There are Four Sacred MountainsWhite, Yellow, Blue, BlackWe must jump each one of themBecause we can woven prayer by Alta from the dream of Cynthia New Holy Spirit Aligned Leadership Program works to support essential partnerships of Indigenous women Elders who transfer their cultural values, knowledge, and experience to younger…
Legacy Leader Serena Francis (Mi’kmaq) and Future Legacy Leader Susan Bernard (Mi’kmaq) held ceremony, space, and brought together community members of all ages to honor, remember, and grieve the 215 children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. They Found Us We made 215 cutouts, of hearts and circles. I attached…
I wanted to take this time to reflect on what treaties means to me. I begin by expressing my gratitude, to my ancestries and for the system they used that kept the memory of the signing of treaties alive. I acknowledge and praise the oral tradition that has been in…
We celebrate the life of gOlaha bOshET (Maxine Wildcat Barnett) as she is surrounded by the love of her community. Maxine’s goal was to ensure the Yuchi language was passed to the next generations. She effectuated her legacy using the Spirit Aligned Leadership Program to sustain and support her efforts.…
I had entered this door that was going to give me a lot of information, a lot of heartache, a lot of anger. These words encapsulate the experience of Nora Noranjo Morse when creating a public piece of art for the city of Albuquerque. Nora was invited to join two other…
The major turning points for me are that I could have died, but I didn’t. Three life threatening events brought Circle Two Legacy Leader Kathy Sanchez to a time of deep soul searching. She asked herself why she was spared set about examining her life and her cultural values. This…
During her tenure as an employee with the Hopi Tribal Government, Barbara Poley made an insightful observation. She determined the need to build both capacity and leadership among the Hopi tribal membership to better serve the Hopi people. This was the beginning of her inspiration to build a program to…
August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, in honor of the day in 1920 when women were first guaranteed the right to vote in the United States. But this equality has not always been extended to Native women. It wasn’t until 1962 when all Native women in the U.S. were guaranteed…
By: Hilistis Pauline Waterfall There’s a Heiltsuk child in me whose growth stopped at the age of 12 and doesn’t know a Heiltsuk adulthood. Conversely, there’s a White adult in me who started to grow at the age of 12 but doesn’t know a White childhood. I left home at…
Last night, I learned more about the unspeakable and unimaginable crime rendered against innocent children whose remains were found near the Kamloops Indian Residential School. It’s 5:30 a.m. and I can’t sleep. My finger has come out of my emotional dam and tears flow with deep sadness. The discovery of…
