Diane Brown, known as GwaaG̱anad, has lived her life in close relation with the land, waters and wildlife of Haida Gwaii. The remote cluster of more than 150 islands is about 80 miles off the coast of what is now British Columbia. It’s where Diane grew up speaking only Haida, …
Elder Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez – Brief Life Narrative Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez a fourth-generation Tewa traditional potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo in northern New Mexico was well nurtured by matriarchal ancestors Maria and Julian Martinez. Not only was she nurtured in the art of the distinctive black ware pottery, …
The Spirit Aligned Leadership Program welcomed a new circle of Legacy Leaders during its Spring Gathering at Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico. From left: Jennie Seminole Parker, Kathleen Sanchez, Sharon Day, Thelma Whiskers, Faith Spotted Eagle, Onita Bush, and Diane Brown. Missing: Maxine Wildcat Barnett. Photo by Matika Wilbur …
Barbara Poley, (Laguna/Hopi), has seeded the Hopi way of life over decades of community-minded dedication. She instills the ancestral values formed on the mesas through ceremonial cycles, clan relationships, and dry farming into daily contemporary life so that culture remains vibrant and central. Dry farming corn teaches that living in …
Dr. Henrietta Mann, (Tsetsehestahese), has brilliantly and energetically bridged Western educational settings with traditional, spiritual ways of being. She extends the roots of who she is and where she comes from no matter where she is in the world, creating loving and encouraging spaces of strength for people around her. …
Jan Kahehti:io Longboat, (Kanien’keha:ka), draws in the love of Mother Earth to heal trauma. She inherited a deep sense of peace and cultured skills from her grandmother that form her philosophy that “the circle (Tekaneren) just keeps going round and round, tying all our words, actions, expressions, purposes, and stages …
Lenora Naranjo-Morse, (Kha’ P’o Owenge), was deeply influenced by her mother, Rose, in the Tewa view of life that brings a sense of wholeness. She has been immersed in the spiritual practices that bring life through the womb into being a complete human being. Lenora Naranjo-Morse is a contemporary artist …
Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, (Oceti Sakowin), strives to live by her women teachers’ sacred instructions – wahwoptetusni (to be uniquely steadfast), shakica (to be physically strong and beautiful), and wagluhtapi (to offer sacred food in ceremony). Realizing her leadership in Sun Dance throughout her world, Loretta moves community towards …
Louise Wakerakats:se Herne, (Kanien’keha:ka), illuminates the journey for many to regenerate love for themselves, their children, and their people. A condoled Mohawk Bear Clan Mother, she pulls the threads of ancient matrilineal knowledge from Sky Woman’s origins to the present. Louise activates ceremony as a way of being and knowing …
Sarah Agnes James, (Neets’aii Gwich’in), sings a caribou welcome song to educate the world. She encourages all of us to “learn from each other and go forward for the Earth, so we can live.” Sarah is inseparable from the far northern world of interior Alaska. Her mother, father, and grandparents …
