Indigenous People's Day
Today is Indigenous People’s Day. A day created to celebrate and honor Native American Peoples and commemorate their histories and culture. As the owner of a local restaurant that recognizes holidays on our social media, it felt important to recognize Indigenous People’s Day. In this post, I hope to acknowledge my gratitude for the natural wisdom of the land gifted to us from Native people. I am not an academic but only a woman whose spiritual practice is to feed people. I fell in love with soil many decades ago, when I realized the soil is precious and requires conscious tending. Soil is how crops derive their nutrition. Owner Dick Peixoto of Lakeside Organic Gardens has a saying, “We farm the soil and the soil farms the crops”. Nutrient dense soil that grows our veggies is essential for the organic vegetables we serve at Charlie Hong Kong.
The wisdom of Native People towards the land has been instilled in us and we owe gratitude to native intelligence. I am humbled by my ignorance. As a lover of the land, I glean wisdom from Native people how to live a righteous life, respecting the natural world around me. I imagine plaques displayed on buildings, honoring the native tribes that once live on the land.
This morning, I open the door to my patio on this glorious early fall day. I step outside under the blue sky and notice two large magnificent deer next to each other, in the lower garden behind the large red flax. They lift their heads simultaneously, look directly into my eyes. They have lovely large antlers. I wave at them and just like that in their graceful dance leap away. How fortunate to have this encounter with the natural world. I walk across the patio to take in the warmth of the morning. I glance down to spy a tiny lizard scurry under an outdoor carpet then out again. The prehistoric looking lizard, aware of my presence, stops moving suspended, as we commune, human to lizard. Thinking about the native people who lived here long before me, I accept both encounters as Native American medicine.
A stunning film has been created to share this Native Americans story, to rebuild their food systems to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty. Below is a Synopsys of the film:
In traditional times, food in Indigenous North American communities was as far away as the forest, plains, desert, sea or garden in the village. Modern ways of life and challenges have taken us away or — in some cases — barred us from our food sources. But we, as Indigenous people, continue to return to our places of origin, including our food. Through GATHER, film partner and co-producer First Nations Development Institute aims to further build international awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the Native American food movement, which will ultimately bolster the support in improving policy and the regulatory environment for long-term sustainability. Enjoy the trailer, Gather. If you would like to see more, you can rent or buy the movie here.
In gratitude for shared wisdom,
Carolyn