In this conversation, Melissa Nelson draws upon the history of early humans and highlighting contemporary indigenous lifeways to explain the sustaining power of ritual and celebratory acts that locate humans within the rhythms of Earth’s transformative systems. For more on this topic, see "The Age of Humans: Evolutionary Perspectives on the Anthropocene." Enjoy this preview to get a sense of the larger conversation, available online at www.journeyoftheuniverse.org

Melissa K. Nelson is a cultural ecologist, writer, educator, researcher, media-maker, and activist. Her work is dedicated to indigenous revitalization, environmental protection and restoration, and the renewal and celebration of community health and cultural arts. In 2002 she joined the department of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University.

Since 1993 Melissa has served as the president and executive director of The Cultural Conservancy (TCC), which is dedicated to the revitalization of indigenous cultures and their ancestral lands. In 2005 Melissa co-produced the award-winning documentary film, The Salt Song Trail: Bringing Creation Back Together. Her book, Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future, is an edited anthology of over twenty indigenous leaders. Melissa is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota and is of mixed-blood heritage: Chippewa (Anishinaabe) and French-Cree (Métis) from her mother and Norwegian from her father. She was born and raised in northern California.

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