So last night I asked the land defenders from Unistoten Camp a question about healing. Ceremony has been so valuable for me in healing of ancestral trauma. My ancestors survived many generations of war in Europe. How do we reconnect with Mother Earth and heal our disconnection? Freda responded by saying to get in touch with my own ancestors and land. I agree that is one good way. And its complex. Most of us are of mixed race. Our ancestors migrated- actually thats probably true for all of us. So our story spans many places. And our ancestors may have come from different cultures. I also believe in cultural exchange, when its done with respect and consent. For example the sweatlodge traditions are not native to the coastal First Nations. Yet theyve been adopted by different Nations here on the coast. So when we talk about appropriation we should be aware that cultural participation and exchange is not necessarily appropriation. It depends on intent, on consent, etc. Last night I heard a young indigenous woman rapping hip hop. Hip hop descended from African people in the urban US. So theres another cultural exchange. Personally I am very interested in what my ancient Norse/European ancestors did to maintain a balance with all their relations. Im aware that those traditions have largely been decimated by religion and colonialism. My witch ancestors were persecuted.. And I live here, a settler on unceded tribal land far away from where my ancestors lived. So why not connect with local traditions, come with respect and build bridges? We should not become so rigid in our definitions of indigenous and non-indigenous that we forget that all of our deep ancestry is connected, and at one time, all of us lived in an indigenous way. So we need to honor these traditions wherever they are and not become too insulated. I know that contact between cultures can and has been so damaging to many indigenous tribes. There has been so much colonialism and disrespect. As a settler person I want to be aware of myself so I do not try to steal another cultures medicine traditions. And I want my First Nations relatives to know that many of us settler folk are also hurting, also wanting to heal. What is this resistance movement? What are we really resisting? Isnt it our family members who are sleeping, disconnected from our relatives the Caribou, disconnected from our tree relatives, living in a technological bubble thinking we are in control? Who are we really resisting if not the parts of ourselves that are still asleep? So lets work to awaken ourselves and our families to our connection with all life. We need sacred ceremony to reawaken those connections. Yes, lets bring our ancestors ceremonies forward. And lets be conscious that sometimes we are orphans, looking for something life giving in a sea of death. I have been in this place, orphaned from the life giving traditions that sustained my ancestors. Many of those traditions have no living elders. Where to go? The Achuar people of Ecuador feared losing their sacred ways. So in an act of immense courage, they approached the very foreigners they feared and invited a trusted group to share in their ceremonies and world view. This became the Pachamama Alliance, which now works to connect people from all walks to the rainforest and the amazing indigenous cultures that steward it. This exchange can heal and benefit both sides. Im not talking about industrial development and exploitation. Im talking about helping people connect with what is sacred. There is an economy in that. As settlers, many of us live in relative material and economic luxury. Yet there is a deep hole, a vacuum of place and purpose and spirit, in many of our lives. If we do not talk with indigenous people, talk with the land where we live, talk with our ancestors and find life giving rituals, how will we survive?
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 02:16:04 +0000
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