04/22/2026
As we journey on this Earth, how might we show gratitude for the gift of our lives? What is our responsibility to the land that sustains us?
Earth day is a day for us to honour our relationship to the land and to show gratitude for all the Earth provides us. It is also a day to reflect on the value of reciprocity.
Careful and intentional land stewardship is an Indigenous value that stretches back through time immemorial, and still exists today. Traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge and practice offers an alternative to the more utilitarian, resource-oriented colonial worldview that the Earth as something to be exploited. It is a widely cited statistic that Indigenous people, despite making up only 5% of the global population, protect a significant amount of the planet’s remaining biodiversity.
We do this work because we know the Earth is the giver of life, and that we have a responsibility to her and future generations. We know that our own health and wellness is deeply connected to everything around us. We know that every being–be they rock, animal, plant, or human–have an interconnected spirit. Did you know that we share more than half of our DNA with much of the flora and fauna on Earth? Simply put, we cannot exist without each other.
In today’s environmental and political climate, it can be hard to remember that although we live in a time of crisis, we also live in a time of resurgence and hope. We have a responsibility to protect our Mother Earth, like we do for all our relations. These principles of kinship, stewardship, and reciprocity, which have guided us since time immemorial, will continue to do so. When we work to restore balance, when we are called to seek and honour connection, when we resist violence done to the land, we are walking the paths of our Elders before us, and protecting the ones that will come after us.
