We carry a lot with us.

We carry our stories, our loves, our histories, our traumas, inside ourselves every day. And they are heavy. They sometimes weigh on our hearts and take up residency in the back of our brains. Sometimes they make our bones ache with their presence.

I am a collection of events. I am an amalgamation of decisions and stories. I am here because of the actions of others who have lived and loved, and somewhere in their existence my narratives were being created. I was given this life to live because of the actions of my ancestors.  

Living with these stories in my bones means that I share a connection with those who are also a part of these stories: my family, my community and others that are a part of these actions, who have been entwined with a shared existence since time immemorial. This means that within our being, we are the keepers of our stories. We are the protectors of the most personal parts of our being on this earth, each and every one of us.

I remember the first time I heard the Women's Warrior Song. I remember the first time I heard what the drums sound like on the West Coast. I remember the time I was in a crowd of passionate people fighting for the same cause.

I remember the deep feeling of dread when I saw the police pull up. I remember the strong women -- little kokums, aunties, and fierce youth -- that took to the front lines with drums and song in the face of the strong arm of the state.

I remember drum beats and sage. I remember immense love.

I have always been struck by the natural beauty of this earth. I grew up admiring rivers and the northern lights. I’ve forever been in awe of the quiet elegance of snow-covered trees. I was raised in a place where the landscape takes breath away and leaves people speechless.

Our stories are everything we are. Within every word, breath, syllable, and pause, our stories are our own. Our bodies are made of stories: between the bruises and scratches and the birth marks and moles. Our mother's stories are held in our DNA. Our lives are an amalgamation of events and adventures, ups and downs, that begin to carve out the essence of us. We spend each and every minute of our days creating stories. With every conversation we are constantly constructing our own personal narratives.

We are all made of stories: the stories that come from our own histories, that give us personal definition in this world, and the stories that come from our own cosmologies. These are the stories that give us grounding. It is because of this, I can only speak for myself and to the stories that create who I am. I do not, nor do I pretend that I have the authority to speak for, or over, anyone.