issue no. 801

YESTERDAY MORNING, I GOT OUT OF BED AT 4 AM . . .

and woke up the two kids I birthed, currently age 10 and 6. We loaded up into the car in the dark and made a two-hour drive into what you likely know as New York City - to ‘Randall’s Island’ where representatives from Indigenous communities all over the Earth gathered for a sunrise ceremony to mark Indigenous People’s Day.

The ceremony included two main parts - we were all welcomed with tobacco - encouraged to take some with our left hand (because it is closest to our heart), and imbue it with our prayers. Together, we listened to a collective of men sing a prayer song, before they collected the tobacco and offered our collective prayers to the fire.

Representatives from Indigenous communities around the Earth generously contributed their wisdom and their gratitude - in their Indigenous languages and graciously in English as well. One speaker noted that the land where we were gathering, in the Lenape language, is Minnehanonck, which means ‘It's Nice To Be On The Island’. This feels infinitely more poetic than the homage to Randall.

A collective of women spearheaded the second half of the ceremony - the water keepers. Women welcome life through the womb, and shepherd the energy of creation well beyond birthing babies. While we can all tap into this divine feminine energy of creation, women tend to the water with care and consideration, knowing how intertwined we are with water for our survival and thriving.

Pua Case graciously spoke of the sacred nature of water - and our collective role in protecting it, based on her own activism advocating for the sacred waters of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. She spoke to the role of elders, in not only guiding traditions, but passing them down to future generations. And to how we all play an active role in participating in rituals with care and consideration for time-honored processes. The generosity reverberates…to be welcomed in to be a part of these meaningful practices, with care, communicating clearly about how we can participate.

But many of the leaders were also clear in their commitment, and asked us to understand ours. We must not engage to exploit or co-opt the wisdom, but to honor, revere, and participate with them. Newcomers do not become immediate experts and then turn to teaching. We respect ritual, and integrate with them, and eventually embody these practices over long periods of time. Leaders earn their place, and in turn take pride in cultivating leadership among those in the generations that follow. No short cuts, no clinging. Only process and practice.

My sense was that no matter where on Earth the Indigenous leaders traveled from, at the heart of their offerings were the same message: We are one with the land and life force and each other. We must honor everyone and everything with respect, ritual, and reciprocity, shifting from an energetic of ownership to the spirit of right relationship.

There is such richness in the diversity of ways that similar sentiments were delivered - through varied fashions, handwork, instruments, and languages. But all in the same spirit.

What a gift to feel this world in practice.

To remembering our way to reciprocity,

Tay + Dor

^{photo by Azra Sadr}

tidbits...

resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .

Do One Small Thing . . . Where can you shift your mentality from ownership to relationship? We’d love to hear from you - reply to this newsletter, share in the comments, or email us at info@goodfoodjobs.com.

Phoebe Digges-Elliott articulated some feelings I didn’t quite know how to - and drew a strong connection to Dorothy’s book of poetry, Imagine a Woman, being exactly the antidote we need after the last month, year, decade, and millenia of women’s bodies and experiences being denigrated.

Colonization of land, people, and systems is a brutal, violent process. The stories we tell of ‘discovery’ and ‘possibility’ centuries later make the present day seem like a foregone conclusion. Jermaine Fowler illuminates the practice of Christopher Columbus in Columbus’ own words. Megan Leatherman similarly catalogs the loss of Indigenous wisdom when Christianity became the dominate belief system in Europe through the Middle Ages.

Idealist’s Programs for Teens are two new initiatives to encourage NYC-based youth to get involved in community action. Teens who are ages 14-18 are encouraged to sign up for the Teen Advisory Board for Idealists (TABI) and Leadership Lab to gain leadership experience, learn about event planning, and earn community service hours through volunteering.

Last Friday’s episode of GOOD COMPANY explores what we lose when we inhabit the binary instead of understand the harmony of the whole.

Have you picked up a copy of Dorothy’s first book of poetry? You can order Imagine a Woman from the publisher, from any local bookstore, ask for it at your local library, or on the Libby app.

View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.

got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we’ll share it in next week’s newsletter.