To Our Relatives,
These are prophetic times. Our cultural teachings and stories speak of challenging days ahead where we have to gather strength to move forward together and ensure the future of our People, our lands, and our cherished lifeways. This is where many of us find ourselves today.
As many of us process the election results, we recognize the overwhelming emotions that so many of us are feeling. From rage and disappointment, to fear and uncertainty, it is all valid. Weāve been here before. Weāve experienced a similar shock to the election results of 2016. We were challenged, we endured those four years after, and weāre still here.
We also survived life-changing events like the COVID-19 pandemic which still lingers with us, the war in Ukraine, a slew of natural disasters, a warming climate, ongoing extraction and destruction of our lands, and the genocide in Gaza, which is worsening by the day. We lived through over 500 years of colonization, and weāre still here. Because we carry the strength of our Ancestors, we always live to fight another day.
Our opponent for the next four years has been chosen, and we know their playbookā all 887 pages of Project 2025. Weāve seen the damage they are capable of. But we lean into what we also know to be even more true, and that is what our People and our movements are capable of.
While we grapple with the very real heaviness that comes with the threats posed by a Trump presidency or the frustrations with this so-called democracy, we never forget that this system was not made for us. The United States would not even exist as a country without centuries of genocide and lies, slavery and racism, oppression and exploitation.
It is for all of these reasons that we know that no American President can ever truly represent us nor our best interests. Regardless of who is in office, the settler colonial project will continue to deny its own violent past, silence Indigenous Peoples, and target Indigenous lands and resources worldwide, because this is exactly who the United States is. Even still, we cannot let fear or anger immobilize us as we imagine what the next four years may bring. But we can give space to feel, to process, and be human. Amidst all of this, our resilience, our strategizing, and organizing cannot and will not stop because a new administration is coming in.
As Indigenous Peoples, we are indebted to our Ancestors, our children, and the generations who will come after us. So we must stay grounded.
We must continue to survive, organize, and fight. Over the years our movements have grown as the People have risen up. We have to keep that momentum and strategize, strategize, strategize! Now is the time for us to play out all scenarios, hone in on our targets, and identify our tactics. We have so much to fight for and protect.
We also find solace in the resounding truth that the movement is powerful, and our fight for the liberation of ALL people continues. We stay committed to protecting our People, defending the land and water, and organizing to change the conditions for a better world and a future that we all deserve. This includes building and growing our own regenerative economies on our own lands for the livelihood of our People, building authentic coalitions that donāt just seek out a partisan vote for status quo ābusiness as usual,ā but coalitions that fortify real change in our own communities while building up a true multi-racial democracy. This includes restoring and protecting womenās reproductive rights, migrant rights, and the human rights of our LGBTQ+ Two Spirit relatives.
Take courage, Relatives. Our People, children, grandchildren, and future generations depend on us.
As organizers, practitioners, and every day relatives who love our People, the land, and our way of life, we are all in the places weāre supposed to be, doing the best we can for today and for the future. Never forget our Ancestors have given us the skills and knowledge to stand strong and face challenges like this.
Keep doing the work! Continue leaning in to our teachings and our love for each other. When hateful rhetoric heightens with the new presidency, let our love and collective resolve be louder.
In the coming days, weeks, and months, itās going to be critical that we take the time to check in with one another. Strengthen and deepen our relationships with each other. Thereās no better time than now to stay grounded in community and our cultural values. In moments of stress and trauma, itās not uncommon to feel alone or to feel isolated. If this is you, you are not alone. Make that phone call, check in with your people. We must take radically good care of ourselves and each other.
We must also be in the space of these questions: What does collective care look like for your community? How can we lean into mutual aid, capacity building, and skill-sharing within our shared communities? If thereās a gap, what organizing can take place to create the collective networks of support that are needed? These are the reflections that will keep us moving forward and sustaining our movements and our communities.
Today and all days, we hold the strength of our Ancestors closeā those who endured unimaginable conditions with a resolve and tenacity to protect future generations and ensure that we would all still be here today. They struggled and yet still built a future for us. Remember them as you press forward. Their blood is our blood. Breathe in their strength and carry it with you.
From the Lakota translation of a song shared with us by Jonathon Old Horse, āI am a warrior. Whatever is difficult, that is mine to do.ā
As we all do our best in the days ahead, remember that we are our Ancestorsā answered prayers. Remember that we are Warriors!
In deep solidarity,
NDN Collective
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Resources:
VIDEO | “Vote Like a Radical“
BLOG | “Voting Like a Radical and Honoring the Complexities of Organizing for Justice”