Hózhǫ́ Ntéskees Learning Lab

As Native People, we are deeply connected to our lands. Our stories teach us we are extensions of our ancestral lands, and our well-being is intertwined with the land. Violence on our lands affects us physically and spiritually, impacting all our kinship ties. Our history is full of land and body violence through colonization, from the Scorched Earth campaign, Long Walk, residential schools, to uranium and coal mining, water contamination, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives crisis. These issues have caused reproductive health problems and higher mortality rates due to extractive industries. Intergenerational trauma stems from residential schools, unsafe work conditions, poisoned lands, man camps, water diversion, and loss of traditional foods. These experiences are not new; we've endured many forms of settler colonial violence. Yet, we survive and work toward healing by reclaiming sovereignty over our bodies and lands, returning to traditional ways. The Healing L.A.B. program at Wingbeat 88 creates a space to share stories, knowledge, and kinship organizing to heal land and body violence.