posted on Oct. 18: Tribal philosophies, environmental health focus of two public lectures tonight

Spiritual tribal philosophies, the ramifications of Sept. 11 and environmental health in the 21st century will be topics of discussion at two public lectures on campus tonight.

The indigenous studies program and the Centre for Peace Studies present Leon Secatero, chair of the Indigenous Elders of the Americas, who will explore spiritual tribal philosophies and prophecies in his talk My Ancestors Speak.

Secatero will be followed by Ovide Mercredi, former national chief and current political adviser of the Assembly of First Nations, who will speak about the past in his talk, Listen to My Ancestors, and will explore how the themes of the past can guide us after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The free public lecture takes place tonight (Oct. 18) in Health Sciences Centre, room 1A1 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

The presentations by Secatero and Mercredi are part of the 2001 Indigenous Studies Lecture Series. For more information, contact Cassandra Lo in Indigenous Studies at ext. 27226.

As well, the McMaster Institute for Environment and Health (MIEH) presents its fourth annual public lecture entitled
Environmental Health in the 21st Century: Challenges to Decision Making with guest speaker Trevor Hancock.

Hancock has been described as one of the top 10 health futurists in the world.

He is a public health physician and health
promotion consultant working primarily for local, provincial and national governments, as well as the World Health
Organization.

Hancock's lecture will explore three key environmental challenges: ecotoxicity (the wide-spread contamination of ecosystems);
the physical, mental and social health of our built environments (from indoor air quality to urban sprawl) and global
environmental change.

The free public lecture will run from 7:30 to 9 p.m. tonight (Oct. 18) in Health Sciences Centre, room 1A6.