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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/indigenous-cultures-of-reciprocity-social-justice/>
"When visitors take a tour of Forge Project, a nonprofit in the Mahicannituck
(the Mohican name for what is now known as the Hudson River) Valley, they
encounter two buildings designed by the artist Ai Weiwei, which host half a
dozen Native fellows every year. They see works by Native artists, part of a
lending collection of more than 175 pieces the organization stewards. They take
in the view of a meadow where native plants are thriving, a part of Forge’s
land remediation program.
Half of the fees visitors pay for these tours goes to the Stockbridge-Munsee
Community band of Mohican Indians on whose homeland Forge Project sits.
The biweekly public tours are only one small element of the multi-faceted work
of this Native-led social justice organization focused on fostering Indigenous
leadership in culture and art. And the sharing of these profits is part of a
much broader approach that prioritizes practices of reciprocity.
Cultures of reciprocity and sharing are central to many Native communities.
These practices can infuse communities in a multitude of ways, from personal
relationships to interactions with nature to the operations of tribal
governments. At Forge and in other contexts, various traditions of reciprocity
are supporting social justice and countering long-term harm to Indigenous
people.
At Forge, the goal is not only to make a practice of redistribution of wealth,
but to encourage others to do so as well. “How do we recreate that culture
where there’s the deep understanding that the redistribution of wealth is a
part of reciprocity, but it actually will enable the well-being of all of us,
not just some of us?” asks Candice Hopkins, executive director and chief
curator of Forge Project, and a citizen of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
“This culture of reciprocity is still something that is not only valued but
expected in many, many Native communities,” says Hopkins. “It’s one of our
foundational values.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
