Millaray Huichalaf: Defending Indigenous Land and Water

Show NotesIn this episode, we travel to Chile to speak with Mapuche leader, water defender, and spiritual activist, Millaray Huichalaf. Rooted in the traditions and worldview of the Mapuche people, Millaray has been at the forefront of efforts to protect rivers and ancestral lands from extractive development, advocating for the rights of both her community and the ecosystems they depend on.Millaray’s path is shaped by a deep connection to place and a commitment to future generations. We hear what it means to defend land and water not just as resources, but as living beings—and how Indigenous knowledge and spiritual practice guide her work. Millaray shares her perspective on resistance, resilience, and renewal, offering a powerful vision of how honoring ancestral wisdom can lead toward a more balanced and life-sustaining future.Thank you so much to our expert translator, Diana Rosenfeld.You can hear more from Alex at Human Nature Odyssey.Please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit resilience.org.Learn More About Millaray:Latin American Bureau articleOrato articleGoethe articleVice articleGraphic NovelCreditsIn The Rising Tide is hosted and edited by Alex Leff, in collaboration with Resilience.org. This series was made with support from a grant from Omega Resilience Awards, a project of the nonprofit Commonweal. Find out more at ORAwards.org.