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Chapter 1
Transforming from a glimmer to a sheen, the water reflects the world above, merging into Yádiłhił Nihita'. As I stand at the edge of the water, my painted toenails submerge into the cold water, and my hands glide on the surface. I belong to the Water's Edge clan and the Big Water clan. Living around water feels natural to me.
Walking barefoot on the rough earth, I am mindful of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface, just as in life, there are always hidden challenges and obstacles that we must navigate. The elevation around me varies, reminding me that life is a constant journey, with peaks and valleys, highs and lows.
Amidst the beauty and wonder of the universe, I am also aware of the fleeting nature of life. The Diné people, descendants of the ancient Anasazi, have lived in this place for many millennia, but each generation lasts only 150 years. A mere blip in the grand scheme of things. We are but small specks in the vastness of time and space, and yet we have the power to leave our mark, to make a difference in the world and to create a legacy that will endure beyond our time.
Tséyi' is what we call our home, nestled between the male Chuska mountain range and the female Black Mesa, it is a place of great significance to the Diné people. Two rivers join two canyons and flow out of the mouth in Chinle, creating a breathtaking landscape that has been sculpted by time and nature.
As a child, I found beauty in the smallest things, picking flowers and admiring the birds and bugs that called this place home. I had names for every creature I saw, creating a sense of connection and intimacy with the natural world around me. My mother's brothers and sisters are the parents of my beloved siblings, and together we form tight-knit communities that revolve around the matrons in the matriarchal society of our people. We are proud to speak Diné Bizaad and to carry on the tradition of nurturing the seeds of new generations.
To truly appreciate the beauty of life, we must be responsible stewards of our planet. Like a garden, our world needs constant care and attention to thrive. We must value and protect our natural resources, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. As we cultivate our understanding of the world around us, we catch glimpses of our future and the journey that lies ahead.
As beings intertwined with the fabric of life, we have a duty to cherish and preserve the world that sustains us. It is our allowance to wake and sleep, to eat and drink, and to love. By embracing our role as stewards of the Earth, we can ensure a future that is filled with beauty, wonder, and abundance.
The corn stalks that thrive in our canyon are hardy and resilient, just like my family. With the seasons changing and the weather patterns shifting, the corn may eventually need additional support to flourish. Despite the challenges they face, each generation of corn remains deeply connected to their ancestral roots. Rising up each year at the first sign of rain, drawing on the same life-giving energy that sustained their forebears.
For my family and the creatures that call this place home, our organic peach orchard serves as a battleground where we all fight to preserve our share. Amidst the sandstone walls and eroding sand mounds, the fruit trees we planted continue to thrive. Red and green apples, peaches, and cherry plums provide sustenance for all who reside here.
As the cycles of nature continue to unfold, my family and our fellow inhabitants remain steadfast in our commitment to cultivating fertile fields and nurturing the land that sustains us. With each passing year, we deepen our connection to the earth and the life-giving energy that flows through it.
In my first decade of life, I spent hours under the sun. I bathed in crystal clear waters that flowed from the Ch'óóshgai White Spruce mountains, and I gorged myself on ears of white corn in the late afternoon with peaches and sour cherry plums. My mother and every woman in my family taught me how to be a wise woman. My father and all the men in my family taught me how to be an impregnable woman. Everyone just didn't know for the twenty years I imprisoned myself. I imprisoned myself by internalizing the transphobia and transmisia of the people surrounding me, including my blood relations. However, the body I was given when I inhaled my first breath on the surface of Earth served as my armor against male domination and I wouldn't want it any other way.
People that your Uncle Sam and his cousins desired and declared to be gone still live here. We still exist and violent struggles to remain here are damaging us down to the very blood that flows through our veins. Violent struggles never ceased. They just evolved, and now the energy that powers the modern world penetrates our lustrous land to obtain the contents of our foundation. The previous three worlds we were told to leave behind are dangerously extracted.
Shame on them, for the water of the blue third world is inefficiently utilized and polluted. The uranium of the yellow second world is murdering millions of children around the globe. The oil of the dark first world is pumped out barrel by barrel, causing death and turmoil. In our traditional stories, we faced our transgressions in every transformation within every world we encountered. We emerged into the Glittering World before a colony existed, and our existence evolved within the ecosystems that we have always maintained.
We are the Holy Earth Surface People, and beauty is within our knowledge in the tradition of maintaining a home. Our lives totally depend on the health of the ecosystems that nourish our thoughts. Thus, our actions proceed with harmony in our journey.
Walking barefoot on the rough earth, I am mindful of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface, just as in life, there are always hidden challenges and obstacles that we must navigate. The elevation around me varies, reminding me that life is a constant journey, with peaks and valleys, highs and lows.
Amidst the beauty and wonder of the universe, I am also aware of the fleeting nature of life. The Diné people, descendants of the ancient Anasazi, have lived in this place for many millennia, but each generation lasts only 150 years. A mere blip in the grand scheme of things. We are but small specks in the vastness of time and space, and yet we have the power to leave our mark, to make a difference in the world and to create a legacy that will endure beyond our time.
Tséyi' is what we call our home, nestled between the male Chuska mountain range and the female Black Mesa, it is a place of great significance to the Diné people. Two rivers join two canyons and flow out of the mouth in Chinle, creating a breathtaking landscape that has been sculpted by time and nature.
As a child, I found beauty in the smallest things, picking flowers and admiring the birds and bugs that called this place home. I had names for every creature I saw, creating a sense of connection and intimacy with the natural world around me. My mother's brothers and sisters are the parents of my beloved siblings, and together we form tight-knit communities that revolve around the matrons in the matriarchal society of our people. We are proud to speak Diné Bizaad and to carry on the tradition of nurturing the seeds of new generations.
To truly appreciate the beauty of life, we must be responsible stewards of our planet. Like a garden, our world needs constant care and attention to thrive. We must value and protect our natural resources, from the air we breathe to the water we drink. As we cultivate our understanding of the world around us, we catch glimpses of our future and the journey that lies ahead.
As beings intertwined with the fabric of life, we have a duty to cherish and preserve the world that sustains us. It is our allowance to wake and sleep, to eat and drink, and to love. By embracing our role as stewards of the Earth, we can ensure a future that is filled with beauty, wonder, and abundance.
The corn stalks that thrive in our canyon are hardy and resilient, just like my family. With the seasons changing and the weather patterns shifting, the corn may eventually need additional support to flourish. Despite the challenges they face, each generation of corn remains deeply connected to their ancestral roots. Rising up each year at the first sign of rain, drawing on the same life-giving energy that sustained their forebears.
For my family and the creatures that call this place home, our organic peach orchard serves as a battleground where we all fight to preserve our share. Amidst the sandstone walls and eroding sand mounds, the fruit trees we planted continue to thrive. Red and green apples, peaches, and cherry plums provide sustenance for all who reside here.
As the cycles of nature continue to unfold, my family and our fellow inhabitants remain steadfast in our commitment to cultivating fertile fields and nurturing the land that sustains us. With each passing year, we deepen our connection to the earth and the life-giving energy that flows through it.
In my first decade of life, I spent hours under the sun. I bathed in crystal clear waters that flowed from the Ch'óóshgai White Spruce mountains, and I gorged myself on ears of white corn in the late afternoon with peaches and sour cherry plums. My mother and every woman in my family taught me how to be a wise woman. My father and all the men in my family taught me how to be an impregnable woman. Everyone just didn't know for the twenty years I imprisoned myself. I imprisoned myself by internalizing the transphobia and transmisia of the people surrounding me, including my blood relations. However, the body I was given when I inhaled my first breath on the surface of Earth served as my armor against male domination and I wouldn't want it any other way.
People that your Uncle Sam and his cousins desired and declared to be gone still live here. We still exist and violent struggles to remain here are damaging us down to the very blood that flows through our veins. Violent struggles never ceased. They just evolved, and now the energy that powers the modern world penetrates our lustrous land to obtain the contents of our foundation. The previous three worlds we were told to leave behind are dangerously extracted.
Shame on them, for the water of the blue third world is inefficiently utilized and polluted. The uranium of the yellow second world is murdering millions of children around the globe. The oil of the dark first world is pumped out barrel by barrel, causing death and turmoil. In our traditional stories, we faced our transgressions in every transformation within every world we encountered. We emerged into the Glittering World before a colony existed, and our existence evolved within the ecosystems that we have always maintained.
We are the Holy Earth Surface People, and beauty is within our knowledge in the tradition of maintaining a home. Our lives totally depend on the health of the ecosystems that nourish our thoughts. Thus, our actions proceed with harmony in our journey.
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