Indigenous Peoples Day 2024
Monday was Indigenous Peoples Day!
Have you heard of Seventh Generation Earth Ethics? If not, you should do a little research on it today! Patty Loew wrote a great book about it. Three years ago, my husband surprised me with my dream prairie garden. It has inspired so much joy in our lives!! We often take morning or afternoon ‘garden walks’ where we grab our mugs and check on what is popping today. Wildlife is slowly returning to our little world, which even inspired me to paint again.
Soon I’ll share details of my upcoming November artist exhibit, dedicated to plants from my garden. Restoring pre-colonial plant life is something I have become really excited about over the years. There is so much spiritual healing in a personal journey to respect and restore land when and wherever we can.
Today I helped a friend restore about 200 sq feet of her property with native Wisconsin seeds. And we prepped a second plot for next year as well! In the spring, magic will happen; as this garden takes it’s first breath rooting into the land giving us a glimmer into the rich and healthy ecological systems we could witness once again.
Do you fill a bird feeder during the winter? I included an image of the rich natural seeds our prairie garden produces annually. Which feeds wildlife naturally all winter long. We never have to purchase birdseed, nor clean or stock feeders in this household. These plants are native to this ecosystem and the birds are SO grateful they can perch and pluck to their delight during cold months. Something to consider! Especially if you’re sick of mowing 😉
Everyone has a place in helping this world, just start with what you are passionate about or good at, and do something there first. This is just one way I can carry forward some of the teachings I have learned.
Resources
Seventh Generation Earth Ethics:
https://wisconsinfirstnations.org/seventh-generation-earth-ethics-native-voices-of-wisconsin/
Colonial Legacy of Environmental Injustice in the US:
https://environment-review.yale.edu/colonial-legacy-environmental-injustice-us-territories
How To:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/Native_Gardening/index.shtmlhttps://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/Native_Plant_Materials/Native_Gardening/index.shtml
My Favorite Nursery for Native Plants:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Granting Nature Legal Rights:
https://www.wildhope.tv/article/nature-is-getting-new-legal-rights-and-winning-in-court/