Centering Ancestors:  
​(Our own, Those of the Land we tend, and our Other-Than-Human Ancestors)

Defining Statements:​

“When we connect with our ancestors and put their wisdom into action, we are evolving our collective consciousness. We are transporting the ancient truths of our collective past and birthing them into our future. What we create out of those truths extends the wisdom of all those who have gone before us, and it provides a guide for all those who will follow.”
- Sherri Mitchell Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset Sacred Instructions (p. 13)

 “A significant part of my ancestral recovery journey has been empowered by the practice of somatics and/or epigenetics. How I contextualize somatics in relationship to ancestral healing is that certain movements, places, or things can awaken or stimulate parts of our DNA.”
​ - Marika Clymer, Energetic Sovereignty: Introduction to Ancestral Recovery and Healing

“We must presence as we begin the conversation of ancestral recovery and healing, that not everyone knows where they come from, nor do they have the privilege to find out...The inability to know with certainty what ancestral communities you belong to can be caused by a number of circumstances, including but not limited to: being adopted, being a descendant of kidnapped and enslaved peoples, being the descendant of immigrants or refugees, cultural and physical genocide, and others.  The reason I have not listed "disconnection from familial heritage", is because, for most white folx, despite the fact that this may be true for you as an individual or your family, there are ways that you can reconnect with your heritage that are not accessible or effective for members of the BIPOC community. Please understand that if you are white, your ability to learn so much more about where your family comes from, what their story is, is - literally - a privilege you are given because of your whiteness.”
- Marika Clymer, Energetic Sovereignty: Where We Come From and Embracing Ancestral Embodiment

---

As part of our work of re-membering right relationship, we center the alive presence of the Ancestors who we are woven with. To be embodied is to be in conversation with the wisdom, pain, resilience, harm, knowledge, culture, language, skill, and great love which has formed us through our own lineages. We work individually and collectively to reconnect with these lineages and knowings, recognizing that this work is both unique to each of us, and impacted by systems of oppression which replicate the legacy of white supremacy through generations. In our wovenness, we presence the Ancestors beyond the lineages of our blood: Memory and wisdom of the Land we touch, the Winooski River, the Mountains, Rain, Wind and Sky, Sun, Moon and Stars. Lineages of Plant, Animal, Bird, Fish and Insect; All Those who still embody balance. Ancestors beyond our world, who are dreaming us and who we dream. With all of you, we are in connected, alive conversation. It is our work to communicate with ever-deeper awareness, as active participants in the whole time mending of our place in the balance of life.

---

Here’s how (actions) we’ve done it before:​

• Practices/ceremonies of celebration and of humble acknowledgement and repair (mostly individual)
• Developing and sharing our ancestral knowledge through dialogue, embodiment and garden practices
• Invitation/encouragement for individuals to be in personal and relational exploration of ancestry and to connect with the plants that are of that lineage, as well as how that lineage relates to the ancestors and people of this land, the Abenaki, individual conversations, ancestry
• Resources in Trello library

Here’s the ‘how’ we are interested in doing it in the upcoming season(s):
​(We're in process, check back soon!)