TODAY IS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY!!
History, sadly, is often written by the victors. The settlers. The conquerors.
Today, HIS STORY is widening to better reflect HER STORY, THEIR STORY, OUR STORY.
And what is the victors story of today?
That a LAND was discovered by thoughtful explorers on a ship and welcomed into existence as a NATION over handshakes and Turkey dinners. American history, it is said, begins with a man on a ship.
The present, thankfully, is written by a much broader community. Those left in the wake of decisions made long before our time. The storytellers, the truth-bearers, the curious ones all peeling back the layers of time to set free history.
And on this day, create space for THE INDIGENOUS STORY.
That a land and people and way of being existed long before ships. That nations numbering in the hundreds flourished and fought and migrated and hunted and gathered and lived for countless generations back.
That tradition, belief, knowledge and wisdom flourished in our hills before the arrival of ships. That stewardship existed before ownership.
That nothing was discovered. Rather, everything forever interrupted. Genocide, relocation, removal, assimilation, Westernization.
Today, and each day that follows, our future will be written by those we teach, instruct, and invite to guide the generation that follows.
On this day, explore the broader story of who we are as a Nation. Understand the past, take note of our role in the present, and co create a more inclusive, diverse, and representative future.
We honor the storytellers Darren Parry @shoshoneelder and many others on our shore who help guide our connection and contribution to the NW Shoshone past, present and future within these hills.
