Everyday Is Indigenous People's Day 

“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

A Letter from the Executive Director, Reflecting on Indigenous People's Day & the Week of Action:

Last week, communities across native lands came together in acknowledgement and celebration of Indigenous People’s Day. Stories of resistance, resilience, and healing offer us a critical reminder of the collective responsibility we share in the care and cultivation of cultures that guide us toward more regenerative, just, and joyful futures. Many of you may have caught word about our plan of launching a “week of action” running from October 10-16th, and I am happy to share that our team felt called to rethink/reimagine and reset some of our expectations and energy allocations.

At the heart of our intention for the week of action, we were hoping to encourage us all across the network to find a way, even a small way, to recommit to the work of transition, and share some inspiring stories from across the country that would help to feed our collective flame. Having served as Executive Director for the past 8 months, I can say with a full and very humble and open heart that we have been doing the messy, deeply rewarding, soul nourishing work of moving towards a more intentional, intersectional, and intercultural organizational design. To put it simply, we have been focusing our energies on building a truly connected and collaborative team of practitioners on our board and staff  who can help us to carry the bounty of our collective vision into this next stage of growth and transformation. 

 

We have been investing in our ReGeneration Nation campaign by more deeply tending our network of relationships in strategic regional locations- focusing on where we have the deepest connections and can most effectively nurture place-based and shared “ healing hands on the land” opportunities. A few weeks ago, members of the Transition US staff team and board were able to visit Northern California together, and connect with the work of Chico-TEK. We learned more about their powerful approach to ecological restoration, equity building, and workforce development. Led by Master TEK Practitioner of the Mechoopda tribe,  Ali Meders-Knight, and radical educator and movement geographer (also one one our newest TUS board members!), Mel Figueroa, Chico TEK is a true exemplar of the transformative power of not only indigenous, but matriarchal movement building.

Transition US is proud to be moving forward in relationship with this amazing organization, working together with a growing list of partners to nurture a collaborative network of bio-regional land-based resilience hubs in California. 

I see this work growing, spreading, and interconnecting efforts across turtle island; moving us closer to the vision of constellations of land-based hubs and resilient communities working together in co-creation of economies of care, ecological regeneration, and social/racial equity. This is why social justice, land back, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), basic needs, and workforce development has become such an important part of our organizational focus. We see the need to center equity- including land back and reparations, all critical aspects of the deep collective healing work we are all being called to prioritize. 

Our staff and board is bringing together powerful lived experiences, ancestral knowledge,  new networks of relationships built on trust and reciprocity, and a new vision for what Transition US can and should look like moving into the future. We believe that our transition into a more regenerative, just, and joyful future is possible and we believe that to be successful in this work means to center relationality- to people, to place, to ourselves, and to our many communities. It’s not just what we do or even how much we do, but how and with whom that often matters most. Yes, we need to do this work together, interculturally and intergenerationally, and we need to be willing to engage our individual super-powers; privileges, perspectives, and positionalilites that can help us to cultivate greater shared abundance and opportunities for collective healing and joy. 

Nathan Lou, Executive Director of Mongol Tribe, and new TUS board member, is leading ecological restoration & community development work on the historic Harrison Serenity ranch, a retreat center, sacred gathering place for indigenous communities in the area going back thousands of years, and located at the headwaters of Palomar Mountain in San Diego county. 

The world can weigh heavy on us, when we feel like we are alone, or aren’t doing enough to truly make a difference. Doing the work of transition demands that we move together in community (people, plant, animal, and place), and that we honor the labor and legacy of those that have been doing the work and showing up for the people and the land that they love, while creating more opportunities for collective healing, and investing in the next generation(s). 

How connected are you to the work of Indigenous communities in your region? What does “land back” and or “reparations” mean to you and your community? 

 The land and water is what connects us all, no colonial borders, walls, or gerrymandered lines on a map should have the power that they do to keep us fragmented and fearful of one another. As we move through harvest time and begin to prepare ourselves for the winter in the Northern hemisphere, I ask that we recognize that it is often in moments of apparent stillness, the smallest of gestures, reflection ,and even discomfort that we find our greatest moments of progress and realize evolutionary leaps forward. “Taking action” is not a week-long commitment, and Indigenous People cannot be properly celebrated, honored, and uplifted only one day a year. This work is grounded in our life-long commitment to praxis, our willingness to show up for one another in meaningful ways, to move beyond the silo of the mind into a fully integrated and embodied practice.

This fall we are asking for the network to find ways to connect with the land and our liberation in new ways- to learn, see, and speak on what is possible when we engage with the lenses of decolonization, solidarity, equity, and healing justice. We are excited  to share out more upcoming opportunities to engage with our newest projects and support the powerful new collaborations that we are weaving together. Think of this as a refreshed invitation to “Fall in love with taking action”, to make space for critical winter reflection and dreamtime, and cultivate regenerative ways to nourish the spring-time growth of your place-based work and the work of our greater network of communities. 

An acorn doesn’t just think about becoming an oak tree, under the right conditions- roots go deep to recognize and hold the earth as kin, a tender shoot emerges to reach for the light and new heights…