Communal Care and Wellness

• Read: "Indigenous Environmental Education for Cultural Survival" — Leanne Simpson discusses how traditional environmental practices sustain cultural identity.
• Watch: Gather (dir. Sanjay Rawal) — A documentary on Native American food sovereignty, resilience, and environmental activism.
• Listen: "Seeds of Our Ancestors" (Toasted Sister Podcast) — An episode from Toasted Sister Podcast that delves into the importance of seed preservation in Indigenous communities.
• Experience: Take a walk around campus, notice how many different plants and animals you notice. Do you know their names or types? Revisit the same plants over time to build a relationship.
  • Document your observations: What patterns emerge? How might this practice of attention become a form of personal ecological archiving?
• Make: Design a Three Sisters Garden Plan, incorporating the traditional Native planting of corn, beans, and squash.
  • Research the significance and agricultural methods.
  • Create a layout that follows companion planting principles.
  • Develop a seasonal care guide and document Indigenous agricultural wisdom.
  • Consider: How is agricultural knowledge preserved and transmitted? What is lost when these practices are not documented or practiced?

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How do Indigenous practices in land stewardship differ from other approaches to environmental management—and how are these knowledge systems preserved or threatened?
• What role does communal care play in environmental sustainability? How might these insights inform local community practices and what gets remembered?

• Read: "American Indian Religious Freedom Act: 40 Years Later" — Reflections on the act’s legacy and its impact on spiritual practices.
• Watch: "Indigenous Healing: Mindy, Body, Spirit” (National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center)— A documentary exploring holistic wellness approaches within Indigenous communities.
• Listen: "Whole Family Wellness" (All My Relations Podcast)
• Experience: Attend a workshop on traditional medicines facilitated by an Indigenous healer, focusing on the role of balance and holistic well-being.
• Make: Start a personal wellness journal inspired by Indigenous perspectives on balance.
  • Noting daily practices or reflections that foster mind-body harmony.
  • Consider this journal as your own archive: What patterns do you notice over time? What knowledge are you preserving about your own well-being?

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• What aspects of Indigenous wellness practices resonate with your own approaches to self-care?
• How does a focus on spiritual and community well-being differ from mainstream wellness practices—and whose knowledge systems are typically centered or erased?
• What might it mean to document practices of wellness and care for future generations?

• Read:
  • "Race, Colonialism, and the Politics of Indian Sports Names and Mascots: The Washington Football Team Case” —A critical analysis of cultural appropriation in sports.
  • Northwestern Library’s curated resources on Indigeneity and sports – A collection of materials on the cultural, social, and political implications of sports in Indigenous communities.
• Watch: Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation (dir. Peter Baxter) — A documentary that highlights the cultural significance of lacrosse for the Iroquois Nationals and their journey in international competitions.
• Listen: Indigenous athletes are reviving an ancient sport in San Diego
• Experience: Make it a watch-and-learn party! Host a watch-and-reflect gathering with friends. Provide prompts for everyone to write down reflections after the documentary.

 💬 Reflection Prompts:

• What cultural values are expressed in Indigenous sports, and how do these differ from mainstream perspectives on athleticism and competition?
• How can sports be a medium for preserving cultural identity in Indigenous communities? What stories get told through athletic practice?
• What happens when cultural practices are documented or commodified by outsiders?
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• Read: "Indigenous Food Systems: Concepts, Cases, and Conversations," Liza Grandia — Explores various Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives and traditional foodways.
• Watch:
  • “Cooking With Indigenous Ingredients: A Day With The Sioux Chef” (America’s Test Kitchen)
  • “Native American Food Sovereignty Explained” (A People’s History, PBS)
  • “What Is an Indigenous Kitchen” (Sovereign Innovations, PBS)
• Listen:
  • "Food Sovereignty" episode from Native America Calling
  • “Food Sovereignty: A Growing Movement” (All My Relations Podcast)
• Experience: Attend the Mitchell Museum’s Benefit Gala on November 16th with Chef Sean Sherman! Visit a local Indigenous farmers market or food sovereignty project to learn about traditional ingredients, or talk with vendors about their work in food sovereignty.
• Make: Try a traditional recipe, such as:
  • Strawberry and Wild Rice Tartlets
  • Wojapi (Dakota Berry Sauce)
  • Popped Wild Rice
  • Document your cooking process and reflect: How do recipes function as archives of cultural knowledge? What stories does food tell?

💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How do traditional foodways connect to broader cultural and environmental values? What knowledge is preserved through culinary practices?
• In what ways might food sovereignty contribute to individual and community resilience—and how is culinary knowledge documented and transmitted?
• What opportunities for supporting Indigenous-led initiatives exist in your community?

• Read:
  • "Indigenous Struggles, Environmental Justice, and Community Capabilities,” David Schlosberg, David Carruthers — An analysis of how Indigenous struggles for environmental justice reflect broader community values and capabilities.
  • *As Long as the Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock,* Dina Gilio-Whitaker — Chronicles historical and contemporary Indigenous environmental justice movements, focusing on sovereignty and resistance.
  • “Re-centering Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Change Discourse,” Jessica Hernandez — Explores the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into climate change discussions and policy.
• Watch:
  • Awake: A Dream of Standing Rock (dir. Josh Fox) — A documentary on the resistance at Standing Rock and its impact on the environmental justice movement.
  • “Rise: From One Island to Another” — A poetic encounter between Indigenous activists from the Marshall Islands and Greenland, spotlighting the shared impacts of rising sea levels.
  • Indigenous Artists Use Technology to Tell Stories About Their Ancestral Lands — Indigenous artists use tech to illustrate climate resilience and cultural heritage.
• Listen: “Jason Baldes on Buffalo and Land Rematriation” (For the Wild Podcast)
• Play: “Thunderbird Strike: A Lightening Searing Sidescroller” — In this 2D sidescroller, embody the mythological Thunderbird, flying from the Tar Sands to the Great Lakes to protect Turtle Island with searing lightning and challenge extractive industries.

💬 Reflection Prompts:

• How does the game's narrative make you feel about the environmental challenges facing Indigenous lands? What role does storytelling play in preserving these struggles?
• How does the meeting of two Indigenous poets in Rise create a powerful statement on climate solidarity—and how might such encounters be documented for future movements?
• Reflect on the role of art and technology in preserving and communicating Indigenous connections to land. How might these mediums shape what is remembered?
• What capabilities, both tangible and intangible, do Indigenous communities bring that are often overlooked in dominant environmental narratives?
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