Deanna Jannuzzi

"When we talk about land, land is a part of who we are. It is a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they're around us. As you all do." - Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)

To Honor Native Sovereignty and Cultural Rights of the Stewards of this Land:
The land I live and work on is the WNC Region of North Carolina, part of the systemically stolen lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

May we honor, acknowledge, and remember the people who's lands have been forcefully stolen from them through ethnic cleansing practices that have walked, still walk, and will continue to walk this land stewarding her ancient beauty and wisdom. I see this acknowledgment as a tiny part of a more significant collective work to build equitable relationships and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.