Be An Ally
A critical way to support Indigenous Peoples and our diverse communities is to stand in solidarity and be a good ally to this work.
Therefore, make a lifelong commitment to understanding and undoing the harm that is inflicted on Indigenous Peoples and on the land, sky and water by colonization.
Make a Commitment
Learn about Native Nations from the land where you live:
- Learn about the Indigenous Peoples on the land where you have settled. Support Native-owned businesses.
- Acknowledge your presence on the land of Indigenous Peoples in everyday activities.
- Learn about treaties affecting Peoples on the land where you live, and how they have been violated and compromised.
Learn about your Ancestors:
- Learn about your heritage homeland and culture. Identify yourself in the terms of your homeland and your heritage culture. Know how you came to settle in the place you live.
Change your behavior. Change your frame of mind:
- Be grateful. Every day.
- Be more giving. Share more. Give gifts for the sake of giving.
- Talk to people about Right Relationships.
Change your relation to the earth, air, and water:
- Connect physically with the land you live on: learn about Native plants and Native plant uses for food and shelter. Start small. Grow something.
- Begin to care for the earth, the air, and the water.
Find ways to return some of what settlers owe to Indigenous Peoples:
- Settlers have taken nearly everything from Native Nations: land and language, culture and ceremony. Find ways to give back to Native Nations in concrete material ways based on the priorities local Indigenous communities tell you they have in mind.
- Many Native Nations take care of their most vulnerable community members very seriously through giving and sharing, exchange and reciprocity. Work to build shared common resources based on expressed desires of Indigenous Peoples that can benefit all, and particularly the most vulnerable.
For additional resources, visit SGF’s Red Papers for “A White Paper, In the Spirit of a Red Paper: How to be an Ally to Indigenous Peoples.”
Donate to Seventh Generation Fund.
