#ndee

my ancestors lived in family groups and truly had the “village” it takes to raise children. but now we’re put into houses on cul-de-sacs with our nuclear family, secluded from aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins.

my grandma should be braiding my hair while i brush my son’s. my cousins should be tending to my baby while i work in the garden. i should be caring for my nieces and nephews while my sister beads. i should be able to rest without being woken up by crying three times with no one else to take a shift.

it makes me almost as angry as it does sad. to grieve something that i’ve never even been able to fully comprehend…

all i can do is try to rebuild, reconnect, and relearn.

rebuild the family and lineage that colonizers tried to kill

reconnect with the land my ancestors lives in harmony with

relearn the teachings, wisdom, and knowledge of my people that are already within me

to be indigenous without family, feels like you’re not really indigenous at all. but i won’t let them win. i will put in the work everyday to keep us alive.