21 November 2010

Members of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers were among forty First Nations Grandmothers from around the world to convene for a women's conference in Fairfield, Iowa, USA entitled 'Restoring balance: The Indigenous Grandmothers' call to the women of the world.’ The event was sponsored by the Global Mother Divine Organization, (GMDO)* and the Maharishi University of Management Women's Institute. The purpose of the conference was to create a foundation of understanding between GMDO and the world’s revered indigenous grandmothers. **

Traditionally, indigenous people establish relations face to face rather than over the phone or through emails, so the conference provided a wonderful opportunity for women from diverse cultures, but with common goals and understandings, to join together.

Women who keep their languages and traditional ways alive came from throughout North America, and from as far as Tibet, Nepal, New Zealand, and Hawaii—and from as near as two hours away from Fairfield where the last of the original people of Iowa, the Meskwaki, reside on their reservation.

The goal of this conference was two-fold. The first was to highlight the importance of the role of women in bringing about balance and harmony in our world family from the perspective of the cultural tradition represented by the delegates.

Dr Candace Badgett, the Mistress of Ceremonies, explained principles brought to light by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Founder of the Global Country of World Peace in this regard. She explained, 'The destiny of a country is tied to the destiny of its indigenous people. And integral to the destiny of all indigenous cultures is the role of women in nourishing and strengthening the family unit, and thereby maintaining a stable and progressive society'. (read more)