October 12, 2020

Today we celebrate Indigenous People's Day, honoring the resilience, history and beauty of all Indigenous Peoples. We do this in solidarity with Indigenous People across Turtle Island, intentionally on the day that has been long used to amplify the legacy of colonizers, as "Columbus Day". In 2015, the City of Olympia declared the second Monday of October as Indigenous People's Day. We encourage you to find a meaningful way to honor this day, however you are able.

To learn more, read this article published today on Indian Country Today: 8 myths and atrocities about Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day

Indigenous People's Day Olympia has organized an online event that will be happening this evening at 5:30pm. Continue reading for details on how to join.

Also, don't forget to register for our special LRR Gathering this Thursday! Details below.


Indigenous People's Day Olympia
Today, Monday Oct 12th 5:30pm PST
Online - Click here for facebook event site

Post from organizers of Indigenous People's Day Olympia:

Olympia will be celebrating it's 6th annual Indigenous Peoples Day!!

We will be meeting virtually this year to celebrate safely by Zoom meeting due to COVID 19.

This year's giveaway will be a Salmon Warrior blanket, collaboration between Salmon Defense and Louie Gong, Eighth Generation. You must be on the call during the live giveaway to win.


Agenda:

Opening, Kris Peters, Squaxin Island Tribal Chair

History of Indigenous Peoples Day, Brian Frisina

Water Ceremony/Prayer, Robert and Liz Satiacum Puyallup Tribe

Trailer for Dakota 38, Eddie Little Crow

Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission, Board President Deborah Cano-Lee

Giveaway!!!! Noel Parrish

Open Circle

Indigenous Peoples Day Song


You are invited!
The Work That Reconnects Us With Our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters
Thursday, October 15th 7:00-9:00pm
Zoom Workshop

Facilitated by Lynn Fitz-Hugh and Carolyn Treadway

Click here to register for this event. Registration is required.

In our Learning Right Relations gatherings, as we listened to our Coast Salish neighbors, we learned that the indigenous ecological wisdom of the presenters themselves and of their communities is integral to their daily life; or perhaps, it is their life way. We have been learning that this closeness to nature is central to being in rIght relations with all life. Reconnecting in this way to the natural world is critically important in this time of environmental and climate crisis. For non-Indian people engaged in learning/living right relations work, it can be particularly painful as we discover the actual history, and learn of the roles of our ancestors in that egregious history.

Joanna Macy, an eco-feminist Buddhist, is founder and root teacher of The Work that Reconnects (WTR), also known as Active Hope. Since the early 1980’s she and WTR have helped thousands of people all over the world reconnect with themselves, each other, and the Earth, thus transforming personal pain into caring action on behalf of our beloved planet.

Carolyn Treadway and Lynn Fitz-Hugh are both white, therapists, environmental activists, and trained WTR leaders. The Work moves through stages of a spiral: gratitude, honoring our pain for the world, seeing with new and ancient eyes, and going forth into action. Lynn and Carolyn will focus this spiral on our relations with Native people. They will lead us through a series of exercises designed to help us process our own feelings about longstanding mistreatment of Native people by white American culture, and to shift out of our “settler”/dominator paradigm into deeper relationship with our Earth--as practiced by Native peoples since time immemorial. (This workshop has been designed to be a space for white allies to address emotions that come up in confronting the injustices perpetuated by our ancestors. This Work does involve sharing of our feelings and emotions. If you are not comfortable with doing so, please consider whether this workshop is right for you.)

The final section of the spiral, Going Forth, will focus on things we can do as allies of Native people. Several leaders of Learning Right Relations will offer some current possibilities. Participants describe the WTR experience as spiritual, insight provoking, unburdening, profound, inspiring, and connecting. Please come join us!

Click here to register for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Amy Troyer-Karas