Yuria Celidwen, author and senior fellow at the University of California Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute, presented a lecture titled “Ethics of Belonging of Indigenous Contemplative Traditions” as part of the Mindfulness and Anti-Racism Lecture Series, April 5. 

The Lecture Series is a program hosted by the Mindfulness Science & Practice multiyear cluster through the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures at Washington University. The Incubator conducts transdisciplinary research and hosts events to expose The Washington University community to its scholarship. This event also partnered with the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies. 

Dr. Pamela L. Begay, Director of the Buder Center, introduced Celidwen, sharing that she is Native American of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent from Chiapas, Mexico. Celidwen’s work is focused on Indigenous studies, belonging, and ethics. 

Celidwen began her talk by speaking in her native Mayan language, before switching to English to talk about the importance of developing comfort with other languages. 

“I always try to speak the [Mayan] language when I introduce myself, as an invitation,” she said. “I invite you to start feeling much more comfortable with hearing different sounds, different voices, other ways of learning about the world, how others may express about the world. Maybe if we meet in the center, we may be able to then find solutions that impact all to create places of belonging.” 

Expanding on the conversation about language, Celidwen discussed the prevalence and loss of indigenous languages in our modern age. Celidwen said she has worked for the United Nations for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for almost two decades. 

“2019 was the International Year of Indigenous Languages, and we did a large survey around the world to see the health of languages. From the 7,000 languages spoken in the world, 4,000 are indigenous. We lose one indigenous language every two weeks. By 2050, 90% of indigenous languages will be extinct,” she said.  

Celidwen spoke about the state of Indigenous tribes in Missouri, and the effect of land acknowledgements at places like WashU 

“There are no federally- or state-recognized tribes in Missouri. We start by this land acknowledgement, that means what?” Celidwen said. “Many times from places of privilege, we create these comfortable pockets of complacency, but it is just lip service. It’s comfortable from our cushy seats to tell people to come open our doors, rather than start really meeting people in the middle.” 

In an interview with Erin Stampp, Director of Programming and Professional Development in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office at the WashU School of Medicine, she spoke about steps she hopes the University takes to recognize Indigenous communities. 

“I’d like to see our leadership have more moral courage in taking a stand that we’re actually going to make a change in the way we make decisions to center equity,” Stampp said. “We need our leaders to be more brave, and trust that the community is ready. 

In an interview with Amy Camp, an administrative assistant in the McKelvey School of Engineering’s Advancement team, they said they hope that the University creates more actionable plans. 

“Land acknowledgements are the first step of so many. WashU should be listening and then actually implementing a plan,” Camp said. “In the Chancellor’s inaugural address, he promised to make admissions to the university more equitable. We must make more actionable plans that are centered around Indigenous people.” 

Furthering the conversation about land, Celidwen spoke about the working definition of the term “indigenous people.”

“The working definition speaks of Indigenous as those peoples, nations, that have direct relationships with the lands and territories, pre-invasion from colonial processes. One of the most important indigenous rights is self-determination,” Celidwen said. 

Celidwen spoke about how she navigates academia through her indigenous lens and a term she refers to as “epistemological equity.”

“Epistemology is how we learn and how we know what we know. We have integrated wisdom and knowledge into our actions and bodies,” Celidwen said “Start raising the voices of those communities that have not had this platform.”

Celidwen then defined another term that is central to her work, the ethics of belonging. 

“Ethics is a sense of morality and learning how to be in a world that helps others, that is caring, that is helpful, that is intentional,” Celidwen said. “Belonging has two important facets.” 

“One is kin relationality: considering all that exists, including phenomena, as kin. I told you about my human relatives, but I also told you about my Earth relatives. We call all these different phenomena our relatives,” Celidwen said. “The second principle is ecological belonging. There are not these one separate existences. We are part of a much larger system that is always connected and always changing based on larger relationships.”  

The event then shifted to a brief discussion between Celidwen and Begay. Begay asked Celidwen why people need to read her new book, “Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations for Collective Well-Being.”

“I think people are yearning for this conversation. We need to recognize as a society these terrible horrors,” Celidwen said. “It’s important that it’s part of our conversation. I know more can be done, and we are ready.” 

The event ended with a question from Stampp about how to remain authentic in one’s work and values while still meeting in the middle. 

“It’s urgent. Consider: ‘How do I act in the world?’ and ‘How can I make my presence by impacting the world so that it honors spirit?’ We must learn how to be in the world while still making others feel safe, while holding their discomfort. We can’t act expecting an outcome — [we have to] do it because it’s ethical,” Celidwen said.