Our Purpose
OUR VISION
Bridging humanity to the timeless wisdom of its Elders and Wisdom Keepers. Bringing ancient ways of knowing into the heart of the present, and restoring our sacred kinship with all life.
OUR PURPOSE
The Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways (GCILL) supports projects that educate people about Indigenous ways of knowing, raise human consciousness, and help co-create a more harmonious relationship between humanity and Mother Earth.
At the heart of our work is a simple and profound commitment: to share the messages of Elders and Wisdom Keepers — people who carry living knowledge of how human beings can exist in balance, in community, and in right relationship with the natural world. This knowledge has been tended across generations. It belongs to all of us now.
GCILL was founded by Ilarion ‘Kuuyux’ Merculieff, an Unangan Elder from the Bering Sea, whose name — given to him by the last Kuuyux of his people — means messenger. His calling to carry ancient teachings forward is the seed from which this center grows.
Through education, convening councils, media, and cross-cultural exchange, we work to ensure that Indigenous voices are not only heard but centered — in conversations about the future of Mother Earth, of our communities, and of what it means to be human in this time.
We are a living network, growing in every direction the wisdom leads us.
Learn about our initiatives
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Ilarion is an Elder from the Unangan peoples (known by their colonized name as Aleut) of the Bering Sea (Alaska). His native name, ‘Kuuyux,’ given to him by the last Kuuyux of his tribe, denotes an arm extending from the body and names him as a messenger and a carrier of ancient knowledge. He speaks and teaches on a variety of Indigenous topics around the world.
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Wisdom Weavers of the World is a collaborative project that brings together Elders and Earth activists to share Indigenous wisdom and sacred teachings. We host events to gather with one another and produce recordings to share messages that help shift consciousness and instructions for how to live in balance and harmony with the natural world.
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Wombs of Peace is a collective of women of wisdom who convene monthly before the full moon to share wisdom and connect with each other, our wombs, and to restore the sacred feminine. Participants of all genders are welcome.