On Aug. 28 to Aug. 30, indigenous community leaders, renowned musicians representing both the Native and mainstream music industries, as well as thousands of concerned citizens from all walks of life will gather in the Black Hills for a weekend of ceremony, workshops, empowerment and unity around one often misunderstood matter—the fact that the Black Hills are sacred.
Originally started in 2014, the Black Hills Unity Concert has already made its mark on social and environmental issues affecting the many Indigenous Peoples of this hemisphere. It is more than a concert. It is a movement that in its inaugural year, attracted a crowd of more than 2,000 and showcased tremendous potential to continue to expand its message to the masses: the Black Hills are sacred and must be protected by the original stewards that find the Hills the “heart of everything that is.”
Held just outside Rapid City in Piedmont, South Dakota, the Black Hills Unity Concert is monumental and aims to develop a greater understanding among all peoples on why the Black Hills are sacred to many Indigenous Peoples and why that acknowledgement needs to include the entire human family.
This year’s concert will have almost all Native American performers along with leaders of the climate movement attending and presenting workshops, members from the Rosenberg Fund for Children as well as Black Lives Matter poets and activists, all joining to show solidarity with the Unity cause.
Bethany Yarrow, one of the Unity Concert's original organizers, along with her father Peter Yarrow, legendary activist and musician of Peter, Paul and Mary, continue to be strong supporters of the Unity Movement.
"The Unity Concert is becoming a gathering place for the intersection of various movements that are addressing society’s woes and failures, especially in the area of restorative justice and with a focus on the return of the Black Hills," says Peter Yarrow, "and, secondarily, on the preservation of sacred places for all indigenous peoples, everywhere."
An extraordinary addition to the 2015 event, is the presence of the Kogi and Arhuaco of the Santa Marta, Magdalena region of Colombia highlighted by Bethany Yarrow in a 2014 article for EcoWatch.
The Kogi are respectfully known as "elder brother" for their role in caring for the Earth and especially the Sierra Nevada mountains they call home, which they also call the "Heart of the World." The parallel is striking as the Black Hills, or Paha Sapa, are referred to by the Pte Oyate (Great Sioux Nation) as the "Heart of Everything that Is." The Mamos, or tribal priests, represent indigenous people in South America never conquered by Spanish colonizers. They have been carrying a timely call, alerting all of us "younger brothers" to the importance of protecting these holy places, which hold sacred teachings which must continue to be passed down for generations to come.
This year's lead organizer, Lyla June Johnston, a fierce young poet and activist who is of Diné, Cheyenne and European descent, is heading this call. Having graduated from Stanford in 2012, she is already a co-founder of The Taos Peace and Reconciliation Council, which works to heal inter-generational trauma and ethnic division in the northern New Mexico, and the 2015 Original Caretakers Fellow for the Center for Earth Ethics under the Direction of Karenna Gore. Her personal mission in life is to grow closer to Creator by learning how to love deeper. This intent listening, along with her gift of oration, enable her to beautifully amplify the voices of those most needing to be heard.
“Our elders advised us to remind people, through example, what the Black Hills were for. In ancestral times no one lived there, they were only visited in times of prayer. They were a place to set aside our differences and pray for all our relations,” says Johnston. “The event is an opportunity rarely offered to much of Indian country’s passionate talent and leadership. The ability to learn from each other in way that is inviting to people from all walks of life critical in these times, and I am honored to be a small part of it.”
In addition to the music, the Black Hills Unity Concert will host community leaders from 12 Lakota, Dakota and Nakota reservations to present their solutions to their respective communities’ most pressing social and environmental challenges.
“Reconciling divided cultures and finding a solution to the Black Hills issue lies at the heart of the concert, yes, but it is also much more than that," says Johnston. "It is a place for people to put their minds together and pray for solutions to the social, environmental and indigenous issues that we face today.”
The once-in-a-lifetime event is hosted at Elk Creek Resort, an all-in-one resort in the Black Hills that nests in the Elk Creek Valley, commonly known as “the Rest of the Black Hills.” It is home to many attractions and features, but unlike many resorts in the Black Hills, the Elk Creek Resort features the Petrified Forest of the Black Hills, which includes a one-hour tour that features the history of the Black Hills from the Earth’s beginning to present-day.
You can register online or if you can't attend, you can participate by donating to help cover production expenses for this free gathering.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!