Photo of the Sequatchie Valley in November of 1947 from The Tennessee State Library Archives Dept. of Conservation Photograph Collection
Dogwood Botanicals is located on the unceded lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone (pronounced rah-my-toosh O-lone-ee) and Muwekma Ohlone (pronounced mah-wek-mah O-lone-ee). Our founders were born and raised on the lands of the Cherokee (pronounced cheh-ruh-kee) and Yuchi (pronounced yoo-chee) in the Appalachian mountains. For thousands of years before colonizers unjustly removed them from their land, the indigenous communities were the careful stewards of this earth and its plant and animal beings. We have so much to learn from them and so much to do to restore their sovereign rights.
Here’s a few actions we can take together in honor of the land we’re blessed to be on.
- Learn and share about the tribe(s) whose land you reside upon. Not sure which tribes’ territory you’re on? Visit Native-land.ca and enter your address to start your research.
- Look up “Land Back” and “MMIW” to learn more about these movements to protect and preserve indigienous life and land.
- Watch this video about Muwekma Ohlone, an aboriginal tribe with 10,000 years of history in the SF Bay Area.
- Listen to It Still Lives Season 3, Episode 10: An interview with with Cherokee Author Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and “hear stories from her childhood at the foot of the Smokies.”
- Make a donation (aka land tax payment) to your local tribe or an indigenous-lead organization. Not sure how much to give each year? Use this calculator from Sogorea Te Land Trust as a starting point.
