Audio Mix: Jenny Asarnow.  

More Wayfinders Circle Collaborations:

• The Boat of Dreams: How the Achuar Embraced Solar Power 
• Meet the Gabbra People of East Africa Pt 1 
• The Omen Bird Still Sings in Sungai Utik
• The Sacred Essence of Blackfoot Culture

Seedcast is a production of Nia Tero, a global nonprofit which supports Indigenous land guardianship around the world through policy, partnership, and storytelling initiatives.

Enjoy the Seedcast podcast on the Nia Tero website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

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