Right Relationship
Women in Land-Based Cultures

“Land is not just real estate . . . land is part of the essence of who indigenous people are. It needs to be understood within the context of their spirituality and their holistic sense of creation and humanity. ... A landless indigenous person is person at real risk.”

Lakota culture teaches us that all things are related. Mitakuwe Oyasin - All my relations. We are part of, not apart from, nature. Land-based cultures all over the world believe that our very existence is dependent on us having a “right relationship” with nature. We are connected spiritually, culturally and economically to the land, the water and the air. Our connection includes every element, creature and plant . . . even the rocks, which also live.
All creation stories begin when people came to live on the land, so all humans share these origins. The land is the lifeblood of the people, a gift from the creator that provides all that is necessary to sustain life. In the 21st century (recognized as such by the dominant culture), Mother Earth is said to be threatened, endangered, even on the brink of extinction. Lakota wisdom, like that of many other cultures, tells us that it is humans who are endangered as they abuse and turn away from the natural blessings that surround us. If the earth is understood to be a living being, we may glimpse the truth of the Great Mystery. Perhaps nature may have ways to survive without us. Indigenous prophets have said: “Mother Earth is shaking her back”.
As women of land-based cultures, our work is compounded by our responsibilities, not only to our families, our communities, our sisters and ourselves, but indeed to the land. The traditions, language and cultures of who we are, as well as our role to teach future generations, compel us to pass on this reverence for the land. We have a responsibility to care for the land as it cares for us. As we work for our communities, this strong belief has a direct impact on what we should or should not do. Our choices of projects, programs, and strategies for community economic development that are sensitive to our connection to the land, involve complex and delicate analysis. Additionally, policies that impact that relationship require close scrutiny, as the effects are very often long-term, affecting many generations to come. While we share with our urban sisters the issues of poverty, poor health care, under-education, negative self-image, lack of child care, and social injustice based on sexism, women of land-based cultures must add to these the struggles of the land. With the link between land-based cultures and rural areas, we also experience isolation, lack of transportation, and communication difficulties.
Even if we have been removed to urban areas, when we take time to watch the cycles of nature, the ebb and flow of the ocean tides, we are touched. When we leave our busy and speedy lives to rest, refresh, and reconnect at the ocean, in the mountains, desert, or plains, we realize on a deep level that we are a part of our natural world. Even a short break can rejuvenate us and fill us with the joy of living. We become reattached to the land. Land-based people, however, carry this attachment with them on a daily basis. They are able to watch, touch, hear, and feel the natural rhythms of nature. Their observations are as important, or more important, than those of science or economics.
Land-based cultures accept the responsibility and are honored by the privilege to share the wisdom of the ancestors and the hope of future generations. However, they often experience distress at attempts to analyze, criticize, and dismiss their role, and disregard for the deep complexity required to stay integrated in mind, body, and spirit, which is our right as well as our responsibility. When everything is reduced to our economic potential, when we are required to compete in global markets rather than contribute our treasures, when we are urged to grow only cash crops, stay out of the forests and off the waters, we must speak out. Our prayers for all the peoples of the earth to open their hearts and find that “right relationship” will give true meaning to Mitakuwe Oyasin - All my relations.

“It was a Hawai’i where birds, clouds, and stones spoke as clearly as people . . . because the silent language of nature was profoundly understood.”

Pati Martinson and Terrie Bad Hand, Co-Directors
When we founded the Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) in 1987, the challenges facing our community were those of a historic, semi-isolated, rural area transitioning from a centuries old, self-sufficient, agrarian base to a commercially focused economy. Since then, TCEDC has operated utilizing the model of family in its community development efforts. This model builds upon the strengths and wisdom of land based cultures that have demonstrated the ability to survive and overcome adversity by retaining beliefs and values and by recognizing the inevitability of cycles. Our successes have been recognized nationally. We have been called on to share the TCEDC model with other groups and organizations, present at conferences, seminars and workshops, and contribute to policy development around social justice issues. We are proud of our community and honored to work toward the realization of its dreams and visions. The programs and projects of TCEDC reflect and support the values and lifestyle of our community.

TCEDC Programs
Small Business Support
The demand for small business support services continues to increase, as community members utilize their traditional skills and entrepreneurial talents to support their families and to survive during these tough economic times. TCEDC’s free business support and technical assistance services include business planning, financial projections, marketing, and product development. Our small business coordinator also assists businesses to obtain loan packages from a variety of resources, including our local bank partners, ACCION (for low-income entrepreneurs) and New Mexico Community Development Loan Fund.

Community Agriculture and Food Security
The Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) is now in its nineteenth year of supporting food, land, cultures, and the people of Northern New Mexico. In this traditionally agricultural region, activities that support the local farmers, their lands, water, and production are critical to the resiliency of our community. TCEDC’s innovative agricultural projects build on the area’s rich agricultural traditions, networks of farmers (such as the centuries old acequia/ditch associations), and the dynamic specialty foods sector.
• TCEDC’s “Adding Value, Managing Risk” program offers increased access to the local farmers to risk management and business management tools that can help them sustain and increase their farm incomes. With a regional drought, and devastating winds and fires all around, the need for risk management is clear to the farmers of Northern New Mexico. Ironically, these farmers are some of the most under-served by government crop insurance programs. The risk management program supports farm networks, conferences, training, and outreach activities to bridge this gap.
• TCEDC’s Comida para la Vida (Food for Life) project connects the agriculture programs with the value-added support activities. This program also connects the community to local, healthy, fresh foods and to the lands and farms that the food comes from. Food security is a global issue that reflects the central activities of the local cultures of Taos. Through the Comida para la Vida program, TCEDC offers kitchen gardens and nutrition classes to low-income clients, connects the local growers with the local food processors and produce buyers, educates youth about local farms and food, and promotes the identity of local food products through the Oso Good Foods campaign.

Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC)
1021 Salazar Rd
P.O. 1389
Taos, NM. 87571
(505) 758-8731
tcedc@tcedc.org
www.tcedc.org

Southwest Research and Information Center
105 Stanford SE
PO Box 4524
Albuquerque, NM 87196
505/262-1862
fax: 505/262-1864

For further information contact Info@sric.org.