Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 311

PROGRAM O
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Kanyini
Uncle Bob Randall Room 110
Film:
This program includes a sixty-minute film followed by a thirty-minute Q&A with Uncle Bob Randall. The film Kanyini' is a story told by Uncle Bob Randall, an Aboriginal Australian man who lives beside the greatest monolith in the world, Uluru in Central Australia. Bob is a songwriter and educator who was separated from his mother at a young age and lived on a reservation until the age of twenty. In 1970, he helped establish the Adelaide Community College for Aboriginal people and lectured at the college on Aboriginal cultures. His song 'My Brown Skin Baby (They Took Him Away)' led to a prize-winning documentary that focused national and international attention on the issue of separation. 'Kanyini' is a tale of Indigenous wisdom clashing with materialist notions of progress; it is not only a story of one man and his people, but the story of the human race. The film was directed by Melanie Hogan.
Uncle Bob Randall is a member of the Yankunytjatjara people and a listed traditional owner of Uluru. He has served as the Director of the Northern Australia Legal Aid Service and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander centres at multiple universities. He continues to present cultural awareness programs at schools and other institutions. Bob was named Indigenous Person of the Year at the 1999 National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration awards.
International Indigenous Repatriation
Dr Rosita Worl, USA: Tlingit, Moderator
Alejandro Argumedo, Peru: Quechua
Chief Megaron Txukarramae, Brazil: Kayapo Room 111
Panel Discussion
There is a growing global movement around the issue of the cultural property rights of Indigenous peoples. The rights of Indigenous communities who have been dispossessed of their sacred remains and properties have sparked much debate. These sacred remains were stolen and put on display in museums all over the world. Sacred burial sites have been desecrated and ceremonial objects have been kept away from their communities of origin. This program will discuss these issues.
Rosita Worl, whose Tlingit names are Yeidiklats okw and Kaa.hani, is Tlingit, Ch'aak lEaglel moiety of the Shangukeidi Clan from the Kawdliyaayi Hit (House Lowered From the Sunl in Klukwan. She is President of Sealaska Heritage Institute, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to perpetuating the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures. Formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, she has a PhD and MS in Anthropology from Harvard University and a BA from Alaska Methodist University.
Mr Alejandro Argumedo, a Quechua from Peru, is Executive Director of the autonomous international NGO, Cultural Survival Canada, focus ing on the connection between cultural and biological diversity and on Indigenous peoples' traditional resource rights. Mr Argumedo is coordinator for the Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network (IPBN) and is a member of the steering committee and advisory group for IPBN's Indigenous Knowledge Programme. He holds a degree in agriculture from McGill University.
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Chief Megaron Txukarramae is grand chief of the Kayapo people from the Amazonian Basin of Brazil, the head administrator of the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI) in his region, and a board member of Conservation International. The traditional lands of the Kayapo represent the single largest tract of protected tropical forest in the world and Chief Megaron works toward the preservation of his people's lands, culture and identity, and the promotion of their economic and political autonomy.
Wings of the Spirit in Concert
Tirtza Singer
Hanna Yaffe
Room 201
Artistic Performance
Using a combination of piano, harp, guitar and vocals, Wings of the Spirit offer a smorgasbord of musical delights that includes Yiddish, Ladino, Carlebach and traditional songs, as well as original compositions. Wings of the Spirit draw on tales of the Hassidic masters to convey the richness and inspiration of their lives, leading listeners into the spiritual space that they fill with their love of G-d and man.
Tirtza Singer is a Jerusalem-based singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. She has released three albums and has been featured in Hadassah Magazine and The Jewish Homemaker. She has a passion for stringed instruments and plays piano, harp and guitar.
Hanna Yaffe is a storyteller and singer. She has recorded two albums: Lullabies from Jerusalem, which was acclaimed by Martha Stewart as Lullaby CD of the Year, and Return Again, an anthology of Hassidic stories and melodies. Hanna works with storytellers of other faiths. revelling in the sameness of the universal story.
Convocation of Hindu Spiritual Leaders: Part One
Dr Seshagiri Rao
HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
HH Swami Amarananda
Amma Sri Karunamayi
HH Swami Chidananda Saraswati
Yogini Sri Chandra Kali Prasada Mataji
HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
Sevadevi Glover
Room 202
Religious or Spiritual Observance
A special feature of the Melbourne Parliament will be an assembly of a number of the most outstanding spiritual leaders of India. The convocation of saints will begin with Vedic chanting, prayers, meditation and music. These opening observances will be followed by a number of eminent speakers on universal themes such as spiritual values and peace as well as current issues such as humanitarian work, education and the environment. All are welcome at this very inspiring and enlightening gathering! Dr K L Seshagiri Rao is Professor Emeritus of Religion at the University of Virginia, Chief Editor of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism and Indic Religions, and Co-Editor of the journal Interreligious Insight and its predecessor World Faiths Insight. A Trustee of the World Congress of Faiths, he has been active with interfaith organisations for many years. He is the author of many books and articles and has participated in consultations of UNESCO and the World Economic Forum.
www.parliamentofreligions.org 307 www.jainelibrary.org