Land & Labor:
Two centuries ago, many of the rivers in the arid southwest region flowed year-round as perennial rivers. The stewardship that indigenous people practiced for millennia ensured these rivers stayed perennial. Now, many of these rivers are dry from exploitation and overuse. Growing up in “Arizona”, no one on our team knew this knowledge until after we had already entered into adulthood. We did not know this because the genocide brought upon the indigenous groups erased this history, through boarding schools, forced acquisition of land, laws to hide/erase their cultures, and the massacres of the people. Those groups include the Apache, the O’odham, the Yoeme, the Pee Posh, the Hopi, the Dinè, and many more recognized and unrecognized groups. The slavery of black and brown people to create this country, the economic class based oppression, and the genocide of the indigenous in order to take and exploit the land, are root causes of our climate crisis and social division. We recognize this daily to be grounded in what was lost, what is possible, and to find healing for our future generations.
Summarized Acknowledgement:
- We are living and working on occupied indigenous lands.
- We are committed daily to healing our relationship with these lands, waters, and people.
- We are fighting to abolish the continued generational genocide and colonization of all three.
Transforming Terrain
At Transforming Terrain, we are both students and teachers. Our services are all included under the umbrella of Land Stewardship: arboriculture, rainwater harvesting, native plant identification and propagation, soil and water management, seed harvesting, native food and medicine use, and the education of these subjects. Naturally, we are in the business of relationships, not transactions; this is not a money making operation, but rather a change-making one. Our team is at the core of the work we do, and our rates allow everyone to have a livable wage, healthcare, and additional benefits to ensure our mental and physical wellbeing.
