Our Leading Stewards

Otomi-Toltec Elder, Earth Diplomat, and Guardian of Sacred Sites

Dr. Mindahi Bastida is a ceremonial leader and globally respected Indigenous diplomat from Tultepec, Mexico. He is a member of the Grand Council of the Eagle and the Condor and a long-time voice for Indigenous rights at summits like Rio+20, Davos, and the UN Climate Conferences. A scholar of sustainable development with a doctorate in Rural Development, he now serves as Lead Convener of the Earth Elders, a global alliance protecting biocultural territories and revitalizing sacred governance. His work focuses on defending sacred sites, protecting Mother Earth, and guiding biocultural regeneration through Indigenous knowledge systems.

Systems Philosopher, Facilitator, and Designer of the Original Living Responsibilities

Ryan Ra is a regenerative strategist and cultural weaver who bridges systems design with Indigenous wisdom. He is the principal implementer and translator of the Original Living Responsibilities (OLRs), stewarding this biocultural framework across sectors—from climate diplomacy to tech ethics to organizational transformation. With experience guiding cross-cultural immersions, regenerative retreats, and executive workshops across four continents, Ryan is committed to composting extractive systems and cultivating a post-growth, relational paradigm. His work lives at the edge—where ancestral memory meets future design.

Ethnoecologist, Mesoamerican Timekeeper, and Cross-Cultural Educator

Dr. Geraldine “Damixi” Patrick Encina is a Mapuche-Celtic scholar and cultural revitalizer whose research is transforming our understanding of Indigenous Mesoamerican calendar systems. Her ethnoecological approach has helped Indigenous communities across Mexico and Central America reclaim traditional timekeeping and ecological rituals. She is the mother of youth climate leader Xiye Bastida and music producer Danzaki, and a key matriarch in the Earth Elders Network. Her work reactivates the agricultural, astronomical, and spiritual underpinnings of Indigenous cosmologies and reorients systems thinking toward relational time, cyclical awareness, and ecological embodiment.