Halito akana (Hello friends),
Indigenous foodways and our kinship with plants, animals, and ecosystems are central to our resilience and regenerative lifeways and informed by our cosmovisions, knowledge systems, and languages. Passed down through generations, traditional practices, foods, and materials are embedded within relational webs of human and more-thanhuman beings, flows, and entities—all fundamental to sustaining our lives, communities, and cultures. We have resisted the harm and disruption of colonialism and extractive capitalism by reinforcing our cultures and core values: relationship, responsibility, reciprocity, and redistribution. We are building strong movements to revitalize our communities and foodways and rekindle kinship, knowledge, and trade routes that contribute to the web of life. The deep wisdom that emerges from continuously honoring our sacred kinship with Mother Earth and each other is key to cultivating balance and addressing some of today’s greatest challenges, including climate change.
Throughout this issue, we are inspired by Indigenous communities committed to this important work. The Indigenous Kinship Circle brings together Indigenous people and allies in the conservation and environmental sectors to advance the well being of communities across the Central Grasslands of Turtle Island. Our Board Chair, Kaimana Barcarse (Kanaka Hawai’i), writes about how voyaging traditions and foodways have reconnected Peoples across oceans. Sabantho Aderi Corrie-Edghill (Lokono) shares how in Guayana, growing and preparing cassava “links the hands of women across generations.” Ian Thompson (Choctaw) describes how the Nan Awaya Farm aims to restore biodiversity, revitalize traditional cuisine, reconnect community with the land, and enliven Choctaw culture. Chenae Bullock (Shinnecock) explains how the mishoon (dugout canoe) culture is “a vessel of connection” and bridges “generations, teachings, and the living memory of our ancestors.” Zuhira Musa (Fulani) narrates how the Mobororo Fulani women in Cameroon are rebuilding their foodways “rooted in food sovereignty, collective labor, and ancestral agro- ecological knowledge.”
People and ecosystems are inseparable. Indigenous leaders have been sharing this message for years, and only now are western scientists finally recognizing this. Thank you for being amongst those who have been listening. We are grateful for your ongoing commitment to Cultural Survival and our work. Your support helps Indigenous Peoples safeguard their knowledge, foodways, and kinship systems for future generations, ensuring the health and sustainability of the planet. For example, we are partnering with the Indigenous Resilience Center at the University of Arizona on the Indigenous Regenerative Agriculture Knowledge Exchange, which will bring together Indigenous leaders, Elders, and youth, helping to re-establish kinship and knowledge exchange across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Help us build this movement and raise $250,000 by December 31, 2025. Please give generously at www.cs.org/donate. We cannot do it without you!
With wishes for an abundant, just, and peaceful holiday season and New Year.
Hטchi yakoke li hoke (I thank you all so much),
Aimee Roberson (Choctaw and Chickasaw),
Executive Director
