Reconciliation is beautiful and necessary work - but it is complex. Sometimes, the most challenging step is the first. And yet, that is where the transformation begins.​

Last Friday, the 2023 Indigenous Wisdom Gathering kicked off in Eagle, CO as part of the town's annual Flight Days celebration with a 4 Directions Ride. Riders from the Lakota Nation, the Diné Nation, Mountain Trekkers Back Country Horsemen and the local Colorado community came together to traverse mountain routes and engage with one another across lines of difference - and sameness.

Along the trail, barriers broke down and divisions melted away, and those first, brave steps of reconciliation were taken: A handshake with a new friend before checking saddle cinches for trail-readiness, a chat about best practices for crossing a creek on horseback, a laugh and a smile as a Pine Ridge youth wittily quipped "Shouldn't they be teaching you how to STAY on a horse?" after a Colorado rider fell gracefully, just like her trainer taught her - these are the humble first steps that move reconciliation forward.

Across generations and cultures, riders found a common sense of purpose, and rode as a united front into Eagle Town Park, welcomed in by the powerful sound of drumming and traditional singing shared by the crew from United Indigenous Dancers. Check out the livestream of the welcome ceremony HERE!

A similar story of connection and shared purpose followed during Saturday's Indigenous Wisdom Gathering festivities: in the small and friendly mountain town of Eagle, strangers came together to raise a 26ft council tipi in ceremony with Tipi Raisers' cultural and spiritual advisor Darryl Slim. See footage of the tipi-raising HERE!​

Other activities on Saturday included an appearance by the Tipi Raisers horse herd and a local youth rider in the Flight Days Parade alongside a float featuring United Indigenous Dancers (UID), a teaching session on Lakota horse-painting led by Joseph Medicine Robe, a showcase of traditional dancing by the team from UID, and storytelling in the tipi.
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We are immensely grateful to the local Eagle, CO community and the individuals from the Northern Cheyenne, Shoshone, Arapahoe, Anishinaabe, Oglala Lakota, Hunkpapa Lakota, Yaqui, Tlingit, Diné, and Apache tribes who connected with one another at this event and took the first, important steps towards reconciliation.

A seed sprouts, a leaf forms, a harvest arrives.​

And all the while, a child learns to lovingly tend to a garden; a family gains access to the tools they need to grow their own food; a mother sleeps a little easier knowing there will be homegrown fruits and vegetables to put on the table when the plants are ready.

This is our hope for the gardens planted at nearly two dozen homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation earlier this week. This labor of love is the result of months of community collaboration, planning, and a whole lot of sweetness between friends from Colorado, South Dakota, and beyond!

As it so often does, a need in the communities we serve found its way to the ears of folks with kind hearts and a desire to work together - in this case, the ears of our dear friends at Common Name Farm! After visiting Pine Ridge families in April, the Common Name farmers have worked continuously to create home garden plans, build planting boxes alongside tribal members, nurture seedlings, and gather materials in support of this garden initiative, which aims to provide the families we serve with the tools and skills they need to grow and harvest their own supplemental produce.

The installation process for each of the gardens was collaborative and joyful, with teams of volunteers and staff joining local community members, elders, and youth at homes across the reservation to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, melons, and more!

On Tuesday, as we left Pine Ridge, we saw a familiar face from the road - a young Lakota boy who helped us plant five gardens earlier in the week, peeking up from his family's new garden and waving at us with his green watering can, his thousand-watt smile on full display. It is for kids like him and families like his that we do what we do - it is an honor to work alongside the youth planting these little seeds of hope.

​We’re holding deep gratitude for the farmers from Common Name, for volunteer Sven and his willingness to share his gardening skills and plant knowledge with our crew and the local community, for the Lakota youth leading their families’ gardening efforts, and finally for the plants themselves, and the food & hope they will bring.