Original Instructions By Chief Lyons

In the book, Original Instructions – Part One; Chief Lyons discusses “what happens to you and what happens to the earth happens to us as well,” (Nelson, 2008) referencing to the unethical practice and/or protection of Mother Nature. Chief Lyons emphasized that as Indigenous people, we must take a stand and advocate against atrocities occurring to Mother Nature by influencing the stakeholders and powerful leaders who have the ultimate responsibility to make a difference and who are influential to their followers. Our Indigenous ancestors have survived through unfortunate unethical treatment from the government that has impacted us through historical trauma; nonetheless our ancestors and indigenous people today have survived and conquered because

40) The Okanagan people live by their code of ethics to collectively collaborate and make decisions on a consensus basis to make a positive decision for all people—elders, mothers, fathers and youth. They also practice conflict resolution known as the traditional “En’owkinwiwx” process which provides a powerful experience to the conscious mind and helps (or persuades) individual to listen and follow through with changes. This would be a powerful tool to utilize in the efforts of changing the mindset of individuals to be more conscious and protective of our natural environment and respecting our Mother Earth. Moreover, the ancestors’ connection to the land and nature resulted in knowledge development of the stories of origin and became the natural teachings that have formed the education system in emanating the sacred teachings of land

Our ancestors’ Indigenous Knowledge (IK) which is a “relationship of balance and harmony with local environment,” (Nelson, 2008 pg. 45) has been the basis of future technology and/or development related to the powerful knowledge of sustenance, survival, and uses of foods and plants for medicinal use. Priscilla Settee “explored the work of Pam Colorado, Oscar Kawagley, Greg Cajete, David Bohm and others who considered Indigenous Peoples knowledge as scientific and knowledge that was modern science borrows from.” I found this extremely remarkable and inspiring to know that the immense wealth of knowledge and innovative ways of thinking our ancestors possessed is currently being utilized by researchers and others. I also felt devastated to learn that IK has been affected by bio-piracy because the use of “synthetic drugs and quinine and aspirin derived from IK…and is one of the principle sources for identifying new molecules and genes in the rapidly growing pharmaceutical and genetic engineering industries.” (Nelson 2008, pg 30) It seems as though IK has never been given credit or acknowledged just like the real history of indigenous people is disregarded in educational systems history classes and oppressors are personified as heroes, a great example of forced