06/15/2023
Beautiful words from Kawenniiosta Jock. So honored to be part of this prayer and process of healing and return. Please join us July 28-30 at the Waterfall Unity Festival. Puff the Magic Dragon will be in the house! 🐉♥️🐉 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-waterfall-unity-festival-tickets-629350824257
“This isn't just a berry farm to us. These lands hold a significant part in our journey to self discovery. Patching the holes within our being as an act of resistance to the on going genocide of our planet and specifically our Onkwehonwe (Original) peoples of these lands. This is what enviromental justice looks like to me. Reclaiming my spirit and the future of my children's existence. Reconnecting and Relearning the ways of our ancestors. Going back to the land and being present in my day to day interactions with all creation. Ever grateful for this opportunity to return here, while creating the space needed for our people to grow.” — Kawenniiosta, Kanienkehaka
Shé:kon Sewakwé:kon, Kawenniiósta ionkiáts. Hello, my name is Kawenniiosta.
I am currently stewarding the lands of what you all know as Bohringer's Fruit Farm, The farm has been renamed Iotsi'tsishon Skywomans Forever Farm. I'm a mother of 5 children, Wolf Clan of the Kanienkeháka (Mohawk) People. Presidant of the Waterfall Unity Alliance, master seamstress, Full Spectrum-Doula, artist and lover of all creation. I have developed traditional support, cultural teachings and language preservation within my community of Ahkwesasne in upstate NY, which I plan to do here as well. As Kanienkeháka people, we are still very much connected to our ways of living. We still speak our language and are still very much alive.
I am not a berry farmer and I'm learning as I go here. Everyday I learn something new about this beautiful land that my grandmothers onced lived freely on. Some of you may not know this about the farm, but my ancestors came from these lands, all over these vallies. This historical site that we are living on, was once our Turtle Clan Village.
We plan to take this year to learn everything there is to know about these lands and the berries that are growing here. Spending our time rematriating the land and reconnecting with our ancestors.
I ask for your continued patients as we are taking this very slow. We are giving the land which is our Mother, a year to breathe and heal herself. Bringing the farm back to organic practices with out the use of harmful chemicals. We have a set plan for the upcoming year to introduce Agroforestry Practices here on the farm through Alley Cropping, creating Multi functional Buffers around the property and creating wind breaks. As well as learning all the growing stages of the different fruit growing.
We don't have many hands to help us just yet and we are figuring this out as we go. If you would like to volunteer you can fill out a form on our website waterfallunityalliance.org in the volunteer section.
I am happy you all got to enjoy this farm for all these years. I ask you all to kindly respect our return to our ancestral lands and especially our children's homecoming. Cars have been going in and out of the fields all day long while my children are out being kids. Please drive very slow when visiting the farm.
We will have signs up when we are ready to open. No dates are set yet.
Happy to see other strawberries farms opening up here in the valley. 🙌
We have a upcoming festival happening at the end of July. All proceeds raised will go to our land base teaching program for the kids. Please join us!!
Niawenkó:wa, thank you for your time.
"This isn't just a berry farm to us. These lands hold a significant part in our journey to self discovery. Patching the holes within our being as an act of resistance to the on going genocide of our planet and specifically our Onkwehonwe (Origional) peoples of these lands. This is what enviromental justice looks like to me. Reclaiming my spirit and the future of my children's existence. Reconnecting and Relearning the ways of our ancestors. Going back to the land and being present in my day to day interactions with all creation. Ever grateful for this opportunity to return here, while creating the space needed for our people to grow" ~Kawenniiosta, Kanienkeháka
