From Colonization to Decolonization
When a message is followed by the word tâpwé, it is a really important message. Decolonization is the focus of this website, and the materials are selected to help you understand that you are an Earth person. This website offers resources brimming with the wisdom of Indigenous and European American voices that remind us that we can create a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible with the understanding that we are one with a fully intelligent Earth—the home of all our relatives, tâpwé.
Colonization is not a onetime event that happened to Indigenous People only. We have been immersed in this colonial story of separation that has created an ecological divide—a severance of self to nature; a social divide of self to others; and, finally, a spiritual divide of self to self.
Ecological Divide: This disconnect of self to nature has created an escalating ecological crisis. Galileo (1564-1642), Descartes (1596-1650), and Newton (1642-1727) heavily influenced this destructive worldview of dominance and separation from nature. In the last 200 years the United States has lost 50% of its wetlands, 90% of its northwestern old-growth forests and 99% of its tallgrass prairies. Since 1970 there has been a 68% decline in animal population. By 2050, 95% of the Earth’s land will be degraded, and there will be more plastic (by weight) in the ocean than fish. We are in the red zone for chemical pollution, climate crisis, and biodiversity loss. We are rapidly heading for a precipice of self-destruction unless we collectively re-create an old story as Earth People integral to the liminal presence of an animate planet.
Social Divide: Humans as separate from each other fueled the colonization of Indigenous cultures across the globe. Interestingly, the Europeans were colonized prior to becoming colonial oppressors. They, too, were forced to forget ancestry, ritual and kinship. The Europeans became stigmatized with being “white.” This “whiteness” is a wound. It is about loss of ancestral memory. It is about inherited silence, shame, and disconnection. This severance is a collectively shared trauma passed on intergenerationally. Healing from this social divide is to return to lineage, ritual, and solidarity. And to grieve. It is to move from extraction to belonging. It is time to remember the fullness of who we are as human beings.
Spiritual Divide: In the last 300,000 years (approximately) humans saw themselves as woven into the very fabric of human existence with a deep sense of identity with nature consistent with the perennial philosophy of spiritual traditions found in Buddhism, Hinduism, transcendental writings, Christian mystical teachings, and Indigenous Peoples’ Cultural beliefs and values. In contrast, contemporary society has bound the human spirit with its emphasis on fear of the unknown and/or guilt from the past. Spiritual healing from the past is a call for a rebirth and rediscovery of the natural, original human story. A story of ecological, social, and spiritual healing and well-being.
DECOLONIZATION: Creating a New Story
Decolonization is a healing journey, and it requires the courage to create (and recreate) an ethno-sphere to replace the colonial ego-sphere of dominance and control. It brings to life a shared interconnected web of relationships. It requires:
1) coming with gratitude and being present to the wonder of being alive in this amazing world,
2) honoring our pain by dedicating time to ensure space for grief, outrage, and sorrow,
3) seeing with new eyes that reveal what is possible with a new understanding of each person’s power to make a difference,
4) and going forth to heal the world by identifying practical steps to re-birth this vision of what it means to be fully human within the web of interrelationships.