Today is Native American Heritage Day and to honor it, we’re invited to reflect on the history of the United States, bring awareness to the challenges faced by Native Americans, and honor their tremendous contributions.
Ultimately, we amplify the words of Van Heuvelen, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe from South Dakota who said: “There are no set rules on how one should appreciate the day. It's all about reflection, recognition, celebration and an education.”
Continue reading to learn some practical ways to connect more deeply with this day.
Honoring Native American Heritage Day
Honoring Native American Peoples goes beyond our words and calls us into aligned action. Some practical ways you can anchor the honoring of this time includes:
- Education:
- Learning the Indigenous names of the lands you are upon (look up on native-land.ca) as well as the natural features. You can acknowledging these places and peoples in gratitude before your cacao rituals.
- Learning the narratives and histories of Indigenous peoples in America, including pre-European settlers as well as the events during and after.
- Participating in Indigenous Focused DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) training. (Unexpected Virtual Tours has a great resource available here!)
- Relationship Building:
- Engagement with the Indigenous communities in your area, including attending publicly held events.
- Cultural *Appreciation*
- Reading Indigenous literature and supporting Indigenous art. Check out this list of books by Indigenous authors, compiled by Penguin books.
- Shopping Indigenous owned businesses.
We hope this supports you in your reflection, education, and celebration of Native American Culture. We’re so grateful for the Indigenous wisdom traditions that have taught us concepts like “right-relationship.” This has very much informed how we source our cacao in a way that gives back to the farmers and the earth.
