Love for the Land Stew

Love for the Land Stew

This magical recipe is a metaphorical prayer for the Indigenous Revolution, celebrating the roots of love and deep solidarity across native communities around the world. In using this recipe, we invite you to return to the land. Harvest from your native trees, catch fish from your local streams and waterways, boil down your sacred ocean to make sea salt, grate fresh coconut from your trees.

We live in times of extractivism and exploitation of the earth, in a world of consumption, where the center is the economy. We want to recognize the value of life on earth, our value. We are the earth; we are the earth healing and regenerating itself. We recognize that there is no single recipe, that the recipes are as diverse as our territories are different. We want to share with you the recipe that we have written collectively, from territories in Hawai’i; Turtle Island; Sierra Zapoteca of Oaxaca, Mexico; Vancouver, Guahan, and South Africa. We want to share with you the living recipes that we inherited from our grandmothers and grandfathers. We want you to share with us – what is your recipe?

Ingredients:

For the Base:

• 1 cup Prayers for Unity
• 1 tablespoon Songs of Resistance
• 2 cloves of Empowerment
• 3 cups Guidance of the Ancestors

For the Main Ingredients:

• 1 cup Native Wisdom
• 1/2 cup Returning to the Land
• 1/2 cup Spiritual Grounding 
• 1 cup of Mountains and Hills for Refuge
• 1 tablespoon Touch of the Wind
• 1 tablespoon Cool of the River
• A pinch of Insanity
• A dollop of Indigenous Languages

For Seasoning:

• Sea Salt (to taste)
• Hope (generously)
• Compassion (to taste)
• Empathy (to taste)
• Rest (to taste)

Instructions:

Start with a strong base: In a large pot, combine Prayers for Unity, Songs of Resistance, and Empowerment. Mix them well, and let them simmer over the fire of historical resistance. Stir frequently until a strong bond forms.
Add the Main Ingredients: Gradually introduce Native Wisdom, Returning to the Land, Spiritual Grounding, Mountains and Hills for Refuge, and Touch of the Wind to the base mixture. Stir gently to ensure all elements are incorporated.
Infuse with Cool of the River that carries our songs and ancestral knowledge. We add a few cups of guidance from our ancestors. 

Sprinkle a pinch of Insanity into the pot, stirring it in gently but consistently. This ingredient adds to the tenacity of the people and determination of grassroots movements to the stew.

Include a dash of Indigenous Languages to preserve, perpetuate, and honor the linguistic diversity of indigenous cultures. This ingredient helps to connect and communicate the message of the revolution.

Season with Sea Salt, Hope, Compassion, and Empathy: Add these seasonings generously to taste. They bring out the flavors of unity, resilience, and justice in the stew.

Simmer and Stir: Allow the stew to simmer over the fire of grit and determination, stirring regularly to prevent any one ingredient from overpowering the others. The longer it simmers, the stronger it becomes.

Serve with a side of Rest: The Indigenous Revolution Stew is best served alongside a modest serving of rest in order to strengthen our efforts to protect and defend our homelands. 

Note: We call on all of our relatives who resonate with our recipe for the revolution, and all recipes in this collection to invite your elder or children to join you, and together, return back to the land. We are the generation that belongs to the land. We call on the wisdom of the elders. We call on the energy of the youth. We call on the generations yet unborn. 

To heal the land, as the land heals us
To feed the land as the land feeds us
To return to the land as the land returns to us