SAVING SEEDS AND TELLING STORIES FOR SURVIVAL: A Woman’s Perspective

Women’s historic role in sustaining civilization has been vital, yet vastly underrated. Women have been able to rescue and reconstitute their tribes and societies after severe famine and devastating wars—not just through reproduction—but by having saved the seeds needed for replanting and by virtue of the stories they shared about their tribal families, ancestry, and faith traditions. The four outstanding women in this session—of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds pay homage to the role women have played in the survival of our civilization as they respond to the following questions: How are the sacred activities of saving seeds and storytelling being threatened today? What is the best way for women to protect these sacred activities? What are the “seeds” of today that need to be saved for tomorrow? How can we best engage men as our “partners” in sustainability? How do you personally use storytelling in your own life and community?