Beyond the Common Era: Honoring Tens of Thousands of Years of Indigenous Presence

    Most people measure history from the start of the Common Era — the year 2025 CE. This timeline feels familiar, but it represents just a tiny fraction of human existence on this planet. Indigenous peoples have lived on their ancestral lands for tens of thousands of years, a span that dwarfs the Common Era. And this number keeps growing as new discoveries push the boundaries of our understanding.

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Introducing the Ancestral Calendar (K’i’ik/Bak’/Cha’an)

To honor this immense longevity, we can use a culturally grounded ancestral calendar, inspired by Indigenous/Native American languages such as Maya. It counts the continuous presence of a people on their ancestral land, separate from CE:

• K’i’ik: Tens of thousands of years (≈10,000+ years)

• Bak’: Hundreds of thousands of years (≈100,000+ years)

• Cha’an: Millions of years (≈1,000,000+ years, symbolic deep-time)

Example usage:

• In 2025 CE, Indigenous Americas: 33,000+ K’i’ik

• Early African populations: 200,000+ Bak’

This framework allows a timeline that grows with discovery, always honoring the deep presence of Indigenous peoples and their wisdom.

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Global Perspective

The ancestral calendar can celebrate Indigenous and ancestral populations worldwide:

• Africa: Groups like the San or Hadza would have Bak’ or higher, reflecting some of the oldest continuous human habitation.

• Asia: Indigenous groups like the Ainu or Siberian peoples could have 10,000+ K’i’ik, honoring thousands of generations on their lands.

• Europe: Populations with long-standing continuous presence, such as the Basques, can use K’i’ik to recognize their ancient, ongoing connection to the land.

This system scales naturally as timelines grow and can be adapted to any region or population.

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Why the Ancestral Calendar Matters

The ancestral calendar is more than a timeline — it is a tool for perspective and reflection:

• It shows how far human history extends beyond the Common Era.

• It honors millennia of Indigenous knowledge, traditions, and survival.

• It challenges conventional historical narratives, reminding us that “ancient” is relative, and human presence is far deeper than modern history books suggest.

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The Wisdom of Deep Time

Recognizing that Indigenous peoples have lived on their lands for tens of thousands of years and beyond helps us confront the unimaginable:

• Generations of adaptation, settlement, and survival over millennia.

• Knowledge of the land, plants, animals, and cosmos accumulated across countless generations.

• Continuity that spans not just decades or centuries, but tens, hundreds, or even millions of years, symbolized by K’i’ik, Bak’, and Cha’an.

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Conclusion: Honoring Continuity and Resilience

The ancestral calendar is not just a number — it is a symbol of resilience, continuity, and enduring wisdom. By acknowledging it:

• We respect the past.

• We honor the present.

• We inspire future generations to remember that human history is far older, deeper, and richer than the Common Era suggests.

In 2025 CE — 33,000+ K’i’ik — the story of Indigenous peoples continues, growing with every year and reminding us that true history cannot be captured by CE alone.