: Episode 95 Geneen Marie Haugen. It leaves room at the table for processes to happen because if we knew everything and if we could mimic nature, theres no imagination thats needed, theres no room for surprises, and theres no room for some of the beauty that happens by happenstance. Decolonizing Permaculture - Resilience People with more privilege than me have blown me off, forgotten to pay me, plagiarized my work, used my name to sell a PDC without hiring me to teach it, and even, as in the case with RealFarmacy and their smarmy Grow Food, Not Lawns Facebook page, tried to steal my trademark through the US Patent & Trademark Office. Indigenous Land Acknowledgement | Earth Activist Training But its a fallacy to think that we can imitate a system that has been in existence for hundreds of thousands if not millions of years. Tyson is a two-hearted and two-spirited person descended from the local indigenous matriarchy called the (A-ni-gi-lo-hi) based here in their aboriginal territory most commonly known as the Great Smoky Mountainsides. It was a topic whose initial catalyst came from Rafter Sass Fergusons article, Critical Questions, Early Answers, which is an overview of the permaculture movement. This idea of exploitation puts us in the position that we have to manage everything with the right to commodify things that should never be commodified. We need people to understand why its important to have healthy soil and why its important that you have a healthy root system that sequesters water. All permaculture design begins with 'Observe and Interact', but even this step doesn't taking into consideration the history of the land, its peoples and the. Have you been able to provide some indigenous perspective to that process? Many of them continue to resist the process of settler colonization and assimilation. Whitewashed Hope - Resilience Because some people have more financial means than others, we have created a sliding scale fee system to accommodate a range of economic realities. I help to facilitate and teach Permaculture Design Certification courses (PDCs) here in Maine and sometimes in Boston, partnering with the Resilience Hub. When you look at the whole of time, it becomes overwhelming. It gives the ethic of People Care teeth. And imagine what I could do now if I had a piece of my own land instead of 80 grand in student debt. Donate your tuition to support our continued work, 90% refund for cancellations prior to 30 days before the start of the program, 50% refund for cancellations prior to 10 days before the start of the program. See the link below for her article and invitation to. We need to give thanks always. EarthShine also includes her Eco-Hood Design-and-Build Project along with Soulstice, which introduces young folks to careers theyve never heard of. In an ideal process here in North America, determining the future of settler people would be a separate process of negotiation between the newly repatriated indigenous governance structure and the settler peoples. We should respect in reverence and allow those unknowns to happen. However, it seems to me that there are ripples of injustice coursing through the permaculture community, manifesting as a pattern of landowners and/or self-proclaimed leaders doing things that hurt, offend, oppress, and devalue others. 4/7/21 - Decolonizing Permaculture. And so when somebody with money, land, and privilege seems eager to help the oppressed, I will bring it up. The course will address the first four permaculture principles through the framework of African land-based wisdom. So, this idea of a fence is just antithetical to the way we view the world. A-DAE: Absolutely. She is now focusing on her writing and on EarthShine, a business that exposes children and teens to the wonders of the natural world. It made the unequal Britain we see today, Why we should abandon the concept of the climaterefugee, When decolonization meets post-capitalism: the third annual post-capitalism conference, From a Dystopian Present to a Gaian Future, Overcoming Colonial Thinking to Connect With Life, Degrowth, Decolonization and Modern Monetary Theory, Political polarization is pushing evangelicals to a historic breaking point, Why You Dont Hear Trump or Farage Talking About the Tech Revolution, What Could Possibly Go Right? The author describes the devastating effects of such research on indigenous peoples and articulates a new Indigenous Research Agenda which aims to replace former Western academic . In an indigenous community, food shortages mean something within that society is awry and has to be fixed. There are a lot of transactions that limit the access that a person has to food. Its a tall order, but I hope that you will embrace the challenge. Thats exactly how I see indigenous food systems. Cochiti people do things differently than Pomo people. My term is coming to an end, and I hope they replace me with another indigenous person, but thats a political process, which is pretty crazy presently. Tyson is a two-hearted and two-spirited person descended from the local indigenous matriarchy called the (A-ni-gi-lo-hi) based here in their aboriginal territory most commonly known as the Great Smoky Mountainsides. colonizer). Wouldnt you do just about anything for them? Call me a socialist, but isnt socialism at its heart just a community coming together? These are a few thoughts Im left with. Wilderness Skills - Santa Cruz Permaculture Magali Merkx-Jacques LinkedIn: 'Beating heart' of Concordia's Another proposal is that we should seek genuine and longstanding relationships with existing First Nations. A-DAE: Yes. But the federal agency said, Theres a fence there, and it says no trespassing. In a literal and legal sense, decolonization brings about the repatriation of Indigenous land and life.[iv] It is important to note here that Native American peoples are not mythical relics of the precolonial or pre-Columbian Americas. If you have access to land use, permaculture allows you to design perennial systems of regenerative food production that are much more resilient than annual-based agricultural systems of food production. To me, it boils down to two things: A view of oneself as somehow superior in knowledge and ability to others, and a lack of the sincere trust that one needs in order to build authentic relationships. How did fences disrupt indigenous food sheds in New Mexico and other places? Decoloniziation For Beginners: Inner And Outer Vision Decoloniziation for Beginners: Inner and Outer Vision Using the land and our tangible environments as the palette of living changes everything. would love to hear your thoughts on this! ARTY: When Europeans came to North America they erected fences. How do we organize for that kind of vision or dream? Well also discuss how to use these principles to transform ourselves, our values, our behaviors, our projects, and our society by interpreting them through a decolonized lens. Is it possible that we can subvert patterns of abuse and oppression by forming honest, lifelong friendships across the divides? Dont use the ethics and principles for excuses to avoid difficult conversationsuse them as tools for navigation. Cherokee) earth-based (non-European) language, and the common uses at Earthaven Ecovillage. Well also discuss how to use these principles to transform ourselves, our values, our behaviors, our projects, and our society by interpreting them through a decolonized lens. As I ruminated on the difference between recruitment, green missionary work, and relevance, I also started to ask how I could use my privilege and agency (as a white cis-male) to be an ally to marginalized Native communities. This concept is complicated by the fact that the ancestors of some settlers of color have been brought here against their will, in the slave trade or as indentured servants. A-DAE: Agriculture, as were told in the American narrative, is the delineating line between civilization and the wild Indians. And if we have privilege and agency within that unjust and atrocious system, we must commit to using that access to dismantle that system. Think about what it means to be a true friend to somebody. Agriculture is usually the delineating line where people talk about civilization and non-civilization or hunter-gatherers and yeoman farmers. Podcast: Decolonization & Sudden Oak Life By Melissa Ott Fant February 15, 2021 Education broadacre permaculture, decolonization, permaculture design course, Sudden Oak Life, traditional ecological knowledge Current PDC student Danielle created two podcast episodes from audio recordings at our Broadscale Permaculture weekend in February 2021. ARTY: You wrote: Indigenous People can look at a landscape and tell if the soil is healthy. Our award-winning radio and podcast series highlighting diverse voices of grassroots leaders. She said, No, what I mean is you need a pitched roof and a picket fence in front of the house. As a community steeped in the ecological design model known as Permaculture, Earthaven is taking a good long look at the ways in which the Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share movement has fallen short on the inclusion of black and brown voices, on addressing systemic injustices, on acknowledging where most land-based wisdom has originated. It started long before that event happened in our country, and regenerative agriculture needs to challenge that narrative that has led us astray thus far. Commitment to Decolonizing Permaculture . Our bi-weekly newsletter provides insights into the people, projects, and organizations creating lasting change in the world. Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, Culture Jamming and Meme-based Communication. https://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm, [ii] Rafter Sass Ferguson, Critical Questions, Early Answers, Permaculture Activist 93 (Autumn 2014): http://liberationecology.org/critical-questions-early-answers/, Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility, The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy 3, no. Im here to learn how to be a good ancestor. I welcome your feedback and look forward to the conversations that will come of this article and others in this pivotal issue. Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture: An Indigenous Perspective Think of it as regenerative design that heals and repairs ecosystems while at the same time producing beneficial yields. Nothing is separate from the other. Full Profile Page. Fair Shares, anyone? As designers of bioculturally diverse ecosystems,[xiv] how can we accomplish our goals of cultural, ecological and economic sustainability without contributing to the erasure of indigenous people and their lived experiences? Lee is a sustainability professional with twenty five years of experience envisioning, designing, and living innovative solutions to organic food systems, intentional community, and sustainability education. Decolonizing Permaculture: Bridging the gap between privilege and In the latest instalment of PP I introduce the topic of decolonizing permaculture. Stories are from readers, activists, designers, teachers, and community organisers across America and around the world to reveal the newest discoveries in ecological systems. They know how to see the health of the soil without needing a microscope. Allan Savory, the founder of holistic livestock management, was criticized by scientists because initially he didnt use scientific metrics to measure his success, but instead he used the overall improved health and biodiversity of the landscape. For instance, my grandpa would take me to the field and tell a story about the last time he saw conditions like this and what his grandparents did. Understanding our place in the universe requires us to actually look at those time frames. In this important book, Linda Tuhiwai Smith meets a formidable challenge. For me, it is a process of learning how I passively benefit from my racial and gender privilege. Decolonizing Permaculture - A Letter From Starhawk Please give generously to support a more resilient and regenerative world. Then come back and try again. The conversation about decolonizing agriculture is about examining the agricultural system and concepts that allow for those injustices to happen. I am here to learn how to be of better service to all people. In collective resources management, a variety of skills are needed because youre not only dealing with people, but youre also dealing with relationships and how to balance those relationships. How can we translate and communicate that to members of our colonial culture who may have forgotten? A-DAE: We need to challenge, as a community, the historical narrative of this country that begins with this idea that the farmer is the true American, and that agriculture is really how our continent was started. Before that, people werent considered agriculturalists. The idea of the picket fence fascinated me. When we plant corn, we dont plant just for us, we plant for the environment around us too. I think nature is our best teacher. Remember the permaculture principles: Respond to feedback; Designer limits the yield; Problems are solutions; Mistakes are tools for learning. How can we tend our own council fires in service to the community? Sovereignty means being free to pursue your dreams, to follow your chosen path, to share, speak, and teach your truths without fear of poverty and persecution. Special thanks to my dear friend Kiarna Boyd for holding me accountable to a high standard and compassionately aiding my evolution in this area. In that sense, I think there is some awareness that there needs to be more inclusion of non-white people in the organic community. The first being the idea of collective resources. It seems to me that the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity, while often connected to the other -isms, is at the core of many of the bad (poorly designed) dynamics in our community. It seems the observation of the tension in considering these questions of land ownership/stewardship in light of this historical and contemporary inheritance is important. Sylvia DiBlasio wrote an article with this title. resilience.org/stories/2016-02-19/decolonizing permaculture. Our intention is to invite proponents of western ecological agriculture (e.g., regenerative ag / permaculture) to go deeper and encourage their peers to go deeperto not just 'take' practices from Indigenous cultures without their context, but to also encompass the deeper Indigenous worldviews inspiring a consciousness shift that hopefully will But we never had enough money for rent. The language of science is very minute, talking about atoms and nutrients and carbon. Website + Marketing Support by Viking Mountain Marketing, Exploring the Permaculture Principles through an Equity Lens. I have had a handful of discussions about decolonization in terms of giving land back to indigenous populations. Decolonizing Permaculture We have to remove the empire from our heads before we can remove the empire from any land base. Sometimes its public benefit; sometimes its through actual cash economy transactions. We need to be relevant. Whenever I get questions about agriculture, I always get a little squirmy because I realize most people are coming from the perspective of the American historical narrative where Indigenous People are excluded. Those stories are the guideposts that need to be laid out before we even start digging into the soil. To me, again, thats a fallacy. Decolonizing Permaculture Whitewashed Hope: A Message from Indigenous Leaders and Organizations on Regenerative Agriculture and Permaculture "Whitewashed Hope" is an open-source document intended for sharing. The biggest difference in contemporary agriculture versus indigenous agriculture is the idea of money. And while that seems progressive or cosmopolitan, are there instances where design principles or techniques associated with permaculture were misappropriated from indigenous peoples without their permission? This article is meant as a primer on decolonization in a contemporary North American context, written specifically for permaculture designers, teachers, activists and gardeners. Decolonizing Permaculture The Eco-Institute at Pickards Mountain Decolonization doesnt have a synonym.. Now imagine what I could have done had I been connected to the right opportunities at a younger age. Full Profile Page. Decolonizing Permaculture: Bridging the gap between privilege and I serve the larger Northeast regional network by being an active participant on the board of PINE, the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast. But it is very much the opposite of what agricultural systems are today, which tries to kill everything except the plant that you want to grow. Full disclosure: I did not buy this one, or a photograph thereof, from an indigenous person. Friendships require vulnerability, compassion, patience, and most of all, effort. We just want you to do something to change it. Photo by AB Brand As Published in issue #98 of Permaculture Design Magazine, November 2015 I became aware of the topic of decolonization a year ago. The list below offers tangible suggestions for how to cultivate real friendships and alliances. My family and I currently reside in occupied Penobscot territory, known as Midcoast Maine in the industrial nation-state known today as the United States (and this too, shall pass). My response to that? Friendships are the building blocks of community. Decolonizing Permaculture Workshop Series - YouTube Decolonizing permaculture June 2, 2022 Public domain The dreamcatcher is one of the most widely appropriated symbols. They are not extinct. And I am asking you to check that luggage at the door, to open your heart and mind to the possibility that these actions will benefit not just you as an individual, but also the global community, in ways that avoiding change and hoarding your privilege wont. So, this idea that science is objective is kind of a fallacy to me because I think science is very much subject to political whims more than anything else. Is it this archetypal need to be the Hero that drives oppressive, patriarchal behaviors? Watch keynote addresses, panel discussions, performances and more from visionary innovators. someone with experience in conveying and working with these kinds of topics. If you identify as BIPOC and would like to receive a full or partial scholarship, please contact us at info@schoolofintegratedliving.org. Decolonization is also about sovereignty. When we farm, were thinking about natural cycles, and how do we become more embedded into those natural systems. I do believe that most people wake up in the morning wanting to be good people and to do good work in the world, regardless of their race, class, gender, age, or what they eat for breakfast. You have to replace that societal indicator with something else. I could go off on politics and science, but Im just going to end there. Indigenous communities embrace the environments that were in. 9/29/21 - Dirt Time! In contemporary agriculture, there are individualized, commodified resources like land, you can buy water, at one point in our history you could even buy somebodys body and health. When I was a little girl in second grade, we were asked to draw a picture of our house. So, my definition of regenerative agriculture is one that includes a true history of land and the environment and peoples health that starts prior to contact. I am Cree Indian on my mothers side and Chihuahua on my fathers. Permaculture Design Magazine Issue: 98 - Decolonizing Permaculture How do you organize and convince White, Black and Yellow people into giving their land back to the Red Nations from which all this land was stolen? Collective resources require collective and community management. EarthShine also includes her Eco-Hood Design-and-Build Project along with Soulstice, which introduces young folks to careers theyve never heard of. A-DAE: One of the things that comes to mind is food safety. How do we remember that we are all indigenous to this planet, our Earth Mother, our Gaia? They identify any person who owns land in a place to which they are not native as a settler (a.k.a. Alas, it doesnt seem as if people who own land will start signing deeds over to sovereign nations anytime soon, and in my most candid moments, I would probably say that theres not much point in continuing a discussion about equality until people are willing to do way more than just talk about it.