Fall Equinox Edition 2021, "Sacred Relationship" (Vance Blackfox, guest editor)
Osiyo Tsunalii. What a gift it has been to think about Sacred Relationships and working with incredible young women to piece together and curate a new story for the readers of AllCreation.org. I am so impressed with the work that each of these young women are doing out in the world to make Creation a better places for the sake of our Mother (Earth), for our non-human relatives, and even for me and you other humans--especially our little ones who are coming up after us.
I am excited for you all to read our centerpiece from Kim Smith (Diné), whose passion and activist voice in this piece I refused to mess with in any way. She brings us so close to the earth and explains how western society's trashiness has no place here. Instead we are Love on the Land.
Our featured podcast for this issue is with Janene Yazzie (Diné), yet another tremendous activist and organizer for Creation and her peoples. Janene brings the truth and shares her wisdom with us in this power podcast moment, so you will want to listen and listen closely.
There are many non-Indigenous people who don't understand Indigenous peoples’ relationships with spirit beings. And while Isabell Retamoza (Cherokee) has focused her work for this issue on Deer Woman, her brilliant assessment of gender and the role Deer Woman plays for us in Indian Country is just that...brilliant.
And finally Amber Morning Star Byars (Choctaw and Chickasaw) gives us an epic peek at her time recently spent on the ground at Line 3 in what is now known as northern Minnesota, at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, where the fight for clean and healthy water--free of oil and oil lines--is being tended by our warriors and water protectors. Water is life!
You will witness here that they are not only deep thinkers and courageous intellects, but they also share their warmth and hearts with us, as they help us rethink our relationship with Mother and the sacred beings we share her with. They are feet to dirt, closer to the ground than most, and we are blessed in this moment to read their work here.
We hope that you learn something in this edition, whether it is from one of our contributors or from the excerpts and video that we've made available. However, we also hope that you will go beyond this digital magazine to continue learning more on your own and not always feel the need to arrest a Native person into the feeling that they must always hold space for you. There will be time for learning more from Native individuals directly, but you must learn on your own first--just like we had to learn about you and all of our other sacred relationships.
Wado,
Vance Blackfox
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Table of Contents
Sacred Relationship
Fall Equinox, 2021
Overview and Introduction - Guest editor, Vance Blackfox
Love on the Land - Keynote by Kim Smith
On “Right Relationship” - An interview with Janene Yazzie
I Am the River - Amber Morning Star Byars
The Deer Woman and A Collective Return to Equality - Isabell Retamoza
On “Sacred Relationship” - An interview with Vance Blackfox
The World We Used to Live In (excerpt) - Vine Deloria, Jr.
Braiding Sweetgrass (excerpt) - Robin Wall Kimmerer
There There (excerpt) - Tommy Orange
Sargasm is Sacred - Vance Blackfox
The Refuge - Gwich'in People of Alaska / Patagonia
Native Reads - Vance Blackfox
