Listening, a First Nations Perspective
Recently Thorben Grosser, someone whose ideas I have respected for many years wrote this fabulous rant about sustainability, people and respect and how we should be recognizing WHERE we are meeting and those who came before us. Check it out along with the many comments from others with weighty opinions and actions in the comments..This is something We have seen more of, and certainly something we have been doing in Canada for some time at events of all kinds.
Excerpt from Intentional Event Design, Our Professional Opportunity
The Importance of Listening
“Often we begin meetings of all shapes and sizes in Vancouver recognizing the lands of the First Nations we meet upon, and begin with a blessing from an elder. Sometimes within this there are songs, of friendship, feasting and peace. A Talking Stick ceremony can be part of this opening, with the presentation of the stick, often a custom carving, which recognizes not only the power of the speaker, who holds the talking stick and must be the focus of attention, but also the importance of silence in communication. The First Nations culture is open to spaces between the lines, where in other cultures we may rush our conversations, hearing only enough of what we need to process what we think is being said, and stop listening while we begin to formulate an immediate response.
Being open is the beginning of transformation. The ability to listen with intention to hear, and not just to respond can be lacking in a culture reliant on having our own selves heard, self-promotion, and what seems like endless meetings and digital noise. To state at the beginning of a meeting that mindfulness, being present, listening and silence are all encouraged can fundamentally change the responsiveness of your participants.”
In destinations around the world there will be a People who were there long before us, and embracing these traditions with formal welcome ceremonies or words of wisdom and a respect for those who came before us can be built into our events. Even more important than the ceremonial aspects is paying attention to the lessons. From what is noted above to the approach to sustainability that considers what will be happening in seven generations, there are lessons. As caretakers of the lands long before us, there are certainly things we could be learning about caretaking, of land and ourselves, sharing food that comes from land and sea vs. being overprocessed. All small steps we can take as we design events that need to incorporate the UN SDGs – sustainable development goals and support anything to be done in the current global approach to racing towards 2050 Net Zero. It starts with listening.
