Polly Walker

Balance and Harmony in Place: Song, Place and All My Relations

In the phrase above, I have re-worded the title of this conference to reflect Cherokee understandings of how sound and peace are related. In our, and many Native ways of knowing, the earth is considered to be alive, in dialogue with humans, animals, plants and natural processes. However, the sounds of dialogue among these aspects of the cosmos have been disrupted by the dominant Western culture through direct and structural violence. It is our belief that restoration of the 'songs of place and all my relations' are critical aspects of creating peaceful space in colonized countries.

Bio: Polly Walker is of Cherokee and Settler descent and grew up in a wilderness area at the foot of the Mescalero Apache's sacred mountain. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Australian Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, and a passionate supporter of the reintroduction of the Mexican Grey Wolf into their homelands.