During ceremony on the fall equinox of 2015, when I receive an eagle feather and spirit name, Elder Jimmy told me something that had an equally profound impact on the way I view relationships.
"You are the land." - Elder Jimmy O'Chiese - Sept 21, 2015
I know most people struggle to comprehend what that really means and the impacts those four words have on how we live our lives. It has a profound roll in our relationships and I felt inspired to share what I've found on my journey to explore what he said and what it actually means.
Tiger Lily flower - petals are edible.
When we look at land, most people see a spot to build a house or shop and perhaps even room to play. What I see is earth, plants, animals, water, air and an extremely complex web of relationships between them all. All the cells in my body came from the environment upon which I live. While some cells in my body are replaced rather quickly, others take longer and some last the entire life of my vessel. But every single cell in my body was built using nutrients that came from the food my mother ate while built my vessel or I ate after it was born.
As I eat the petals on this Tiger Lily flower, it sacrifices itself to sustain my vessel. Over time the vast majority of my vessel would have replaced itself with the nutrients I gathered from the land. How can I possibly see myself as being separate from the land when my vessel is completely formed with the building blocks found on the land?
Now imagine my wife, who lives side-by-side with me and her vessel being sustained by the same land. If I truly love myself and love her, it demands that I do everything I can to love and care for the land. Since every cell in our vessels is sustained by what we gather or harvest off the land, it demands that we care for and steward the land as it is an extension of who we are. There is no separation any longer as we are intimelty connected and dependent upon the land. I cannot look at the land without looking at myself. I cannot look at myself without looking at the land.
Elder Jimmy O'Chiese is right, I AM the land!
Now my view of these relationships all change and in a deeply profound way. The ancestors of my nêhiyawin brothers and sisters have been here for thousands of years while mine were here for 371. Despite that, our vessels are made of this land. We share this land and our vessels are this land. We are brothers and sisters of the same Mother! Because I love myself, it demands that I do what I can to steward and love the land. It is my way to show my love for all life as we are all of the same body. Mother Earth is but one body and we all belong to that vessel.
As a result, we create ceremony and protocols to honour, respect and provide sacred stewardship for Mother Earth. I take my stewardship duties VERY seriously. Imagine what it would be like when strangers force their way onto the land. They don't share the same relationships, reverence or responsibilities. Instead they view the land as a commodity. They see themselves separate from the land and as such, they have no issues taking what they want, selling it off to the highest bidder and taking full advantage of all that is here. On top of that, they are more than willing to own the land because they see themselves as being completely disconnected from the land. Ownership is about control, conquest and colonization.
Imagine how you would feel if somebody did that to something you felt was sacred. How would you feel if somebody walked up to you and claimed ownership of your own body and forced you to do things that went against your spirit and beliefs. It is a profound violation on the level of rape and assault. We have experienced that here as well and the experience really highlighted just how deeply connected to the land the nêhiyawin and I feel with this land. That is why my brother Sweetgrass Sitting Bear said to me after the ceremony:
I have never experienced any racial difference in the pigmentation of our DNA in our interactions and relationship building. For that I will always see you as I AM and you are ME. We are the same in this humanity struggle. Those building blocks and the intention in our relationship our spirits will always be connected. That is what treaty was intended for .... Love you.
Part of the decolonization process is for us all to reconnect to the land in a meaningful, intimate, spiritual way. When we recognize that the land upon which we sustain our vessels is sacred, even walking upon the land requires reverence, respect and protocol. Asking for permission to even enter land that a family stewards has significant meaning. Following the stewards protocols and ceremony is one way of showing respect when visiting. If we fail to honour the stewards we end up trespassing and showing disrespect. Land ownership is slavery. Controlling land using legal constructs is slavery. If we want to be free, we not only need to change our views but also let go of the fictional constructs we have used for thousands of years.
My Eagle Feather (White Walking Feather) September 21, 2015
When people disrespect us when they visit, I feel trespassed against the moment they drive up. My spirit screams in pain as they do what ever they want with no regard for the land, us or the relationships we have built over the years. What is most sad is that they are completely blind to the pain they cause because they are justified in their actions. Some of them still engage in genocide by adopting or fostering indigenous children. It is a conflict that is very difficult to resolve due to their own blindness and entitlement. I now comprehend a little bit more about how the nêhiyawin feel. We work hard to be proper stewards because we have found the type of relationship they have with the land. The trespassers have not figured it out yet.
We are the land! As such it is our duty to steward the land. Even scripture supports this idea.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen 2:7
Our bodies are literally made up of the dust of the ground (Mother Earth) and our spirit comes from Creator. Together we are man, made in our image. The moment we start to honour and respect that relationship, our relationship with all other life starts to change. But if we continue to claim ownership and use force or coercion to access, rape or pillage the land, we will continue to be confronted and rebuked for our actions. That violence will no longer be tolerated and I don't care what legal or fictional protocols or excuses you use. On this day when millions celebrate 526 years of colonization, violence, disrespect and ownership of the northern half of Turtle Island, I reaffirm my commitment to proper stewardship as I must protect this land as well. Not only for us, but for the ancestors that lived here before us and future generations that will come after us. We are all connected and must share this sacred land in honour, peace, freedom, prosperity, joy and love.
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