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By Emilee Martichenko

Towering above the landscape of the island of Hawai'i is the breathtaking Mauna Kea. With a perpetual blanket of snow crowning its peak this mountain rises 13,796 ft (4,205 m) above sea level achieving the title of tallest mountain in the Pacific.

Below the surface of the ocean, however, Mauna Kea stretches downward for another 19,700 ft making its total height approximately 35,000 ft (10,210 m) and earning it the honor of being the world’s tallest mountain (even defeating Mount Everest).

"People without Mother Nature can no longer live."

The Union of Yagé Doctors of the Colombian Amazon is a group of spiritual authorities from Inga, Siona, Cofán, Kamentsá, and Coreguaje Peoples. The communities represented in UMIYAC inhabit the southwestern region of the Colombian Amazon 22 resguardos, or legally recognized Indigenous territories, and numerous trails and villages located in ancestral lands in the Departments of Putumayo, Caquetá, and Cauca.

"For life, there must be corn and Mother Earth, but Mother Earth must be healthy." - Carmen Lozano (Kichwa) Ecuador

The 4th International Indigenous Peoples Corn Conference, "For Our Ancestral Rights, We Protect and Guarantee Our Food Sovereignty and That of Our Future Generations," took place on March 7 - 8, 2019, in the community of Vicente Guerrero, Tlaxcala, Mexico. Over 75 participants from different Indigenous communities from the Americas shared their experiences, challenges, and solutions about living with and cultivating corn.

Instituto Superior Pedagógico “Quilloac” Bilingüe Intercultural’s project in Ecuador will strengthening the Kichwa Kañari language through the use of mobile apps for children. 

Cultural Survival’s Keepers of the Earth Fund provides small grants designed to support Indigenous Peoples’ community advocacy and development projects. Since 2007, the Fund has provided nearly $2.6 million in grants and technical assistance to over 400 Indigenous-led projects in 65 countries around the world.

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