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KS Wild greatly appreciates all of your support—not just of our organization, but also your support of the land and water of the Klamath-Siskiyou. When you think about reciprocity and gratitude during this holiday season, consider ways you are choosing to give back to the Earth. So that, in turn, “the Earth will be grateful for us.”
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We human people have protocols for gratitude; we apply them formally to one another. We say thank you. We understand that receiving a gift incurs a responsibility to give a gift in return. Gratitude is our first, but not our only gift.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, "Returning the Gift"
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Indigenous Communities of the Klamath-Siskiyou
More and more, the Thanksgiving holiday brings with it reflection on the history of colonization in North America, and the myths surrounding white settler culture that have been perpetuated through our educational and cultural systems.
KS Wild thanks the original caretakers of this land we call the Klamath-Siskiyou: the peoples of the Takelma, Tolowa Dee-Ni', Coquille, Umpqua, Chetco, Tolowa, Tututni, Cow Creek Umpqua, Shasta, Karuk, and Yurok. We are guests on unceded land. We recognize our privilege and encourage you to honor, support, and stand in solidarity with today's Tribes and Indigenous people everywhere. We encourage you to take a moment to learn whose land you are on. Make land acknowledgement a part of your Thanksgiving holiday this year, and then take action to support the Indigenous communities in your region.
Information on Indigenous communities of the Klamath-Siskiyou can be found on our website, along with links to organizations supporting tribal efforts in our region, programs supporting Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cultural Fire, as well as a reading list of books addressing issues around Indigenous land rights and social action.
Giving Back
This year, the holiday season may look different for many of us as we struggle with changes due to the COVID pandemic and the wildfires. Yet, with change and struggle comes opportunity—opportunity for new traditions to emerge, and new ways to connect with each other and our communities.
Gratitude includes reciprocity—a returning of the gifts we receive by taking care of those who take care of us. We can give back to the Earth by honoring the first peoples of this land, by carrying forward good land stewardship practices, and by reconnecting with nature. You are giving back when you take action to protect and defend the ancient forests, wildlife, and waters of the Klamath-Siskiyou.
If you get outside during this Thanksgiving weekend, consider taking a moment to truly reflect on the world that surrounds you, and to give thanks for the fresh air, the forests, the clean water, and the non-human ancestors that do so much to allow our natural world to flourish.
Give back to each other, and give back to the Earth.
For the Wild,
Jessica Klinke, Communications Manager
P.S. Save the Date for Giving Tuesday - December 1st. Please consider a year-end contribution this #GivingTuesday to support KS Wild and Rogue Riverkeeper programs and staff so we can continue giving back to the forests, waters, and wildlife of the Klamath-Siskiyou. Thank you!
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