Resources for Teachers and Students
Prepare: Ingrid Washinawatok el-Issa was a member
of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. In her native
language, her name, O'Peqtaw-Metamoh, means "Flying
Eagle Woman." She dedicated her life to promoting the
rights of indigenous peoples, and was executive director
of a fund that endeavored to revitalize indigenous languages.
In 1999, she traveled to Columbia with two colleagues to
help the U'wa tribe set up a school system in the remote
highlands. During that time, she and her companions were
kidnapped and executed by members of a group calling itself
the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia. Additional biographic
information on Ingrid Wishinawatok el-Issa can be found
in the news archives of the National Council of Churches.
Read:
Ingrid Washinawatok el-Issa wrote an
original essay for the Architects of Peace project.
In it, she explored the complex relationship between peace
and wilderness.
Explore: It is not possible to understand fully
the environmental ethic of Ingrid Washinawatok el-Issa without
first understanding Menominee culture. According to their
creation myths, the Menominee see themselves as being descended
from the bear and the eagle, and to have special relationships
with such animals as the beaver and the sturgeon. A good
place to begin exploring this culture is the tribal
website.
Write: In her Architects of Peace essay, Ingrid
Washinawatok el-Issa theorizes that making peace with the
earth is an important component of making peace between
people. In the essay, she constructs an interesting dialectic
about making peace with the earth by contrasting ideologies
of wealth. Compose a two-to-three page ecocriticism of the
essay, paying particular attention to this dialectic. (Assistance
in how to engage in ecocriticism can be found on the website
of the Association
for the Study of Literature and the Environment)
Extend: The National Council for Science and the
Environment sponsors the National Library for the Environment,
which maintains a website
on Native Americans and the Environment.
Additional Resource: Ingrid Washinawatok el-Issa's
husband has established an endowment in her memory called
the Flying
Eagle Woman Fund For Peace, Justice and Sovereignty.
Biography of Ingrid
Washinawatok el-Issa
