The WINTER SOLSTICE
Reflections, gratitude, and intentions from our INDIGENOUS LED family
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the timepoint in which we are furthest from the Sun. We experience our shortest day and our longest night—a liminal space in both the physical and spiritual realms.
Cultures throughout history have celebrated the winter solstice through gathering, storytelling, and gift-giving. In keeping with these expressions of relationship, we have collected stories and meditations from across our constellation of partnership to share with our INDIGENOUS LED family.
We invite you to join in this tradition with us as we turn the final page of our 2023 calendar. Let’s share together in reflection on the year past, gratitude for the gifts received, and intention for the year to come.
We are so thankful for each and every one of you.
Sara Little Bear, Youth Programs Coordinator, INDIGENOUS LED
HOW CAN WE HOLD SPACE FOR OUR YOUTH?
“This year we got so much great work done with our Youth, including launching our first pilot Youth Camps, which will go on in 2024. I am so grateful for everyone who contributed to these programs.
In the new year I want to find out how we can do more for our young people. How can we hold space for our Youth across all of our programs?”
Ethan Running Crane, Blackfoot Youth
WE TOO ARE LEARNING TO BE OURSELVES AGAIN
“This work means a lot to me I work with the Inniwa (buffalo) everyday. I get to see how amazing these animals are and I’m constantly learning from them and building that spiritual relationship we still have with them but maybe not as strong as it was pre-colonialism.
This past year the releasing of the few buffalo into Chief Mountain as a free roaming herd was the first step for these animals getting back to what they once were and what’s in their DNA. They are learning to be themselves, just like my people. We almost died out and almost lost our way of life and ceremonies and language. We too are learning to be ourselves again, just like the buffalo, and it’s crucial for both our survival in this world.
The new year brings endless opportunities and I look forward to the strategies we come up with to help buffalo once again roam free on sahkoom (earth) in large numbers.”
Kate Burgess, Conservation Program Manager, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
Moving beyond wonk
“Partnering with Indigenous Led on the restoration and rematriation of iinnii (Buffalo) has been more gift than work. This keystone relative—as Cristina puts it—has been teaching us to move beyond wonk to consider how other ways of knowing can and should be central to conservation policy and decision making. Good relations, reciprocity, curiosity, and a sense of urgency rivaling that of a migratory gait will continue to guide our work with state lawmakers into 2024. We’re grateful for the support of the donors, partners, and friends that have given us the chance to do this important work.”
Jordan Kennedy, Science Director, INDIGENOUS LED
I AM APPRECIATIVE OF THE REciprocal exchange
“The solstice, to me, evokes memories of feeding cows while the sun was starting to set on a snow-covered plain. We would load up a large round bail onto the back of my dad's diesel truck. I would stand behind him as he backed the truck closer to the hay bail, waving my hands in a number of gestures: "come," "slow," "almost," and then "stop." He would then lower the hydraulic pincher which, with me, would communicate when the center of the bail was aligned with the large hooks.
I remember the intense cold of my cheeks, how the chill of the air would permeate through my lined overalls, and the intense pleasure of running back into the cab of the truck where the heater was blasting. The entire herd of cows would crowd the truck as we drove out onto the prairie to roll out the bail. My dad and I discussed the individual cows. The one who he would turn into hamburger in the spring because she was willful and would not be contained by a fence. The good moms, the bad moms, the dumb ones, and the ones too smart for their good, the one cow who calved-out way earlier than the rest and had her baby following her as she followed the truck. The old matriarch that he would never sell and who, he promised, would die peacefully on the land despite her not having calves over the last three years because she kept the rest of the herd alive by knowing where to winter, she would teach the younger heifers how to raise their calves and lead the herd on the path between the winter and summer pastures.
The cattle would rush directly behind the bail as hay was deposited on the ground—and by this point, I could recognize all of them as individuals, with unique faces, personalities, distinct gates, ages, and stories. And when the bail fell off the hooks, my dad would send me out to manually unroll the rest of the bail. It was still heavy and I would take a running start, and using my momentum, I could get it to roll. The cows would moo at me, encouraging me to hurry up. By the time I got back into the truck, my toes would start to numb and a layer of sweat would form on my back which was exacerbated by the still-basting heat inside the cab of the truck.
I am grateful that the relationship I developed with the cattle on my dad's ranch taught me to see the powerful individual that resides in all animals. I am appreciative of the reciprocal exchange in nourishing those who would one day become my food. I am grateful I can take this perspective with me into all the work I do as I think about and study how beavers build, how buffalo navigate, or ponder the symbiosis between vibrant ecosystems and traditional food pathways. I never thought I would have a job that encouraged me to think deeply about the animal experience, particularly in the context of my cultural upbringing: to take my observations, to take data, and to articulate those experiences into words. I extend my gratitude for the privilege of lending my voice to the chorus advocating for fellow species, acknowledging the benefactors whose support has made this journey possible.”
Jordan R.M. Kennedy, Ph.D is Science Director for INDIGENOUS LED.
She studies beaver and buffalo through an interdisciplinary approach, emphasizing the braiding of knowledge systems.
Learn more about Braided Science here.
Laurie Hedges, Filmmaker
I AM GRATEFUL TO LISTEN AND LEARN
“Working as a filmmaker, I am grateful that I have the option to listen and learn from so many incredible people. And in the coming year, I hope to do more of that. To keep my ears and my mind open and just listen to the ideas, the perspectives, the knowledge, the history that so many people across the globe, from diverse backgrounds have.
This past year, I had the opportunity to listen to people from Rwanda, the Blackfoot Nation, Indonesia, Sweden and the UK. Next year, I hope to improve as a storyteller to translate these and many other stories into the films they deserve to be in.”
Jake Rayapati, Program Manager, INDIGENOUS LED
Intention of Compassion
“On this Winter Solstice, I want to offer heartfelt gratitude to our partners and supporters. We are grateful for your belief in INDIGENOUS LED and our shared vision of eco-cultural healing.
Reflecting on the hustle and bustle of the past year, I am struck by the moments of clarity that jump out of my memory - moments rooted in the relationships that are so deeply centered in our work: storytelling around good food, celebrating success with community, mourning with community, sharing books, sharing laughter, and helping each other up when we stumble.
In this New Year, I will frame my goals within a deeper intention of compassion—compassion for myself, compassion for others, and compassion for the world that we share.”
Amy Lewis, Chief Executive Officer, The WILD Foundation
WELCOMING THE RESPONSIBILITiES
“This year, I'm grateful for my responsibilities to WILD's many partners, allies, friends, and donors, and to the wider and wilder community of lifeforms in our planetary community. While we often think of responsibility as a burden, being endowed with responsibility is also a sign of trust, and an opportunity to discover and demonstrate both our personal capacity as well as our commitment to our respective communities. I, and the WILD team, welcome the responsibilities we have been given by others, and hope to honor their trust by respecting and fulfilling our commitments to our wild communities.”
Cristina Mormorunni, Director, INDIGENOUS LED
It’s about we
“It's about we. If everyone can start to see who they are in the we — and if we can do it from a place of love, relationship, collaboration and respect — that's how we turn things around.
What if we all lean in and dedicate ourselves to seeing 30 million buffalo thundering across these lands again?”
Thank you, INDIGENOUS LED family. We look forward to more collaboration, laughter, and love in the new year—not to mention changing the world.
If you would like to support INDIGENOUS LED this giving season, please find more information and instructions on our Donate page. We are so thankful for your generous support.
See you in 2024!