All Indigenous Ways of Relating Events

“The last thing that is wanted for us right now is for us to unify. And that’s what we’re doing here. We are unifying and we are joining force. They do everything they can to stop that. They’ve taken children from women. They’ve abused us. They’ve killed us. They’ve murdered us. They’ve taken everything they possibly could from us, and yet we’re still here.”

This video interview was recorded during the first Alliance of Earth, Sky and Water Protectors Summit at the Lummi Nation Stommish Grounds, May 27-29, 2022.

Liv Bigtree (Oneida) grew up on the Onondaga Nation where she learned about her culture and traditions. Based in the Onondaga Nation and Mohawk Nation territories, she is an artist, whose work is about her connection to her culture and identity. Taking inspiration from her favorite Indigenous artist and mentor Wendy Red Star, her work often brings awareness to issues that face Indigenous peoples. By using mediums such as performance art and sculpture, she hopes to educate others in a way that westernized education does not. Outside of her art, Olivia continues to advocate for her people by attending protest marches and learning from her elders.

“The way I look at it: the elders laid the foundation for the house. And then we can build those walls. And then the next generation can add another floor. And then eventually we can put the roof on the house. It’s a constant building.”

This video interview was recorded during the first Alliance of Earth, Sky and Water Protectors Summit at the Lummi Nation Stommish Grounds, May 27-29, 2022.

Brayden Sonny White is a St. Regis Mohawk/Mohawks of Akwesasne from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. Brayden has served in numerous positions as the SLC Aboriginal Advisor, Founder of NASAC, Haudenosaunee Student Alliance Member, Akwesasne Youth Council Representative, WHTNC Presidential Panelist at the 2015 White House Tribal Nations Conference, Akwesasne Suicide Coalition Member and Gen-I National Native Youth Network Ambassador. Brayden has been named as a recipient of the 2016 CNAY Champion For Change Award and 2016 UNITY “25 Under 25” Award.

“We were trying to aim at those folks who were interested in questions of ecology and conservation but didn’t know how to deal with these questions about racism and settler colonialism, how to think about what that might mean in terms of place names and parks.”

Cultural geographer and ethnic studies professor Natchee Blu Barnd discusses “Words Are Monuments,” a quantitative analysis of 2,000 National Park place-names categorized according to various forms of settler-colonial violence.

More info: http://WordsAreMonuments.org

“The place names you see on a visitor map aren’t just meaningless. They hold power and they tell a story. What stories are they telling? Are they stories that represent justice or do they represent oppression?”

Ecologist Bonnie McGill, PhD, discusses “Words Are Monuments,” a quantitative analysis of 2,000 National Park place-names categorized according to various forms of settler-colonial violence.

More info: http://WordsAreMonuments.org

“We talk about colonial powers coming in and renaming the world around us. It’s like cutting a ribbon. It’s an attempt to destroy your relationship with that place, that power that’s there. It’s part of that genocidal policy, to destroy who we are within. Because who we are inside reflects how we relate to earth outside. And if you have a belief system where the earth deserves to be respected, it structures the way you think and you feel.”

Lummi Nation elder, organizers, and Master Carver Jewell James discusses how place-names and language serve to structure a way of relating to the world around us.

More info: http://WordsAreMonuments.org