The Eastern Cherokee Organization and the Indigenous Environmental Network is honored to formally invite our community members to the 18th Protecting Mother Earth Conference (PME), happening in Cherokee, N.C. from Aug. 1-4. (Click here for event flyer)
With the theme of the conference being Indigenous Just Transition, the 4-day conference will include plenaries and break-out sessions addressing key themes of Climate Justice, Extreme vs Renewable Energy, Mining, Indigenous Relationship Jurisprudence, False Solutions to Climate Change, Food Sovereignty, Environmental Health, Indigenous Just Transition, and Rights of Nature/Mother Earth.
Since the inception of the Protecting Mother Earth Conferences in the 1990’s, the Eastern Cherokee Organization, (formerly known as the Eastern Cherokee Defence League) has been engaging in grassroots organizing and activism regarding environmental assaults on our waters, lands, community, and tribal members. In collaboration with the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Eastern Cherokee Organization hosted the 7th PME conference in June 1996 at the Yogi in the Smokies Campground in the Big Cove Community.
Chief Joyce Dugan, our first woman Chief, was in attendance and gave the opening remarks. The theme of the 7th PME conference was “Our Rivers are Life”. Now, almost 20 years later, we are still saying “A-ma Di-gu-g(o)-di-sgi A-le-ni-da-sdi-yi” (Water is Life, translation from the late Garfield Long Jr in 2016).
On Aug. 1, we will host a sunrise ceremony for all participants of the conference. The Sacred Fire will be lit using the coals from the last Protecting Mother Earth conference that took place at Nisqually Territory in Olympia, Washington in 2018. Our Canoe relatives are sending a delegation to deliver the coals to begin the fire. Once the fire is started, we will continue to keep it burning throughout the whole conference. This Sacred Fire will be a source for good medicine and prayer for all participants of the PME conference. We ask that anyone who intends to be a firekeeper be sober and in good relations with themselves.
Saturday Night, Aug. 3, we will be having a traditional social event. The Museum of the Cherokee People are leading our Cherokee social dances. There will be performances by Pura Fé, founding member of Ulali. She is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and artist who is Tuscaroran from New York. Desirae Harp will also be performing. She is a singer/songwriter, community organizer, and educator from the Onacátis Tribal Nation in California.
We urge all of our community members to register for the 18th Protecting Mother Earth Conference at ienearth.org/pme2024. The Eastern Cherokee Organization is optimistic that this conference will reinforce our collective commitment to each other and Mother Earth. Our intention is that the PME conference will create new ideas and opportunities for networking, healing, and community care after Aug. 4. We hope that our impact with our conference is longstanding, with the Eastern Cherokee Organization continuing the grassroots work within our community. We invite you to join us.
Sincerely,
Lou Montelongo
Eastern Cherokee Organization communications coordinator
