CENTERING JUSTICE

Decolonizing & Rematriating Indigenous Land & Lifeways

THE VISION

Centering Justice is an extended ceremony and community of practice decolonizing and rematriating Indigenous land & lifeways -- the most potent teachings for repairing our relationship with, and accountability to, each other, mother earth and our other-than human relations.

Currently, one of the most accessible paths for learning Indigenous Lifeways is through predominantly white-led organizations in the “nature connection” field. Sadly, many of these organizations have mis-appropriated these lifeways from Indigenous peoples, predominantly of turtle island and the continent of Africa. This contradicts and compromises the integrity of those teachings, and requires Black and Indigenous peoples to perpetuate colonization in order to gain access to these essential and ancestral portals of healing. We believe that decolonization of the “nature connection” field and rematriation of Indigenous land and lifeways is essential for rectifying the impacts of global oppression and fostering ecological wholeness.

“The nature-connection field’s existence requires the severance of Indigenous peoples from our lifeways and land. Calling these interspecies kinship practices and lifeways ‘skills’ is de facto colonization. These are not skills — these are Indigenous multi-species pedagogy for time immemorial. These [Indigenous lifeways] are portals to our cultures, ancestors, and future survival. We have the right to access and reclaim them. Actionable steps must be taken to decolonize the survival skills, place-based education, rites of passage, rewilding and nature-connection fields.”

- Pınar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Indigenous leader and Centering Justice collaborator

This initiative embodies, stewards, and templetizes the Indigenous lifeway of Transformative Justice in order to birth the following outcomes:

  • Decolonizing the “nature connection” field

  • Rematriating Indigenous lifeways, and the land to which these lifeways are intrinsically connected

  • Providing long-overdue relational and cultural repair

  • Increasing access of Black and Indigenous peoples to essential portals of ancestral healing and culture

  • Increasing access of all peoples to the life practices necessary to mitigate and navigate climate chaos

  • Creating a replicable reparations model, complete with a cadre of facilitators trained with the skills, capacity, and experience necessary to facilitate this work in related fields and beyond

  • Documenting the entire process to increase public enthusiasm and will for reparations and rematriation at the interpersonal, organizational, and governmental level.


THE INITIATIVE

Centering Justice is building three intersecting Communities of Practice (CoP) who, through a Transformative Justice process, will rematriate the land and lifeways of some of the biggest and oldest organizations in the “nature connection” field. The three intersecting CoPs are as follows: 

  • A white CoP of leaders representing key “nature connection” organizations that are committed to investing the resources necessary for this essential healing, repair and decolonization;

  • A BI CoP of leaders, positioned and committed to envisioning and leading the decolonized “nature connection” field into the future; and 

  • A CoP of facilitators already advancing justice and equity in this field, and committed to collaboratively enhancing their efforts and replicating it in related sectors.

The three CoPs will first convene in affinity groups for 10-week online trainings in which they will engage in the Fierce Allies Reckoning & Reparations (R&R) practicum. In these trainings, participants will prepare to maximize the transformative, truth-reconciling, healing opportunity of “victim-offender” dialogues (VOD) between the white and BI CoPs. The three CoPs will then convene together for three 4-day, in-person ceremonies where they will participate/facilitate in the VOD and collaboratively envision, then actualize, decolonization of the “nature connection” field. A final 4-day convening will take place with the facilitator CoP, where they will debrief the entire process, and use those reflections to templetize Centering Justice’s application to related fields. The entire initiative will be documented via film, audio, and photographs, and distributed as a podcast and short film, to share the potential for reparations and decolonization work with a larger audience.

STEWARDS

  • Lead Steward

    J. Miakoda Taylor, Founder & Lead Steward of Fierce Allies, is the lead steward of the Centering Justice initiative. They are a two-spirited descendant from Indigenous, African, European and Southwest Asian ancestry. Their passion for this work is fueled by their accountability for, and to, all of these ancestors. 

  • Councils

    The Black and Indigenous (BI) council is responsible for ensuring that every aspect of this initiative centers the needs and perspectives of the BI participants. They are supported by a white council, responsible for stewarding the white CoP’s commitment to secure a significant portion of the total project budget. The white and BI councils will collaboratively nominate, recruit, and vet all of the project participants.

  • Leaders

    The Black and Indigenous CoP leaders, and “survivors” of the harms caused, will be the lead visionaries of the rematriated “Indigenous Lifeways” field, with support from accountable and committed white allies.

Want to Participate in Centering Justice?

Photo credit in order of appearance:

  1. Indigenous Women Warrior Society. [Painting]. https://www.facebook.com/IWWS1/

  2. Republic of Light. [Photograph]. Collection for Weaving Earth.

  3. Flock Together. [Collage]. Metro UK. https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/25/black-bird-watching-group-provides-a-safe-space-for-people-of-colour-14082432/

  4. Gursoz, Ayse. (2019). [Photograph]. Lead to Life ceremony.

  5. Jackie Fawn. “STAND.earth 2019.” (2019). [Screen Printing]. https://www.jackiefawn.com/art