Ilarion (Larry) “Kuuyux” Merculieff
on Elevating Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being
“Kuuyux”.
An arm extending out from the body. A carrier of ancient knowledge into modern times. A messenger.
Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff is living the legacy of his name, one that was given to him at the age of four, one that is given to a person in each lifetime. He comes from the people of the sea lions, where the sense of community means not only a physical place, but a profound connectedness, heart-to-heart with people and nature. Born and raised on St. Paul Island, Alaska, in the middle of the Bering Sea, Ilarion (Larry) comes from the last generation to have had a traditional upbringing as a Unangan (Aleut).
The entire village participated in raising him. As a teenager, he was moved by the government to boarding schools to get "proper" Western modern education. However, his resilient spirit led him to learn these modern ways and harness them to help his tribe, the wildlife, the land and other Native peoples.
Larry is an author, advocate, leader, advisor, and facilitator for his people in Alaska and a messenger for Indigenous Elders. The Global Centre for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways (GCILL), the organization he created, focuses on elevating the voices of elders worldwide. One of Ilarion’s mottos in life is a saying of his Elders: "Only go where you're invited. Trust your heart, and it will never guide you wrong."
The Elders say we can’t make good decisions when our hearts are burdened: “Most of the world today functions on multi-generational internalized oppression. Products that are based on fear, on control, on a lack of humility.” Today, instead of the heart telling the mind what to do, the mind is telling the heart what to do: "The elders used to teach us how to live, and now we are taught how to make a living.”
Ilarion promotes the Wombs of Peace, a platform to elevate women’s voices in addressing the daunting issues of our time, "as Indigenous prophecies, particularly from the Hopi and Maori, say that women will be restored to their place as original healers and will lead the way into a higher consciousness.”
In his book, “Stop Talking”, Ilarion reflects on the need to cultivate strong relationships between students and teachers through love affirmation. He challenges the traditional Western view of the teacher as an evaluator, but one of a nurturer: “Whenever I passed by an adult, I would hear aang laakaiyaax, exumnaakotxtxin, meaning ‘Hello, young boy! You are good.’ I was never rejected, never judged, never criticized, always and only positively affirmed by everyone in my village. Can you imagine how beautiful that is?”
Read Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff’s answers for Inspirators and discover a new way of seeing sustainability, as an ability to sit in silence, one that connects us with who we truly are:
Thank you, Ilarion, for being an Ancient Knowledge Messenger!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Ilarion Merculieff
Company / Institution: Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways
Title: President
Website: www.gcill.world
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilarion-larry-merculieff-15b6429/
Country of origin: United States
Country you currently live in: United States
Your definition of Regeneration: Going to the heart for answers and changing the vibrational field that we are collectively in to be in harmony with All That Is!
Main business challenge you face: Funding for Indigenous initiatives.
Main driver that keeps you going: People are changing and realizing that what worked in the past no longer works today and are now wondering what we need to do that would make a big difference in people's lives.
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Persistence.
The trait you most value in others: The courage to follow what one’s heart is telling them to do!
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Helping others and/or the ocean.
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
Don Alejandro (the keeper of the day calendar for the Mayans)
Rita Blumenstein (the spiritual advisor to the International Council of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers)
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Self-healing!
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you:
The way companies use it to sell or justify their existence. Continuous use of the word sustainability that it makes it become meaningless!
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
I don’t give advice, I offer guidance. What you choose to do is your choice and I cannot interfere with your sacred path. The guidance I offer is that you must have the heroic courage to follow what your heart is telling you to! Your mind’s job is to implement what your heart is telling you even when people may say you are nuts!
Websites / Podcasts you visit frequently: www.wisdomweavers.world and www.gcill.world
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Any music that is in harmony with Mother Earth!
Places you traveled to that left a mark on you: Tarahumaras, Patagonia.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow: Indigenous Elders.
Trends in Regeneration we should keep an eye on: Changes in people and what they do worldwide in addressing what Mother Earth is asking of them.
Events we should attend / Best places for networking (online or offline):
Any place that highlights Indigenous voices and Mother Earth… like Ubiquity University!
Impactful and relevant Sustainable Development or Regeneration courses or certifications: Restorative Practices, www.restorativepractices.com
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: People are changing and realize what used to work doesn’t anymore and therefore are seeking their answers from their hearts through intuition.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Listening to one's heart which has those things we seek in the world: love, compassion, empathy, patience and understanding.
The Inspirator you are endorsing for a future edition is:
Mindhi Batista
The quote that inspires you:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi)
Your quote that will inspire us:
