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WHO
WE ARE
DELEGATES
Jacob Johns
Jacob Johns, originating from the Akimel O'Otham and Hopi nations, serves as a community-supported organizer, working autonomously to foster significant change. His primary objective is to strategically introduce fresh paradigms to dismantle antiquated systems of oppression. Johns employs a diverse range of creative strategies to propel political transformation including participating in frontline demonstrations and orchestrating comprehensive campaigns, including the production of digital content. Johns endeavours to reawaken forgotten truths within the collective consciousness of humankind, forging a path towards a sustainable and flourishing future that we can collectively embrace.
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WHAIA
Born of Ngati Kahugnunu, tribal descent, Whaia is a transcendent vocalist, alchemical performer, First Nations Multi-instrumentalist, Designer, Creative Cultural Producer and visionary Facilitator, making this woman one powerhouse mama. Blending intuitive melodies made of wood, bone, clay and stone she weaves the sonic bridge between worlds. She is an elemental voice of water and an official board member of Oceanic Global, singing for World Oceans day at the UN Headquarters in New York 2023. Moving across the country serving communities through arts, music festivals, venues and events. As a mother of 3 her sights are on the future change makers and leaving something bigger than oneself.
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Mindahi Bastida
Mindahi Bastida (Otomí-Toltec) is Director of the Original Nations Program of the Fountain and until July 2020 was the Director of the Original Caretakers Program, Center for Earth Ethics, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (2017- ) and General Coordinator of the Otomi-Toltec Regional Council in Mexico, a caretaker of the philosophy and traditions of the Otomi-Toltec peoples, and has been an Otomi-Toltec Ritual Ceremony Officer since 1988.
He is consultant with UNESCO around Sacred Sites and Biocultural issues and for other UN programs.
Mindahi has served as a delegate to various commissions and summits on indigenous rights and sustainability, including the 1992 Earth Summit and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, 2002).​​​
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BODHI PATIL
Bodhi Patil is a UN-recognized, award-winning GenZ ocean-climate “Solutionist” dedicated to improving the interconnectedness between Ocean Health and Human Health. He is co-creator/cofounder of Ocean Uprise and SeaDragon Studios and advises several love-based, climate smart, eco-organizations on a mission to protect our planet. He is a student leader in the BA + Masters of Management program at the University of British Columbia studying oceans, climate action, and business.​
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Masha Kovner
Masha Kovner is originally from Yakutia in the far east of Siberia, in the Arctic Circle, where the very hardy and highly motivated First Nations Yakut/Sakha and Evenki people, lead a traditional way of life. Masha is a representative of the ancient Aahykay (Mannyattakh) clan which has close ancestral ties to the Dolgan, Yukaghir and Even peoples. She comes from a family line of hereditary shamans and practices Algyys shamanism (purification and blessing) in her daily life. She was recently initiated as an Udaan Shaman in a series of ceremonies in Yakutia.
Since 2017, Masha has been an active representative and vice director of the NGO "Elleyada" (which has special consultative status at the United Nations ECOSOC.) In 2024 she became co-director of the NGO.
Masha is an active campaigner for the preservation and protection of Indigenous heritage, sacred sites and artefacts and takes this work very seriously, taking this message to the annual Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations.
Blen Romam
Blen Romam is the President of the Cambodia Indigenous Youth Association (CIYA), and has worked as a program officer for the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization. His work engages young people in new and creative ways to address environmental and climate concerns in Cambodia. Indigenous People make up 1% of the population in Cambodia but have deep culture and knowledge. Blen is supporting intergenerational learning and wisdom sharing as his community and the people he works with advocates for Indigenous Rights and the Rights of Nature.
Wanka Inti
Wanka Inti (Gerson Paredes) is the son of ancestral healers from the Wanka nation, department of Junín-Peru. He is a Member of the Great Council of the Eagle and the Condor, led by the Otomí Tolteka leader Mindahi Bastida. He is Member of the Inka Council of the Musuq Tawantinsuyu,led by the Inka Tito Q'osñipa. Is Leader of the original peoples of Tawantinsuyu-Peru and Member of the sacred Circle of wise grandmothers and Grandfathers of Mother Earth. He is Organizer of the Inti Raymi, ceremonies of Father Sun and of solar and lunar ceremonies.
He is an ancestral dream healer. He is hypnotherapist, member of the Peruvian Association of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis APHCE.
Appolinaire
OUSSOU LIO Appolinaire (OLA) is a Prince DJAKA Atawévi, High Dignitary of the Royal Court of the TÉ”linu. Writer Geographer-Naturalist, he is an expert in Community development and Jurisprudence of the land.
It works for the enhancement of endogenous knowledge, the culture of peoples and the protection of forests and sacred sites. Founder of the Nature and culture clubs, he is currently the president of the Research and Action Group for Well-being (GRABE-BENIN) and is a member of the African collective for Earth Jurisprudence.​​
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Jhajayra Idalia Machoa Mendúa
​Jhajayra Idalia Machoa Mendúa, from the A’I Kofan First Nation of Ecuador, is a leader in the A’I Kofan Millennium Community of Dureno, located in the Ecuadorian Amazon. As Director of Youth, Culture, and Sports on the governing council of CONFENIAE, she represents 11 nationalities and over 2,000 indigenous communities. Niece of Eduardo Mendúa, a leader assassinated in 2023, Jhajayra is committed to defending indigenous territories, cultures, and Nature. She strives to preserve her A’ingae language and heritage, continuing the fight for the survival of Amazonian peoples and their way of life for future generations.
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Aya Khourshid
Aya Khourshid, from Egypt and Palestine, is an independent climate and social researcher focused on creating pathways for a just, alternative economy. As the Coordinator of the Global South Working Group within the International Degrowth Network, she advocates for economic justice, emphasizing the need for systemic economic change. She also works closely with local communities in Sinai through the RiseTogether initiative, promoting water conservation and sustainable practices. Formerly working in finance, Aya now dedicates her expertise to ensuring that financial systems serve people and the planet. She is a strong advocate for debt cancellation and the transformation of the international financial architecture.
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Rutendo Lerato Ngara
Rutendo Ngara is an African Indigenous Knowledge Systems practitioner and transdisciplinary researcher
She traverses clinical engineering, healthcare technology management, socio-economic development, mathematics, leadership and fashion design; to the interface between science, culture, cosmology and paradigms of healing. She has a passion for weaving art, science and spirituality towards healing of the Collective and restoration of the Whole.
TEAM
Sophie Shnapp
Sophie Shnapp is a transformative leader bridging policy, culture, and community to drive systemic change for a sustainable future. With over a decade of experience, including roles as an EU Commission and UNEP policy advisor, she brings deep expertise in energy and climate to various stakeholders. Throughout her career, Sophie has elevated the voice of nature and advocated for global policy change. As part of the Wisdom Keeper's Delegation, she champions impactful policies at UN Climate Conferences, emphasising the intersection of culture and community in environmental action.
Her work spans collaborations with policymakers, culture creators, indigenous peoples, and activists worldwide. She has pioneered grant-giving mechanisms with Brian Eno’s EarthPercent charity, where she serves on the Executive Committee, and founded CultureCOP 2023 alongside COP27 in Egypt.
Projects like the OVERHEATED event with Billie Eilish and consultancy for COP28 UAE, where she curated high-profile programming, reflect her commitment to cultural advocacy in climate action. As a radio and podcast host, she demystifies climate issues through accessible discussions with experts.
From policy development to cultural programming, Sophie’s work is driven by people. Her approach ensures innovative and impactful solutions, leading to a future where the planet and its inhabitants thrive together
Fanny Lindström
Fanny is an award-winning documentery filmmaker and photographer. With unwavering determination, an imaginative way of telling stories, she elevates the voices of the people she encounters, guided by her warm compassion, creative eye and exceptional ability to connect. This talent is particularly crucial when bridging cultures, continents, and working with vulnerable or minority populations, a focus of Fanny’s work with WTYSL since 2014. Her three years of study at the experimental enterprising leadership school, Kaos Pilots, have finely honed her production, facilitation, and process skills. Currently, she is directing her own short film centered on a female indigenous reindeer herder in the north of Sweden. She is fluent in Swedish and English.
Summer is an influencer, an activist for the LatinX community. As a new member of A Wisdom Keepers Delegation Summer focuses her time as a translator for Climate Activists in the UN Conference of the Parties space. An annual gathering where international law makers discuss solutions for climate change.
In the short 8 years while belonging to LULAC she worked countless hours on emergency response projects. From 2016-2020. Gonzalez planned and organized ICE raid responses in Paris, TX, Allen, TX, & Canton, MS. She also organized humanitarian crisis relief for refugee families who were being separated at the border. Gonzalez developed relationships and implemented strategies with multiple non-profits to triage the man-made humanitarian crisis. Summer demonstrated great dedication to LULAC over the past decade; she recruited many new members in Pacific NorthWest to grow that region. In States like Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Summer has been pivotal for LULACs growth. She was appointed by President Garcia in 2021 to National Secretary. She was appointed National Treasurer in 2022 and grew to gain the respect of all LULAC members to become the twice elected LULAC National Treasurer.
Full-time freelance photo/videographer Jeff Ferguson is a Spokane Tribal member who is a father. He has lived, worked and traveled extensively throughout the U.S and abroad. Much of his inspiration is derived from the beauty of the Northwest, his Native heritage and from great photographers. Current issues, true-life events and the unique individuals he has met along his journey inspire his editorial and documentary work. Although most of his work is commercial, editorial, portraiture and sports photography his true passions lie in fine art photography, documentary video, cultural preservation and raising awareness to current and ongoing issues facing Indigenous people.
Jeff Ferguson
Thalia Carroll-Cachimuel
Thalia (Kichwa-Otavalo) is the International Climate Organizer for A Wisdom Keepers Delegation. She holds degrees from Northeastern University, NYU Wagner, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Thalia sits on the board of Quipa Collective, The Truth Telling Project, and Sapiyay Collective.
Tumi Moloto
Tumi Moloto (they/them) is a writer, visionary cultural strategist, somatic practitioner, and founder of Human Becoming — a regenerative space for healing, embodiment, and spiritual liberation. A descendant of the Bapedi nation, Tumi’s work is deeply rooted in ancestral wisdom, decolonial practice, and collective care, guiding individuals and communities into deeper alignment with their purpose and power. With over a decade of experience in storytelling, movement work, and strategic communications, they create transformative spaces that are bold, tender, and alive with possibility. Tumi is devoted to building a world where all beings belong and thrive.
Rachel Porter
Rachel A. R. Porter (she/her) is a queer, disabled, chronically ill Seneca Descendant and storyteller of mixed Seneca and European ancestry. She is the Founder of the Indigenous Enough Project and the Co-Founder of Kneading Change, a narrative justice company. Her work as a coach, facilitator, narrative strategist, and grant writer is dedicated to reclaiming wholeness in the face of oppressive and extractive systems. She approaches her activism in the areas of climate justice, disability justice, reproductive justice, mental health, and Indigenous rights and responsibilities through the lens of the Indigenous women-led movement of rematriation. Rachel earned her Master’s in Human Security and Gender Analysis in International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and her Bachelor’s in History with a minor in Chinese from Middlebury College.
Natalie Lucas
Natalie is a dynamic leader and dedicated advocate for environmental and climate justice, currently serving as the Chief Operations Officer of A Wisdom Keepers Delegation. With a robust background in nonprofit management, international sustainable development, and collaborative governance she supports this organization to be on a path to success. Natalie also brings nearly a decade of experience working within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Her expertise spans project management, policy guidance, and the smooth operation of complex, mission-driven organizations.