Our mission
Our mission is to support, strengthen, and revitalize the ancient wisdom that sustains the world’s oldest cultures, nurturing the inspiration that can guide us forward as individuals, as a species, and as a planet.
We are a nonprofit endeavor that works closely with a handful of local communities to create immersive experiences that can transform the lives of those who join us while nurturing the peoples who host us.
For an in-depth view of what Sapient stands for, how we operate, and why, you can watch the video below or scroll on down and keep reading.
Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children
Sitting Bull
The bigger picture
We as humans are unique among the animals, set apart primarily by our extensive use of technology to transform the environments in which we otherwise could not live.
Rather than gradually evolving fur like a bear, for example, we opted to light fires in order to stay warm. Rather than evolving organs that can store water like a camel, we opted to dig wells and build aqueducts to slake our thirst. This ability to innovate has allowed us to dominate the planet, with profound consequences for all life on earth.
One often-overlooked element of this equation is the effect that this approach has had on the actual quality of our existence.
Every time that we opt to alter our environment rather than adapt to it, what we gain in comfort we lose in resilience.
As a species we have become increasingly dependent upon our own inventions, increasingly disconnected from the inherent strength of our evolutionary legacy; our technological prowess has made us immensely powerful, but also profoundly vulnerable to all manner of affliction and dis-ease.
There are dozens of cultures extant today who have chosen a different path. Each in their own way, these longstanding indigenous communities have tended toward balance and reciprocity, rather than development or control.
The traditions, beliefs, and practices that form the foundation of a reciprocal and balanced relationship with nature are perhaps the most valuable resource available to us now as a species struggling to navigate an uncertain future.
To be clear, this is not an atavistic cry to return to our hunter-gatherer past, but rather an insistence that we do justice to the sapience of these original peoples and work to fuse the wisdom of their traditions with the ferocity of our technological prowess. Our aim, quite simply, is to create a better future for all living beings here on earth.
We are dedicated not only to supporting and collaborating with indigenous wisdom-holders scattered throughout the world, but also to finding creative ways to distill their knowledge and translate it into actionable tools that can guide the development of our individual and global futures.
