Although that world has influence, we have returned to our homelands to heal. Unfortunately, it is easy to become comfortable with all the convenience that capitalism glorifies and enables. Seeking a just transition from a world of overwhelming material consumerism and complete lack of consideration and concern for the natural world brings us challenges. These visits helped our organization engage conversations about our ancestors’ simplistic, and seemingly conservation based, lifeways. Ekvnv Yefolecvlke is blessed to be able to work with such skilled, earth-conscious individuals. To assist us with the master plan, Daniel Glenn, a Crow architect from 7 Directions Architects and Planners, and his partner Valerie Kinast, joined us in January. In December we met with Mark Mazziotti, a natural builder from Red River Farms, who will help us build our straw bale homes and other structures similar to the ones we traditionally lived in. We are ready for the work ahead of us.Īs of now, we have been creating relationships with locals and meeting with folks who will work with us on village projects in the near future. When I see the elders imagining their lives here, and experiencing the same warmth from the ones before us, my heart is whole. When I see my little cousins laughing and running through the fields where our ecovillage and ceremonial life will be, I feel overwhelmed with hope and love. It brings us all immense joy and humility to return. It is in fact a village site once inhabited our ancestors prior to forced removal in 1836. From the minute we stood in front of the Weogufka creek that flows through this land, we knew this was home. There were a lot of twists and turns, but ultimately it provided everyone in our community the opportunity to reflect on our current life positions, our ancestors’, and our future generations’. The entire process of Indigenous Peoples searching for their ancestral land to purchase was sometimes comical, difficult, and a lengthy process. Our settling in has been full of welcoming feelings from our ancestors and the sacredness of the land, and surprises from many external factors. On January 12, 2018, Ekvnv Yefolecvlke became official “land owners” of 577 acres of Alabama woods. The organization Ekvnv Yefolecvlke is a Maskoke collective committed to embracing the role of protecting and reviving traditional relationships to the earth while revitalizing language and culture. In rural Weogufka, Alabama, a reclamation of Indigenous Maskoke land and reestablishment of the traditional village system is taking place.
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