Many attempts have been made to eradicate the history, culture, traditions, and family relationships of Indigenous people. I feel so grateful to our ancestors for their strength and resourcefulness in finding ways to preserve and pass down our heritage. I feel so grateful to stand on the same land my ancestors stood on, and to collect the same plants that they collected. I feel so grateful to do this with my aunties and cousins, and for their generosity in continuing to keep these teachings alive.

Today, we gather sweetgrass, cattails, cedar and other fibers for weaving as we traditionally have. Gathering our traditional medicines means we gather together as a tribal family. Gathering in these two ways allows us to honor and give thanks to our plant relatives and our ancestors alike- they, like us are connected to this land in a symbiotic relationship. Their roots hold the land together, and the dried leaves, woven into baskets, hold our labor, our love, our history and represent our resiliency.