Issue 12

Caring for

Community

& Self

Letter from the Editor

Relatives -

If I could wrap you all in a big hug I certainly would. Indigenous Goddess Gang greets you in a good way and with good energy as we enter the Spring. This season is a time when we move toward more balance. There is less darkness and more light and we welcome the energy of growth and movement into healing from a difficult winter for many.

We also recognize that we are coming to you slightly fatigued with hearts that have been broken with the loss of our loved ones. When these feelings are too big and difficult to express, we often turn to the words of our Matriarchs and Poets. In these words from Audre Lorde, “I want to write rage but all that comes is sadness. We have been sad long enough to make this earth either weep or grow fertile.“

This desire to grow fertile from the sadness planted the seeds for Issue 12 - Caring for Community and Self.

The work that you/we have been taking on over the past year and beyond deserves recognition and celebration. Through your voice, advocacy, and mutual aid, we have been able to provide care for our communities and fight for the liberation that we seek. We have seen so many wins for our collective upliftment - We made it through a volatile political season and secured some advancement for representation in leadership positions - We continued our purpose to disrupt white supremacy and patriarchy - We celebrated Black legacy and beauty alongside our relatives - We held our collective breathe and wept tears of pride as Deb Haaland was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior - and we lived our everyday lives with vulnerability and authenticity. We see you. We are proud of you.

And now, we invite you to breathe a collective sigh of release with us. Go ahead, we’ll wait... Because for all of your external efforts to make this world more safe and equitable, you must also look internally. How are you? What do you need? When was the last time you rested? How can we support you?

Our hope is that this issue is a start to getting the answers to these questions. We have compiled stories, images, work, and examples of all the beautiful things we are excited about. We invite you to spend time in each blog and visit the external pages of our artists, leaders, and collective members. And when you need to just take a walk or a drive, we invite you to vibe with our newest playlist.

Ahéhee' relatives and I am sending special gratitude to our contributing IGG members in Issue 12 - Kim, Nicole, Tyra, River, Ayden, Quentin, Taelor, Nicolle, Asdzaan Nez, and Charlotte.

In solidarity,

Kelly Hubbell-Hinton