A Superhero Team of Indigenous Elders

Life is a Festival #110: Vivien Vilela & Rudy Randa (Aniwa Gathering)

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What started as a festival bringing together elders from around the world has become a platform of superheroes! Aniwa is a movement to amplify the voices of Indigenous leaders and today’s guests founders Vivien Vilela & Rudy Randa share what that means in the time of Covid.

We start with Vivian and Rudy’s initial awakenings, which started like many of ours. at outdoor dance parties. We discuss what is known as the Rainbow Prophecy and how that gave birth to the Aniwa Gathering. We talk about some of the Indigenous leaders they represent like Benki Piyãko, Mona Polacca, and the mysterious Mamos of the Sierra Nevadas. Finally we explore how we might transmit elder knowledge to a Western context and how we could scale Indigenous wisdom in our modern world.

The Aniwa Gathering is a non-profit event produced by The Boa Foundation bringing together 40 of the world's most respected indigenous leaders and elders to share their wisdom over 4 days of cultural exchange and sacred ceremonies.