Our goal is to help spread ancient wisdom around the world. We aim to achieve this through translation and publication of the stories indigenous peoples have told for generations.

There are 250 million indigenous people on this planet. The first to inhabit a particular region, they continue to live according to the laws prescribed by the natural world. Today many struggle in vain to maintain lifestyles developed over tens of thousands of years.

Threatened by military conflict, social intolerance, and political and economic pressures, indigenous people strive to save their environment from the growing destructive appetites of the industrialized world. We believe the preservation of these oral traditions is crucial to the survival of the world. Woven together, these stories represent the tapestry of life on Earth. They are the fabric of humanity.

Indigenous people not only are "the guardians of extensive and fragile ecosystems"¹ but also preserve a profound knowledge of coexistence with nature and with one another. If the world loses their stories, an invaluable part of our human identity is lost and the tapestry becomes more threadbare.

We intend to help preserve the dignity and wisdom of these cultures by publishing a book that parents throughout the world will share with their children. We also plan to publish the stories on this website over the next several months.

We believe that children exposed to the intricacies of other cultures more likely will grow into adults who accept and treasure the differences among us.

Once our folklore initiative chooses a particular indigenous society, we plan to establish contact through grassroots organizations that already work for their benefit and preservation. From these contacts, we collect the most compelling stories. We then translate the stories into English. Recognizing that to some extent all translators are traitors, we take extraordinary care to understand and preserve the original meaning.

Finally, we recognize that indigenous peoples will be loaning us a precious gift. In order to reciprocate this generosity, we will support efforts that benefit each culture in its struggle for survival. For example, with funds generated from the sale of this book we may help repair a school or home. In this way, we hope to reaffirm the richness and dignity of those peoples with whom we have established a relationship.

Justen Ahren,
Director of Folklore Initiatives

¹ Gaia Atlas to First Peoples, Julian Burger, Anchor Books Doubleday, 1990