Jenna Rudolph has been running an nature school on unceded territories on the West coat of the continent. What does it mean to support students in developing connections to a land base that is stolen from indigenous people? It would be easy to shy away from the question, as many have for so long, but Jenna and her colleagues at Soaring Eagle Nature School are trying to explore this question directly, with humility, patience and deep care.
Not only the school, but also within the broader “nature connection” industry, Jenna is one of a few voices who have been pushing others to examine the harms in our work. What does it mean to teach land based skills on stolen native land? Who has access? How do we distribute the knowledge, power and capital gained from this work in good ways? How can we hold ourselves accountable to, while not getting in the way of, marginalized folks who are doing similar work?
Some of these questions got examined in our conversation, while some weren’t. That’s ok though. My hope is that this is going to be the first in a series of conversations with other folks doing “nature connection” kind of work. Keep an eye on this site, and an ear to the broadcasts. My hope is that these talks reach far and wide and new conversations can be had between new friends, and accomplices, motivating and inspiring us to better relationship with each other, and the land we now live on.
To learn more :
Soaring Eagle Nature School