*4.2. Finding 2 Sustainability Is Expressed as a Function of Tradition Linking Indigenous Identity with Culture, Language, and Environmental Health*

This finding indicated that understanding sustainability from an Indigenous perspective and acting on that understanding is related to the depth of cultural knowledge, linguistic fluency, and continued viability of Earth systems. Indigenous language speakers have the ability to understand concepts related to sustainability in their mother tongue that do not easily translate into English, or other languages. While some individuals may not speak their Indigenous language, they may have extensive understanding and knowledge of cultural teachings. Indigenous cultures and languages are linked to the natural world, reflecting the state of each in relation to the other, and containing the knowledge to live sustainably. One participant in the study explained, "You can hear the bush in the language. You can hear the animals. You could hear the natural world in the language itself. So, when we're talking about sustainable education, environmental education, it's written right within our languages" [6] (pp. 77–78). A conclusion emerging from this finding is that diminished Indigenous relationships with the natural world are detrimental to Indigenous cultures and languages. Consequently, weak knowledge of culture and language can negatively influence one's ability to understand how to live sustainably [6] (pp. 134–135).
