undercurrents (issue #2)

an artistic production; funding for youth-led climate initiatives; forest mythology

undercurrents is a subnewsletter of UPROOTED curated to invite attention to the underground shifts and joyful composting already happening.

1. Youth Climate Justice Fund

The Youth Climate Justice Fund supports youth-led collectives that are advancing and raising commitments on climate and socio-environmental justice. If you know of relevant groups in need of funding to advance their work and capacity, feel welcome to pass this grant opportunity along! Applications are accepted until September 24, 2023. Learn more here.

2. Oron’ónhta / Beings of Light

Photo by Shutter Shell Studios via Kaha:wi Dance Theatre

Oron’ónhta (O-lun ‘ un-da), which means sunflower in Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk), is a live event in Burlington produced by director Santee Smith / Tekaronkiáhkwa. Created to celebrate kinship with and extend greetings to the more-than-human world, this artistic performance showcases four dancers embodying the journey of sunflower seeds—as inspired by their “Rotinonhsión:ni” (Creation Story). 

“For me the Oron’ónhta brings joy and knowledge of Onkwehonw’neha which is the traditional knowledge and way of life of my ancestors. It’s a gift to embody our interconnections to our celestial origins and to share this beauty with others.” –Santee Smith / Tekaronkiáhkwa.

Learn more about the production here, and learn more about Kaha:wi Dance Theatre here.

3. Tree of Life, curated by Imaginal

An eight-week online course hosted by Advaya and curated by Imaginal (Isis Indriya, Nathalie Kelley, and Timo Granzotti), Tree of Life explores our co-evolution with trees and forests.

“Learn about milpa, the Indigenous tradition of intercropping; the relationship between biomes and the hydrological cycle, trees, and the lunar cycle; communication between trees and the magic of pheromones; the relationship between trees and forests; the alchemical process of photosynthesis; why we need to protect old growth forests; reforestation and forest defending movements; and more.

Explore the mythologies and stories from Mesopotamia, the Maya region, Phoenicians, Norsemen, the Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, the First Nations peoples of Australia, and then reconnect with trees in your own inhabited landscape and life.”

Learn more and register using our referral code “GREENDREAMER20” for 20% off single-purchase tickets to this course.

4. The Heron’s Nest

Photo via theheronnest.org

Based in the heart of Seattle, The Heron's Nest is a community-building endeavor aiming “to provide a safe place for youth and adults to learn skills, trades, and outdoor stewardship.” A collaboration with the Duwamish Tribe who has long been fighting for federal recognition, the project is “the first-ever repatriation attempt” with respect to Duwamish interests.

The initiative shares: “Now that the property has been cleaned up and new facilities have been created, there is ample space for meaningful community programming, education, social events, traditional practices, gardening/farming, and more.”

Learn more here and get involved here.

5. Gentle reminders

“I live in, as so many of us do, a very fast-paced, intense world. I live in New York City. I have two kids. I have a wife who has a very demanding life and job. And I think it's very possible to live life in overdrive.

I grew up in a house where we would not start eating dinner if music had not been put on the stereo to accompany our dinner. Moments mattered. Creating moments mattered. And having time to connect mattered.

I try to pass that on to my family now.” –Anand Giridharadas via Green Dreamer.

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Mud (n): soft, sticky matter resulting from the mixing of earth and water.

This is an experimental space for Q&”A”, my thoughts in formation, personal updates, and projects in the works that are not quite ready to meet the light of day. It might be messy, and it might not make sense (yet). Hopefully, they will ripen in time for open publication but for now, this will remain mostly an underground bonus for the supporting subscribers who help make UPROOTED possible. Submit your questions for me to “answer” and use as writing prompts at kamea@substack.com.

It’s funny how I have gone from months of a creative drought to now having insomnia from endlessly running thoughts of what I want to create, write about, and explore. I don’t think there are necessarily any logical or meaningful explanations for the complex cycles that we each go through.

These mysteries of time as living, subjective experiences make me wonder about the incompatibility of life with systems that seek to define rigid timelines of productivity—whether of labor, food, harvests of other “natural resources,” or something else.

It reminds me of my conversation with Dr. Bayo Akomolafe which inspired me to look at “systemic” issues through fresh lenses—not just that modernity’s underlying extractive systems must be transformed anew, but also that attempts to systematize what cannot be systematized are central to the crisis itself.

This invites me to think about alternative framings of “ecosystem”—as well as the limitations of that language.

After all, as much as beings and elements “within” communities work together and are organized by shared sets of principles, there are spillovers and constant transformations that continuously undefine and redefine that “organized network” and how it “operates.” Letting these contemplations steep…