Rē : The Regenerative School

The RēMind, No. 002 Strengthening the Connection Between Land, Food and People

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Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land

We see more and more examples of Indigenous Peoples finally achieving a long awaited return home to ancestral land. This article showcases four incredible stories from tribes in Nova Scotia, California and Oklahoma.

  1. In November 2020, the Mi’kmaq First Nations from Nova Scotia bought 50% of Clearwater Seafoods, the largest North American seafood business.
  1. In 2000, the Wiyot tribe bought 1.5 acres on Tuluwut Island in California which led Eureka city to return most of the island to the tribe in 2019.
  1. The Yurok people have successfully fought for an agreement that four dams along the Klamath River in California will be removed to restore traditional salmon runs, as well as securing over 60,000 acres of ancestral lands with the aim to restore their traditional foodways, economies and culture.
  1. The Quapaw Tribe in Northeast Oklahoma are remediating toxic polluted land from mining residues to regenerate it into agricultural land.

For centuries, Native Americans in the United States have endured countless atrocities, from massacres to forced removal from their ancestral lands by the federal government. This separation from the land contributes to the loss of traditional foodways, culture and history.

“Now we’re in the process of completing that healing process by bringing back the traditional plants that were . . . in the waterways so our eels, and our oysters can grow back in the bay,” explained Hernandez. “And once that’s complete, then we can start the healing process for the whole world. But in order for us to do that, we need our traditional foods.”

Myers sees the land reclamation work of his and other tribes as more pressing than ever in light of climate change. “[We are at] the frontlines of this war to reclaim our history, our land, our culture . . . We have a system that can not only be saved but restored. Not just kept from going extinct, but being able to flourish in abundance. We’re ready for some victories.”

Just this week, the US government’s new Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold this important position which oversees the management of federal lands, announced launch of the Tribal Youth Coastal Restoration Program, which will fund six projects estimated to restore up to 1,000 acres of wildlife habitat on tribal lands along the Gulf Coast.  The program will help fund projects run by the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Poarch Band of Creek Indians and the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.  The program aims to provide training and livelihood opportunities for tribal youth related to improving water quality and restoring native species in the degraded coastal and adjacent riverine lands. Read more about the new initiative here.

Native Land Map

Do you know the native name of the land you are residing on— the name it was known by for thousands of years before colonial settlers came to claim the land and remove the people that are intrinsically interconnected to the place you call home? Have a look at what has been documented so far on this map.

Acknowledging the traditional land, territory or tribe recognizes and honors the traditional custodians of the land and their relationship with it. It is part of the reconciliation taking place to mend relations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous from the brutal history of displacement, genocide and cultural cleansing that Indigenous People have endured.

Here’s a guide to understanding indigenous land acknowledgement:

“It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation.”

Regenerative Farm Maps by Regeneration International & Regeneration Canada

Our food purchasing choices have the power to reach and impact systems far beyond our immediate viewpoint at the moment of exchange. Consumer demand has a very strong influence on agricultural practices, systemic structures, ethical labor, animal welfare, planetary health and transportation emissions in our globalized food system.

A common topic of conversation I have with regen farmers and anyone that’s a part of growing quality food for people and planetary health is that most people don’t know or care about where their food comes from because of the disconnect between people and their food sources. That space of disconnect allows room for undervaluing and disregarding how our food choices impact the planet.

Strengthening the connection between people and their food sources simply begins with people becoming curious about where the food comes from, how it is grown and who is nurturing it. Pursuing these answers will bring more awareness and understanding of the food system we all participate in.

By supporting regenerative farms that are transparent in showing their ecological and social impacts, we are ensuring that our food purchases are contributing to a positive planetary impact that is conducive to regenerating life in ecosystems and communities!

Have a look at the Regeneration International and Regeneration Canada farm maps to see if there are any regenerative farms near you.

Upcoming Courses and Events from Rē:

Regenerative Wellness Courses for Mind and Body:

From Duality to Wholeness: 21 Day Reconnect Through Nature and Creative Practices

*May 1-May 21, daily sessions*

Duality or separation is the greatest illusion of all. By coming home to nature and tapping into our divine feminine through creativity, we can then harmonize our life- mind, body, heart and soul- to find a space of wholeness. A remembering that we are all one- unified by Mother Nature. Exploring different concepts of duality, including divine masculine and feminine, the 4 major elements of nature: earth, air, fire, and water, as well as other topics, such as light and dark/shadows.

Videos or lives of info, meditation, yoga and other creative practices will be posted on the days noted, with live recordings available after. Explore nature and creativity on your own time- when it works best for you! Making it accessible and manageable to all folks and their busy lives!

Join Caitlin Smith of Within Wellness and Ashlei Laing of the Regenerative School for this exciting new course.

Register here!

 

Nature and Belonging: Finding Connection Through Nature and the Senses

*May 30-June 27, weekly sessions*

The pandemic is difficult on so many levels. Fear that you or those you love could become seriously ill. Anxiety about the ability to work and finances. And, maybe most of all, the exhausting stretches of quarantine in one location, perhaps alone.

Lockdown may have kept you in a location you don’t want to be in– in a small urban apartment, stuck in another country, or quarantining outside of your own home to protect vulnerable family members.

Whatever the circumstances, you’ve likely grown tired of looking at the walls of your lockdown space, maybe even tired of what was once your favorite walk after so much repetition. You feel disconnected, like you no longer belong to that place that you know so well.

In our new online course, Rē wants to help you deal with this moment that we are all facing. Our ‘Nature and Belonging’ course takes on this challenge by exploring concepts from eco-psychology and phenomenological techniques that engage your five senses. The five week program will help course participants find connection and build re-connection with the place where they are.

Join course facilitator Maya Galimidi, founder of Empower With Nature, for this important and timely course!

Registration will open next week!

 

Regenerative Peacebuilding Programs

A Child Shall Lead Us: Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism Through Youth and Congregations

*May 20th, 10am-4:30pm Eastern US Time*

*No Cost. Registration required.*

Rē is partnering with the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary to engage young people and faith communities across the USA in research and creating solutions to deep social divisions that can lead to violent extremism.

Violent extremists often target young people to recruit, exploiting their social and economic vulnerability and eagerness to find purpose in their lives. While youth are often portrayed as perpetrators of violent extremism, more recent strategies view youth as key stakeholders in interrupting the cycle of violent radicalization and preventing violent extremism (PVE).

The USA’s 350,000 religious congregations have the potential to be key allies in this work. Not only are they deeply invested in protecting their young, they offer long traditions of peacebuilding, and resources for strengthening our social fabric.

This conversation on May 20th is a first step. Its specific goal is to help us learn from the international community’s long experience with young people as peacebuilders who are helping to prevent global violent extremism.

We are hosting five panels throughout the day that feature global changemakers, including young people themselves, committed to peace, justice, and youth-led change by launching grassroots movements, policy changes, and international collaborations.

Rē co-founder Felix Bivens is working closely with colleagues at Princeton to organize the event and will be part of a panel focusing on participatory action research and youth-led peacebuilding.

Register to livestream all of the panel discussions, and/or access to recordings after the event.

Register here!

 

Donate to Rē via The Big Paypack!

Rē is a member of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Each year, CFMT organizes an annual day of giving, called The Big Payback, to promote and benefit all of the non-profits it supports. This year’s Big Payback is 6pm on May 5th to 6pm on May 6th Central US time.

However you can make an early donation to Rē today at this link!

Thank you for your continuing support of this organization!

 

Thanks for reading and subscribing to The RēMind newsletter. Please email us at admin@regenerativeschool.org with suggestions or feedback!

— Ruth Sevigny, Editor

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