In August 2020, EarthDance Apprentice Mitali Sharma crafted and published her beautiful essay, “The First Stewards of this Soil: An Indigenous History of EarthDance Land & Land Use.”
Mita’s essay significantly contributed to EarthDance’s land acknowledgement, which states:
EarthDance Organic Farm School acknowledges that it works upon the ancestral home of the Missouria, Osage, and Illini peoples who were unjustly dispossessed of their lands by the United States. We pay our respect to these Indigenous communities, both past and present, for being stewards of the very same soil and ecosystems that we tend to today and honor the fact that the techniques and ethos of regenerative agriculture are rooted in millenia of Indigenous knowledge.
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and as we move toward Native American Heritage Month, we’re recalling the history of the land on which EarthDance continues to grow and reflecting on our role within recognition, celebration, and continuation of the legacies of Indigenous land rights and knowledge. We’re also learning about ongoing work being done in light of these histories, and we hope you’ll join us.
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Click here to learn about and find ways to support food sovereignty work being led by Indigenous people with ancestral connection to this land.
Click here to find a list of local activities in honor and celebration of this year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native American Heritage month (November)
We’ll continue to share more in the coming weeks, and we hope you’ll join us in learning more.