INDIGENOUS GRANDMOTHER AND HOPI ELDER-MONA POLACCA

ENVISION THIS: a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come.

Mona Polacca, Hopi/Havasupai Elder, is representing the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers to discuss their mission, vision, and passion. Mona is an author in the field of social sciences, has held posts of responsibility as Treasurer for her tribe, served on several committees for Indigenous Peoples within the United Nations. and is widely known for her "leadership in the Native American revitalisation movement." She is also the President/CEO and faculty of the Turtle Island Project, a non-profit program that promotes a vision of wellness by providing trans-cultural training to individuals, families, and healthcare professionals.

As a 14-year-old Mona was recognized as a spokesperson for Native American people. "Blessed with the gift of nearperfect oral memory, her elders spent hours teaching her the old ways and prophecies word for word, trusting their information would be safe in her hands."

The Mission Statement of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers is: “We represent a global alliance of prayer, education and healing for our Mother Earth, all Her inhabitants, all the children, and for the next seven generations to come. We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. We look to further our vision through the realization of projects that protect our diverse cultures: lands, medicines, language and ceremonial ways of prayer and through projects that educate and nurture our children.”