PRESS & MEDIA |
PRESS & MEDIA |
"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together.”You may have seen this quote, from Aboriginal activist Lillia Watson, that has run along the bottom of my emails since 2018. I have not been able to bring myself to remove it because the spirit conveyed in these two simple sentences so potently captures what lies at the core of our work. It is a guidepost for reconciliation and a reminder that we all have something to gain from engaging in this cultural exchange between Native and non-Native human beings. Volunteers and Santa's sleigh pilots, Nancy and Sue, embodied the spirit of this last week when the two friends took a few days out of their holiday season on a journey to Arizona to deliver the gifts our supporters gathered on the Hopi and Diné reservations. Nancy shared the following upon their return: “What an experience! The beauty of the reservation, the fact that we appeared to be the only white folks within miles, the strange feeling of doling out the gifts with the Diné on one side, the Hopi on the other. Trying not to feel like ridiculous white women attempting to heal decades of abuse with a few gifts. Profound. I wouldn't have traded it for any other day in my life.” She went on to reflect on the state of humanity across the world: “Boundaries, years of resentment against another culture, wars, etc. It just seems that mankind keeps repeating the cycles, here at home and worldwide. Tutsis, Hutus, Palestinians, Jews, Catholics, Ukrainians, - sheesh.” I take comfort knowing that there are activists, nonprofits, and philanthropists around the world leaning into reconciliation with the understanding that no one is truly free until we are all free… free from racism, free from poverty, free from climate impact and free from social injustice. As we move into 2024, I’m honored to be “walking together” and liberating one another in our little corner of the world, with our beautiful Native friends teaching us and with our incredible community of volunteers and supporters. In gratitude, Lori Pictured left to right: A jampacked sleigh headed to AZ. Sue, sleigh pilot. Nancy and Sue, with their friend Lisa from Tucson, who met them and brought more gifts. Nancy with Executive Director, Dave, at our Hub in Colorado before heading south.
0 Comments
“Mommy? This isn’t just a normal night. This is the specialest night. I’ve been waiting for this night for a long, long time.” These are the words a Lakota wakanyeja (sacred little one) shared with her mother this past Friday following a powerful evening of reconciliation at our Lafayette, CO hub. By chance or by Spiritual appointment, the visit of our dear friend Tom Hollow Horn for our monthly Nagi Circle Gathering coincided with the arrival of a new friend to our community - one with an ancestral connection that led him our way. You see, Tom’s great-great grandfather Toka Kokipapi (Enemy Fears Him) was a survivor of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, in which 300 unarmed Lakota men, women, and children were killed by the US Army’s 7th Cavalry. With three bullets lodged in his body and the image of gunned-down family members still burning in his mind, Toka Kokipapi fled to a nearby canyon, and lived to pass down the harrowing story to the generations that succeeded him. And as fate or Spirit would have it, Brad, the new friend who reached out to join us for Friday’s Gathering, is descended from an ancestor who stood on the other side of the cavalry’s Hotchkiss guns on that bitterly cold day in 1890: Colonel James Forsyth. Pictured above, left: Tom's great-great grandfather, Toka Kokipapi , who survived the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. Above, right: Brad's great-great grandfather, Colonel James Forsyth, commander of the 7th Cavalry during the massacre. Tom has heard family stories of Wounded Knee since his childhood, and lives each day above the very ground upon which his ancestors were slain. For him, December 29th, 1890 is a living reality. The trauma and discord sown by the massacre continue to underpin daily life in his community on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Brad has spent years learning about his own familial connection to Wounded Knee. In a spirit of prayer, reconciliation, and truth, he has dedicated himself to the redress of his ancestor’s crimes, and has made great efforts to be in relationship with Lakota tribal members and spiritual leaders. And so, as these two fated friends came face-to-face on Friday, with so much going on under the surface of their DNA, their hearts, their spirits - reconciliation began to organically take shape. “It’s among our ancestors now, brother,” Tom said as he softly smiled and clasped Brad’s hand. “Wašté yelo.” Brad replied, before bringing his new brother into an embrace. Pictured: Tom and Brad greet one another for the first time at our hub in Lafayette this past Friday. Later that evening, Brad and Tom continued down the road of reconciliation. There, in the tipi, they shared their stories with one another and with the group gathered before them. Tom passed around pictures of his ancestors who survived the massacre. Brad spoke on the return of items his ancestor’s troops had taken from the site. Tears flowing. Deep breaths taken. Something heavy but warm in the air around us. Spirit. Two brothers, one Lakota and one not, held one another with a tenderness and kindness that may never have seemed possible in the days following the 1890 slaughter. On the prayers uttered and dialogue had, Tom later shared: "Our spirits became alive with one another, made a special prayer for the Tokata Wakanyeja (Future Sacred Children), and reflected on the past with a warm heart - Ihanni wokiksuye canté wašté." As I continue to reflect on Friday's events, I find myself equally moved by the healing that took place and haunted by the questions: How late is too late? Is it ever too late?
For some, it is. For 300 Lakota men, women and children at Wounded Knee, it is. For thousands in Palestine and in Israel, it is. But for those who remain, for our humanity, for our shared future, for the inescapable fact that we can and must live together, perhaps it is not too late. And I think, given love, honesty, self-reflection, and no small amount of courage, we will soon find that there is a better way forward - one that we can walk together. I have to believe this is true. Tom and Brad - kolas (friends, brothers) - proved that to us on Friday night. Mitakuye Oyasin. - Mackenzie This story is the fourth and final installment of Our Mission in Action series. In this closer look at the work of alleviating poverty, our executive director reflects on the root causes of poverty and the reality of the trauma, lack of access, and violence it begets. “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery, it is man made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.” - Nelson Mandela The Native American reservation system in the United States is also not an accident. It was a system set up to oppress. To eliminate. It might also have partially been the ignorance of some governing in a rush to step aside a problem. Or a revengeful, greedy action and reaction. Clearly, the system is man made, though. It could be removed or modified by kinder, more compassionate human beings. And if there were any questioning Gandhi’s belief that “poverty is the worst form of violence,” -- one need only to imagine the violence seen by a child in the same room as a fist coming crashing down nearby or upon as a response to the stress of hunger and the lack of ability to provide, as happened in the reservation town of Wamblee this month. Or the violence of a bullet crashing into the heart of a child from a drive by in the reservation town of Oglala last year. Or the violence driving the youth to suicide as a reasonable alternative to that violence on most of the 326 Federally recognized reservations in the United States over the past century. Mandela is right in maintaining that those happenings are both accidental and removable. And so, it is true that the violence and trauma on the reservations started as the vengeful, racist, and arguably evil efforts by a conquering government over a century ago. And it is also true, that in the ensuing century, that violence has turned in on itself and has become set and hardened into systemic and generational patterns that spare virtually no one and then again begets its own violence. For those living within, as well as those seeking to provide comfort and support from the outside, efforts can feel futile and, in fact, the violence and trauma often even lashes back out to protect itself from relief and change. “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.” - Nelson Mandela Mandela is correct, I believe, when he maintains that it is not futile to push back and protect against what is – and that the efforts to assist and provide relief must emanate from places other than charity and indeed guilt. Rather, that help must be sourced from a fundamental desire to protect and make right and/or maybe even from a place of outrage at the injustice and incompetence of those with the authority, resources, and ability to make change, but choose not to. Those include Federal, State and Tribal governments. The offers to help must be carried and shielded with strength and persistence . . . and necessarily with compassion and not with pity. For over a decade, we have met many of you willing to push back against the systemic causes of Native American reservation poverty, trauma, and violence. And we want you to know that, while our moral mandate is to respond to the daily and desperate calls for food, firewood, water, assistance with paying for electricity, the calls for employment and all the other pleas for basic needs, we are simultaneously looking at the larger, systemic causes that lie beneath the surface. And, when opportunities arise, we stand with our Native relatives to push back against the corruption, racism, hatred, ignorance, lack of opportunity and education, abuse and a generational trauma that have stubbornly taken root, but – we believe – will eventually yield to the better nature of humanity. And we stand in continuous gratitude to all of you who help us in this effort. Sincerely, Dave Alleviating Poverty, Reconciliation, Indigenous Wisdom Gen7 Youth are the guiding pillars which integrate across all our activities. Thanks for following along over the past four weeks as we explored each of those pillars in action!
This story is the third of the four-part Our Mission in Action series! Read on to see how Reconciliation, one of the four pillars of our mission, lifts Native and non-Native people of all ages to a place of connection and healing in the Circle. Whether we're on a volunteer service trip in one of the Native communities we serve, closing out a youth workday at our Lafayette Hub, or gathering at camp following a 4 Directions Ride, a day with the Tipi Raisers is almost always punctuated with a call to "Circle Up!" What happens when we "circle up," you may ask? Inspired by the Indigenous tradition of the Talking Circle, each volunteer, youth, and community member gathers into an unbroken circle - no one in front of or behind another - and shares their truth, one person at a time. As the sharing goes around, this can often look like a recap of the workday. Many times, it takes the form of a raw and real reflection on race relations, on trauma, on the prejudice that divides so many communities and the humanity that unites us all. Here are some of the transformative moments of reconciliation we've witnessed in the Circle over the years:
Our Executive Director often reminds us: "There is so much going on under the surface of the circle." When a young person, an elder, a non-Native volunteer, or a Native community member step into courage and share what is true for them under the surface of it all - something magical happens. Barriers fall down; assumptions and stereotypes are admitted, explored, and dismantled. Sometimes tensions rise. Often, tears are shed. It's messy, it's hard, it's beautiful - and it is necessary if we are to move forward together towards reconciliation. In friendship, The Tipi Raisers Team Gen7 Youth, Alleviating Poverty, Reconciliation, and Indigenous Wisdom are the guiding pillars which integrate across all our activities. Stay tuned next week as we explore the final pillar of our mission!
You may have seen pictures of Bison on our Facebook, Instagram, or email newsletters over the past few months and wondered: “Bison?? Have the Tipi Raisers gotten into ranching?!” While we’d love to spend our days herding bison on the range, what we actually do with them is even more fulfilling and deeply tied to our mission! For several years, we have partnered with Hester’s Buffalo Meat Company in Kremmling, CO to provide high-quality, culturally-relevant sustenance to the Lakota families we serve. A package of Hester’s Buffalo Meat accompanies every monthly delivery of food to each of the Pine Ridge families with whom we work. But our work with the Buffalo Nation goes beyond efforts to address food insecurity on Pine Ridge - earlier this year, a partnership emerged between The Tipi Raisers Gen7 Youth Program and the Colorado State University Agricultural Extension. Thanks to the folks at CSU, several Native and non-Native youth - as well as adult community members from the Oglala Lakota & Diné nations - have been able to work face-to-face with the bison that comprise the Laramie Foothills Conservation Herd in various capacities, and to earn a wage as they do so. Throughout the spring, Pine Ridge youth were able to learn from the veterinarian team at CSU about safely catching, vaccinating, blood testing and tagging bison. See footage from one of these “Buffalo Days” here! Perhaps the most powerful development in this burgeoning partnership was the transport of five buffalo donated by the Laramie Foothills Conservation Herd to the Knife Chief Buffalo Nation, a Lakota-led herd on Pine Ridge that supports food sovereignty and cultural preservation efforts on the Oglala Lakota Nation. On one beautiful morning in April, five sacred animals were loaded into our trailers with the help of youth and friends from Pine Ridge, the Navajo Nation, and Colorado. A prayerful and steady five-hour journey north culminated with the return of these powerful beings to their ancestral lands on the grasslands of what is now Porcupine, SD. The image of these sacred four-legged relatives breathing life into the soil upon which their predecessors once roamed is something that will stay etched on our collective memory forever. As is the case with all that we do, youth are the life force behind the healing, learning, and connection which drive our bison initiatives. Trayton, one of the young people from Pine Ridge who joined us at CSU for a “Buffalo Day,” said the opportunity to work with animals so sacred to his Lakota culture was “a gift,” stating: “I can really feel the buffalo’s energy - it’s good energy. It was a great experience.” We look forward to more "Buffalo Days" ahead and more opportunities to work with and learn from the Gen7 youth who bring our mission to life, in all that we do! Wopila, Mackenzie This story is the second of the four-part Our Mission in Action series! Gen7 Youth is one of four pillars of our mission - wage-earning, skill-building opportunities for youth such as those offered through our bison initiatives help us empower and uplift young people towards a brighter future. Youth are also incorporated into all that we do, whether as volunteers on service trips, leaders on horseback rides and demonstrations, presenters at cultural events throughout the year, participants in important reconciliation dialogues, or community partners on the reservations we serve. Gen7 Youth, Alleviating Poverty, Reconciliation, and Indigenous Wisdom are the guiding pillars which integrate across all our activities. Follow along over the next two weeks as we continue diving deep into the two remaining pillars of our mission!
I spent a week recently volunteering in the ancient pueblo villages of Tewa and Walpi on First Mesa located on the Hopi reservation in Arizona. It is sometimes challenging to stay focused on the job at hand working on the roofs of 900-year-old adobe and rock homes clustered from one end of the mesa to another. The views from the rooftops, constructed at the top of a 300-foot mesa, reach all the way to Flagstaff mountain 100 miles to the west and circle in all directions from there. If one pays attention, the view back into history -- and into the way a community used to thrive -- is as clear and inspiring as what one can see with the eyes. While working alongside community members recently, I would occasionally hear a tribal member in one of the plazas, call out to no one in particular: “Askwali!!” Within seconds, someone from a different part of the plaza or mesa, would echo back: “Askwali!” And the call would reverberate from each direction, sometimes for ten seconds -- sometimes for as long as a minute. Interspersed within the female’s calls of “Askwali!”, I would occasionally hear a male pick up the call: “Kwakwhay!” “Kwakwhay!” It was hard not to stop what we were doing and enjoy those words echoing around the mesa. It was a beautiful . . . and gentle . . . . back and forth with no apparent reason understood by a visitor in this enchanted and ancient village. No one in particular would start the chain, or end it. Just every now and then: “Askwali!” “Askwali!” “Kwakwhay!” “Kwakwhay!” When the echo stopped and we returned to our work, I wondered what the words meant, and occasionally would try to understand the context behind them. When the call would start, it was comforting in some sort of way – and once quieted, I would await the next call, if only to be reassured that the people were still there. It became almost a song. . . . a window into the past . . . and then a prayer . . . . and then a beautiful lesson on the power of living in a community rooted in Indigenous wisdom. During one of our breaks, when we sought shade in the scorching desert heat, I inquired of one of the local residents as to the meaning behind the two words. Both words, my friend explained, meant the same thing – though one was spoken by the females (“askwali”) and the other by the males (“kwakwhay”). Like so many first languages, the words themselves were more expressions of content, and are gutted if one attempts to translate them directly. “Askwali”/”kwakwhay” might be quickly (and improperly) translated simply as “thank you”, though that translation barely describes what happens on the mesas when those calls go out. The elder explained to me that the words are expressions of gratitude but not simply just a thank you. The words -- when the call is echoed and carried forward -- reverberates as encouragement and then gathers power in their song and then as a prayer. I remember now sitting on the hot roof that day and hearing the words – being soothed, encouraged and inspired to continue the work. Having left the mesa now, I oftentimes want to call out “kwakwhay” as I move about my day in gratitude for those of you who support the work we do. But also, for those in my community (the first responders, the teachers, those working on the roads and infrastructure, our medical providers, our friends and family whom we walk with, and all of the others). I imagine if the world echoed in that same way, how different it could all be. Kwakwhay, Dave This story is the first of the four-part Our Mission in Action series! Honoring Indigenous Wisdom is one of four pillars of our mission - and the spirit of gratitude that permeates the Hopi & Tewa communities of First Mesa embodies the ancient teachings we seek to acknowledge and amplify in all that we do. Your support for our mission will help us continue uplifting Indigenous wisdom and serving Native communities in a variety of ways! Indigenous Wisdom, Alleviating Poverty, Reconciliation, and Gen7 Youth are the guiding pillars which integrate across all our activities. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we dive deep into the three remaining pillars of our mission!
Simultaneous volunteer service projects often require supply runs, tools swapped and delivered from crew to crew, and other challenges resulting from the long distances between worksites on the reservations we serve. But on our final day of service during the recent August Volunteer Trip, traditional Hopi architecture helped us avoid that common obstacle! The villages of the Hopi - who are a Puebloan People - are made up of adobe homes which share walls and surround a shared plaza, in which ceremonies and social gatherings still take place. This type of architecture reflects the Hopi & Pueblo emphasis on community and sharing - Indigenous wisdom that still guides the Hopi today. Thanks to these ancient architectural practices, our entire volunteer group was able to work side-by-side on three different projects at Sitsomovi Village atop First Mesa: 1. Finishing touches to a new wood shed for a Hopi family 2. Installation of a wheelchair ramp for a Hopi elder 3. Waterproofing of the roof of a 17th century Hopi home prone to severe leaks Just one of the many ways Indigenous wisdom helps bring this work to life! In the video above: See volunteers work side-by-side to complete three projects on the final day of our August Service Trip to the Hopi & Navajo Nations!
A wheelchair ramp for a Hopi elder.
A new, accessible shower for a 96-year-old Diné great-grandmother. A shed to shelter sheep on whom a community relies for cultural and physical nourishment on the Navajo Nation. A wood shed for a family who depend on firewood to stay warm in winter. A flatbed of trash picked up from a village on a journey of healing from its trauma, past and present. Repairs to a Hopi corn shed housing a year's supply of heirloom corn. Firewood split and distributed to elders and families preparing for cold temperatures. Gutters installed at a historic home on First Mesa. Two layers of plastic sheeting on the leaky roof of a 17th century home in need of extensive repair - a temporary solution to complex problems faced by the community in which the home sits. None of these acts of service solve the deep-seated challenges of poverty and cultural loss, of historical and present-day trauma. But in 11 years of this work, we find that it is the little things which move reconciliation forward, which bring communities separated by conflict, colonization, discrimination, and isolation together in a spirit of friendship, which remind each of us of the importance of showing up, as we are, at service to a shared purpose and a more connected future. It is a drop in the bucket - but if enough good people make the effort to contribute a drop, whenever and wherever they can, a tide of healing is bound to flow someday. On the Navajo Nation, sheep are not just a source of food and wool - they are the lifeblood of a resilient and rich culture, a reminder of those who came before and the embodiment of an ancestral wisdom that continues to sustain Diné communities today. In a quiet, rocky enclave at the center of the Navajo Nation, three Diné women are carrying on the legacy of their ancestors as the stewards of a flock of two dozen sheep. For their family and the surrounding community, the sheep provide meat, wool to be woven into traditional textiles, cured hides for sleeping mats, and a connection to the generations of sheep-herders that preceded them. No part of the animal goes to waste - particularly in a food desert like the one in which the flock is located, where some families face food insecurity on an ongoing basis. For a decade and a half, the sheep have faced harsh, high desert winds and bobcat attacks that have revealed the need for a sturdier and more permanent shed to house them. In partnership with the family who cares for the flock, volunteers on our May and August service trips have helped construct the roof, walls, and fencing of a new shed to house the sheep. This week, construction was completed on the shed, and the sheep are now protected from wind and predator species! In their new home, these stunning animals will be able to provide physical and cultural nourishment to their community for years to come. This project was truly multigenerational and cross-cultural: youth and elders from Pine Ridge, Cheyenne River, the Navajo Nation, Colorado, and Washington D.C. have worked side-by-side to bring this project to life, sharing laughter and building lasting friendships along the way. Collaborations like this help move all four themes of our mission forward.
Pictured above: Tomatoes, melons, squash, corn and more are peeking through the soil at homes across Pine Ridge! In early June, a crew of volunteers and Lakota community members worked together to install and plant garden boxes at over a dozen homes across the Pine Ridge reservation. A month and half later, these small but mighty seedlings are continuing to grow strong! Gardeners on Pine Ridge are up against a unique set of challenges; horses and dogs are prone to disturbing the seedlings, water access is limited or altogether unavailable in some homes, and families have had to mitigate the effects of hail and an unusually wet summer on their plants. The Pine Ridge families and youth with whom we work are engaging with these challenges in a spirit of curiosity and learning. The hard work of these gardeners, many of them first-timers, is beautiful to witness! Gratitude to volunteers Jane and Deanna (pictured below) for making the journey to Pine Ridge earlier this month and checking in with families and their gardens. This project is being conducted in partnership with our friends at Common Name Farm - we're so grateful to them for these seedlings and for exchanging plant knowledge with Pine Ridge gardeners! Stay tuned throughout the growing season for more garden updates.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2024
Categories |