Oren Lyons, faithkeeper of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois), addressed a standing-room-only audience last month to open the four-day conference on Indigenous Traditions and Ecology, part of a 12-part series on "Religions of the World and Ecology" held by the Center for the Study of World Religions through the fall of 1998.

Drawing on his people's ancient rhetorical styles of spontaneous speech, Oren Lyons' presentation moved easily from descriptions of the spiritual forces embedded in Iroquois lacrosse to the national pride expressed in traveling on a Haudenosaunee passport.

Of the 50 presenters and respondents at the conference, one half were indigenous spokespersons who discussed the traditional knowledge of their people and the manner in which those systems of knowing had a role in contemporary, local ecological concerns. Each presenter detailed indigenous symbol systems, ways of knowing, and contemporary ecological issues in such regional settings as CircumPolar Eurasia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Region, Australia, North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.

Challenged by repeated case studies describing the detrimental effects of technological development on the sustainable practices of diverse indigenous traditions, many of the speakers struggled to articulate a sustainable development ethic that would not simply dichotomize Western technological gains and indigenous spiritual wisdom. No one methodological approach to the study of indigenous religions was affirmed, nor was there closure to the many issues raised by each speaker. Yet, openings for indigenous peoples through which they could communicate, collaborate, and compete with the global industrial communities were clearly marked.