Ancestor Stew

Our work isn’t a sprint to the finish line-it’s a spiritual journey. This journey has been a movement of intention toward a deeper destination, shaped by the memory and presence of our ancestors. As we walk this path for our communities, we’ve reached an awareness of work that needs to be done for many of us. There is a quiet weight to it. 

We’re carrying history that belongs to families, to bloodlines, to places, and to the silences left behind. As we explore our shared pasts, we inevitably feel deeper pulls of ancestry and it’s unlocking layers of commonality, memories, and gifts from our ancestors. This journey is best described as ancestor stew. It’s a dish we’re making together, each of us adding ingredients as they come to us. We don’t force them. We don’t rush them. Some flavors take longer so we are infusing the flavor into the stew by letting it simmer. This infusion is what will make the stew richer. It’s easier to appreciate a rich flavoring when it’s something you’ve been waiting for. This infusion is what nourished our communities, and it will again provide that as the memories make the meal.

Each connection made along this journey has delivered new ingredients from our ancestors and the contributions to this kinship system of cooking together is giving revelations. We keep meeting up. We stir what we’ve gathered so far. And each time something new arrives we make space for it. This isn’t for us alone. It’s meant to serve our communities and strengthen the kinship we share. 

In the end, this isn’t just research. It’s ceremony.