Nonprofits & Activism

The intergenerational wisdom woven into Indigenous stories | Tai Simpson

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. The way we behave politically, socially, economically and ecologically isn’t working, says community organizer and activist Tai Simpson. Sharing the creation myth of her Nez Perce tribe, she advocates for a return to the “old ways” guided by Indigenous…

Published

on

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

The way we behave politically, socially, economically and ecologically isn’t working, says community organizer and activist Tai Simpson. Sharing the creation myth of her Nez Perce tribe, she advocates for a return to the “old ways” guided by Indigenous wisdom that emphasize balance, community and the importance of intergenerational storytelling in order to protect what’s sacred.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

Become a TED Member:
Follow TED on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:
Subscribe to our channel:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

75 Comments

  1. MD.Tanvir alam

    May 10, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    1st

  2. AManWithaWoodenleg2

    May 10, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    Does this apply to white people also? Are they indigenous to any area or nah?

    • privat privat

      May 10, 2021 at 4:54 pm

      i love all ur comments! its so 😏 ……”human ignorant innocent onconciously” loveable….bless all of u!
      “Rag’n’Bone Man – Human”

    • Matthew Morton

      May 10, 2021 at 5:39 pm

      @privat privat can it

    • krninja22

      May 10, 2021 at 7:01 pm

      @Lane Atkinson Found the racist 🙂

    • That boy ain't right

      May 10, 2021 at 9:05 pm

      @Lane Atkinson Because there are not huge cultural differences betweeen north, south and east Europe. Only an american will be this ignorant.

    • celene

      May 11, 2021 at 1:08 am

      No, mainly because of the Romans and other invasions. Were all a blend of hundreds of cultures.

  3. Yashwant Singh

    May 10, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    I remember my grandmother used to tell me how close they were to the nature around them. She hated the compartments like building which cuts off man from man and man form its real habitat that is the natural world.

  4. Reno.

    May 10, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    Every single story older than 100 years contains “inter-generational wisdom.”

  5. Random

    May 10, 2021 at 2:52 pm

    Before Apple bought Siri, it was originally going to be released as an app for Android & Blackberry.

  6. Apoorv Srivastava

    May 10, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    Man I was about to leave before she said I cursed all of you 😅🤣

  7. Poppa Dan

    May 10, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    Nice to know that racism in the form of some being “Less than others based on color” is Alive and amusing to an entire culture… jus kiddin.. Osage, Pawhuska OK

    • Victoria Hebert

      May 10, 2021 at 3:38 pm

      Beautiful story teller, and really talented as a speaker. Love listening to her. I like the ” balance” theme.

  8. Cedar, Sweetgrass & Sage

    May 10, 2021 at 3:08 pm

    I wish that they would have gotten a more traditional person to give this talk. Someone who knows their own culture well enough to make their whole talk about their traditional ways. Unfortunately, they are not the ones looking to make their reputation by grabbing the spotlight. Ugh… since I’m actually enrolled at Standing Rock it’s extremely annoying to have every Native person name dropping SR into their talks. Learn about your own people and talk about your own people. Stop piggybacking on a different tribe and stay in your lane. This contributes to pan-Indigenous wokeness that makes all Native people into some homogeneous blob. This is so performative.

    • Aleksander Fradkin

      May 10, 2021 at 3:27 pm

      Maybe its the only way nowdays. A bird in hand…

    • Matthew Morton

      May 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      Yea….that’s what “Television” is, darling….

      It’s ALL One Big Act 😂 😂 😂

    • S.

      May 10, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      I see it as a smart way and believe it’s the way forward.
      White nations are sick and tired of being blamed for whatever was done in the past, and the way to connect is to put a bit of humor, to raise points which connect and can be related to, highlight that we are all one and all visitors here, who have the obligation to leave this Earth for the future generations, no matter the color. At the same time, adding lightly facts from the past in away that does not repel the listeners with heaviness.
      Finding the way to connect, respecting the past and not blaming the living for what the long time deceased had done.

    • Aleksander Fradkin

      May 10, 2021 at 5:20 pm

      Unity, with focus on love and knowledge will eventually prevail. Propaganda is the worst in autoritarian countries like Russia believe me.

    • HELD Vegan Gear

      May 10, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      It’s because colonial mentality can’t handle the truth, has to be packaged in styrofoam.

  9. Justin Oldman

    May 10, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    Why not thank America ?

    • Darin Hill

      May 10, 2021 at 9:35 pm

      Better question: why?

  10. Justin Oldman

    May 10, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    Racial Grifter 🤬

  11. Jerson Ascencio

    May 10, 2021 at 3:16 pm

    I’m native Maya and our creators, Itzam Kokaah & Chak Chel, made humanity out of maize dough, after previous failed attempts of wood and clay ppl.

  12. ManiacallyYours

    May 10, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    Stunning and brave!

    • S.

      May 10, 2021 at 4:18 pm

      @BrutusAlbion what made you become such a passive-agressive being?

    • BrutusAlbion

      May 10, 2021 at 5:29 pm

      ​@S. lol self made psychologist I see has entered the room. No doubt you will provide an accurate diagnosis based on a single phrase spoken.

    • Kaydin Cathey

      May 10, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      @BrutusAlbion so out of curiosity then. Not psychology. Why would you say something so negative about somebody you have never met?

    • Entera Namehere

      May 10, 2021 at 8:45 pm

      @Kaydin Cathey sure, you blaggart

    • Kaydin Cathey

      May 10, 2021 at 8:50 pm

      @Entera Namehere What is that? Oh nevermind I just looked it up. The British meaning I’m assuming is how you meant it? Either way, I’m not lying to get what I want. Some people are truly…what’s the word…confusing, maybe? Anyway, I am trying to understand where they are coming from. Because at first glance, they sound super rude. But too many people make assumptions about opinions these days(or even JOKES) and then the Karens come along and get ugly about it. I don’t want to be that person so I am honestly trying to figure out what prompted them to say that. Most of the time, those people get lots of attention in a negative way. But how many people take the time to figure out what it came from? And I can’t force you to see that I’m not being a “blaggart” but that’s not on me. You can make whatever presumptious opinions you have. Calling me names doesn’t hurt my feelings. And just to make sure I don’t have double standards going on here, why would you call me that when you dont even know me?

  13. Becky Robertson

    May 10, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    I was there the other day ..Nez Perce rez .. I always feel that coyote ..

  14. 𝕮𝖚𝖈𝕶 𝕮𝖗𝖚𝖘𝖍𝖊𝖗

    May 10, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    Cool, so they have lonely cat ladies in every culture 😂

  15. Damone Tutu

    May 10, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    Well said my native sister…….

    • privat privat

      May 10, 2021 at 4:45 pm

      👍 thumbs up from ur western brother!

  16. Rose Pursley

    May 10, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    And you follow the stories of the fallen ones who appeared to all indigenous people.

  17. Stephen Catton

    May 10, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    Your opportunities and transportation for travel and you being there on TED would not have happened without the arrival of people from other nations from around the world. They brought technology new to the northern Americans such as the wheel and the horse. Storytelling is good entertainment but without writing nothing changes and where most people die at age 35. “Everything in balance”? good grief… you cling to your indigenous stories and I will look to the much bigger and more creative world of writing for my stories and also my reality.

    • Lane Atkinson

      May 11, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      The problem is not that people travel or share ideas. The problem is violent colonization that almost wiped out an entire race, as well as hundreds of unique languages and cultures.

    • Stephen Catton

      May 11, 2021 at 6:28 pm

      @Lane Atkinson My point is that she would not have been able to travel around the world nor present in a TED video without these very same ‘colonisers’.

  18. Action Gamers

    May 10, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    How many are here for IELTS preparation?

    • Navroop Sandhu

      May 11, 2021 at 3:39 am

      Same

    • Amin Chamadia

      May 12, 2021 at 5:24 pm

      Me

  19. TOY BOX BRAIN

    May 10, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    White people: cool stuff, now can we run pipes through your settlements?

    • InMaTeofDeath

      May 11, 2021 at 1:50 am

      Racist spotted.

    • TOY BOX BRAIN

      May 11, 2021 at 7:12 pm

      @InMaTeofDeath White isn’t a race, it’s a privilege.

    • InMaTeofDeath

      May 11, 2021 at 7:48 pm

      @TOY BOX BRAIN I wonder what it’s like to be a modern day racist, amazing how quickly people forget the teachings of Great Men such as Martin Luther King Jr “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Never did he ever say a word about judging someone because they were white. The racists of today would do well to remember.

    • paulith101

      May 11, 2021 at 11:10 pm

      @InMaTeofDeath Stop it. You’re speaking common sense! With all sarcasm aside It’s terrifying what our culture is turning into. People don’t understand the struggles for people and judge based solely by their color or ancestry. We all struggle. Some of us more than others. It’s sad to see human beings turn on each other based on their own preconceived notions or a narrative the media portrays. I sincerely hope we can all come together and put aside all this hate.

  20. Relativity

    May 10, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    Powerful

  21. Cool Robot

    May 10, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    Can any American go ten seconds without bringing up race and politics?

    • Kaydin Cathey

      May 10, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      😂😂😂 You not American?

    • Paul Smith

      May 13, 2021 at 3:01 am

      Most of us can.

  22. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    May 10, 2021 at 9:33 pm

    Bump

  23. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    May 10, 2021 at 9:35 pm

    Remember that we are judged based on how we care for the “least” of us

  24. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    May 10, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    I will refuse to continue my country’s death march

  25. Zion Trask

    May 10, 2021 at 10:15 pm

    so much false advertising. i’ve watched so many of these “TED” talks and i haven’t heard Ted talk one single time

  26. Canis Lupus

    May 11, 2021 at 1:36 am

    She is dark

  27. Priyansh Singh

    May 11, 2021 at 2:02 am

    She said that she is basically Khalesi of native america the way she gave her introduction…

  28. Big Dee

    May 11, 2021 at 2:19 am

    So … u go from place to place ,, being a victim ??? How disgusting 🤮

    • And I oop

      May 11, 2021 at 9:01 pm

      Get help. You really need it.

    • And I oop

      May 11, 2021 at 9:05 pm

      or if you don’t believe in seeking help… read something other than your comments.

  29. Big Dee

    May 11, 2021 at 2:20 am

    Ur black … not a drop Pocahontas

    • And I oop

      May 11, 2021 at 9:06 pm

      Quit liking your own comments. It’s sad.

  30. SpaghettiMitch

    May 11, 2021 at 4:35 am

    This might be the most racist video ive seen youtube no cap

  31. Daniel Reher

    May 11, 2021 at 5:23 am

    If this talk doesn’t move you on some emotional or spiritual level I don’t know what to say to you.

  32. Chris Seltzer

    May 11, 2021 at 10:30 am

    This is the kind of pretentious bullshit that makes people dismiss TED

  33. P

    May 11, 2021 at 11:57 am

    Mythology and cultural stories are so important. That why I think we should give more attention to the sacred cultural mythologies of the Mediterranean and Europe: Greek and Roman mythology. Talk about intergenerational wisdom, there.

    • Tuba Jesus

      May 11, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      Those are written into popular media a lot! 🙂

  34. Kathryn Adkisson

    May 11, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    She’s right, we need to return to the old ways. Too reliant on tech is one problem, don’t get me started on our abuses of the sacred

  35. Alsadek Alkhayer

    May 11, 2021 at 3:44 pm

    this was beautiful, everything 🤩. Thank you so much

  36. Tuba Jesus

    May 11, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    This was SO cool to listen to!!!! I loved hearing the way you mixed languages and paid respect to your ancestors. You’re such a wonderful person and I’m sure they are very proud of you!!!!

  37. Fatema Kotawala

    May 11, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    You are so inspiring !! <3

  38. Shaunak Rawat

    May 12, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    I understand learning from the past, but clinging to it will do you no good.

    • Beatrice Evangelista

      May 16, 2021 at 3:53 pm

      You do have a point. How I see it, it’s important to balance tradition and change, keep the old and accept the new.

  39. Mayuri Shrivastava

    May 12, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    Wow , how beautifully she speaks, I haven’t heard some one speaking so elegantly telling such beautiful heart touching story thanks TED

  40. Owen English

    May 13, 2021 at 1:59 am

    Meh. Honestly Ted has been lacking on any real intellectual work lately.

  41. Decluttering Diaries

    May 13, 2021 at 9:20 pm

    A fantastic storyteller! Thank you for sharing

  42. Jeannie Huang

    May 15, 2021 at 6:54 am

    Hands down one of the best talks ever.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version