Watch five indigenous Q’eros pilgrims in the Peruvian Andes be driven from their ritual site by intolerant Catholics.

This scene comes from the Fire and Ice episode of the four-part series, Standing on Sacred Ground. The episode also tells of the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia, where scientists confirm the benefits of traditional stewardship even as elders witness the decline of spiritual practices that have long protected trees, meadows and mountains. Tensions with evangelical Christians over a sacred meadow erupt into a riot.

Standing on Sacred Ground chronicles indigenous people in eight communities around the world standing up for their traditional sacred lands in defense of cultural survival, human rights and the environment. Watch them stand against industrial mega-projects, consumer culture, resource extraction, competing religions, tourists and climate change.

Standing on Sacred Ground was produced by the Sacred Land Film Project, ‪https://sacredland.org, a project of Earth Island Institute. To deepen public understanding of sacred places, indigenous cultures and environmental justice, the Film Project produces a variety of media and educational materials—films, videos, DVDs, articles, photographs, school curricula and other materials. The Sacred Land Film Project uses journalism, organizing and activism to rekindle reverence for land, increase respect for cultural diversity, stimulate dialogue about connections between nature and culture, and protect sacred lands and diverse spiritual practices.

If you enjoyed this clip, please consider supporting our ongoing work by visiting http://standingonsacredground.org/ and clicking Donate.

 

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