A splash of water. A cocoon of dirt. That spark of germination that sets us afoot. Spiraling through the ground. Arms unfolding wide. Legs tunneling through the dark of time. Rooting in place. Drinking the sun. Plants teach us just how wild we can become. The language of plants has been capturing our imaginations since […]
This post was written on the territory of the Taíno, the Indigenous peoples that Columbus encountered when he landed in the region in 1492. The Taíno have stewarded the islands of the Greater Antilles, now colonially named: Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, and are descended from the Arawaks who live on the mainland of […]
Since 1492, any European-based language thriving outside of its territory of origin is likely the consequence of some form of imperialism. How long linguistic occupation lasts outside that mother colony depends on how willing those settlers are to continue to toe the imperial line. When will enough be enough? In the settler colonial territory currently named Canada, French […]
This blog post includes a linked audio file. Just click on the link below if you would like to hear the post read aloud. Scroll down to read the text. In “Land as Pedagogy” (Simpson, 2014), young Kwezens watches Ajidamoo perched above her, nibbling on a branch of Ninaatigoog. Upon returning home, Kwezens recounts the […]
This blog post includes a linked audio file. Just click on the link below if you would like to hear the post read aloud. Scroll down to read the text. How can you reconnect to a culture that you didn’t grow up in? A culture that your parents also didn’t grow up in? Nor your […]
