CEE Welcomes Liv Bigtree as Fellow
One founding cornerstone of Center for Earth Ethics is to support Indigenous Peoples in living out their traditional ways. We have come to understand that helping hold time and space to focus on original languages is a good way to do that. We are mindful of the way that these languages convey special meaning and knowledge about the interrelationships within the web of life. We are also cognizant of the violence through which these languages have been nearly lost, making it essential to respect and support the process through which Indigenous communities take the lead in revitalization and set the terms through which they share that work. CEE has been honored to lift up the importance and power of Indigenous languages in classrooms and in public convenings, including book launch celebrations for the Taíno dictionary (written by Roberto Múkaro Borrero) in 2023, and “Butterfly Against the Wind,” (written by Tiokasin Ghosthorse) which features Lakota language, in 2016. Liv Bigtree’s fellowship represents our commitment to this work, and we are honored to present the first of her reflections here.
– Karenna Gore, Executive Director, CEE
The Center for Earth Ethics is pleased to announce that Indigenous scholar and advocate Olivia “Liv” Bigtree has joined us as a fellow beginning in September. Liv, whose original name, Watyana’li:yo, translates to “She puts down a good track” or “She puts down her good tracks,” is Onyota’a:ka (People of the Standing Stone), Turtle Clan. A proud member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Liv is a dedicated advocate for Indigenous language preservation and land rematriation.
Liv will spend the next two years learning Kanien’kéha (Mohawk language) through the Kanien’kéha Ratiwennahní:rats Adult Language Immersion Program in Kahnawà:ke (a Kanien’kehá:ka Reserve in Quebec, Canada). This program will further her prime directive to fully embody Onkwehonwenéha (the Original Language/Instructions).
Driven by a commitment to decolonization and communal healing, Liv has spent the past two years in Ioskóhare (Schoharie Valley) supporting the growth and rematriation of Skywoman’s Forever Farm on the ancestral lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka (People of the Flint). She worked as communications manager for the Waterfall Unity Alliance, on whose board she now serves.
As an artist, Liv has been recognized nationally and regionally for her impactful work, including being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts, a national medalist in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and a winner of U.S. Representative John Katko’s Congressional Art Competition. In 2021, the New York Times Magazine featured her as an “Artist to Watch,” describing her work as “sophisticated, slick and stylish,” and predicting that she will become “a powerful force” in the art world.
We are honored to support Liv on her journey and look forward to the wisdom and creativity she will bring to CEE. Stay tuned for her updates and reflections!
