In response to catastrophic assaults on their lands and cultures by corporate industrial civilization, the First Peoples of the Amazon have formed unprecedented alliances to protect lands and peoples. These four extraordinary Indigenous leaders, Emergildo Criollo (Kofan), Alicia Salazar (Siona), Hernan Payaguaje (Siekopai), and Nemonte Nenquimo (Waorani) help guide the Ceibo Alliance of several ancestral peoples of Ecuador’s northern Amazon. They traveled far from their homes to share their stories of resistance and solutions. They offer guiding wisdom from their elders to show what’s at stake for their rainforest territories, what it means to the future of our planet, the amazing successes that Ceibo Alliance has found in their efforts to defend their land, and what we can all do as allies to protect the Amazon, its First Peoples and life on Earth.

Introduction by Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Bioneers Indigeneity Program Director.

This speech was given at the 2018 Bioneers Conference. To learn more about the work of the Ceibo Alliance, visit Amazon Frontlines.  Read the transcript of these remarks here.

View more keynotes, transcripts, and more from the 2018 Bioneers Conference.