Indigenous Wisdom - An afternoon with Tribal Elder Jhon Kwano

KFBG is delighted to once again host Jhon Kwano, an elder from the Lani tribe in the highlands of New Guinea, the largest island in Melanesia. New Guinea is one of the most bio-culturally diverse places on Earth and Jhon’s people still live as their ancestors have for thousands of years, in harmony with nature.

Indigenous people across the world have unique traditions that have been kept alive through generations - retaining social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies. At the basis of this way of living lies an animate view of the universe which considers every living thing as having a soul.

In this half-day workshop, John will share the wisdom of his people’s traditions as a way of restoring our relatedness to the wider natural world. After his sharing, participants will have the chance to share their own reflections and questions to enrich the collective learning.

About the Teacher

Jhon Kwano
 As an elder from the Lani tribe in the highlands of New Guinea, Jhon Kwano is from the last generation of his people to receive traditional initiation. He was identified from an early age for the role of Messenger, sharing the message of his tribe with outsiders and reporting back with what he has seen in the outside world. He is the only one known to be playing this role outside of Melanesia. As such, he is authorised to represent not only the Lani, but also other cultures in both New Guinea and the rest of Melanesia.