Chumash blessing | Mati Waiya | TEDxOrangeCoast

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Mati Wayia shows a Chumash blessing, that he proposes to be at the beginning of every TED talk. He adds: “When we become a part of nature, and let nature become a part of us, we start to understand the time that nature lives by, a natural time.”

Mati Waiya is a Chumash ceremonial leader, founder of Wishtoyo Foundation, a non-profit organization that protects Chumash culture and the environment all people depend upon. In 1998 he built the Chumash Discovery Village, a revival of a traditional Chumash Village on an 8,000 year old site over looking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, CA where cultural resource laws, protecting sensitive archaeological sites, endangered species and natural resources are addressed and were cultural preservation and educational programs teach Chumash values and environmental preservation. He presents programs in traditional regalia for schools, public events, government functions and grassroots foundations sharing his knowledge of Chumash traditions, sustainable life ways and environmental responsibility.
Mati inspires the growth of the relationship with the natural world through education as a primary tool for a healthy, sustainable environment, awakening a passion for our natural surroundings in young people today to be passed on for generations to come.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)