We are a network of non-Native individuals, communities and organizations in Iowa and across the Midwest who strive to be good allies to Indigenous people through actively working to repair the harms of colonization in the Midwest. We are open to anyone joining us across the country. Our network currently organizes itself through monthly online calls, with the hope of future in person chapters throughout the Midwest.
We understand that the dominant white culture bears the primary responsibility for this immense damage, and therefore we believe that white people bear a particular responsibility to repair the harm. We recognize this truth while welcoming the unique perspective and collaboration of non-Native People of Color and committing to listen to the needs of Indigenous leadership. We understand that the work of repair is not only about healing damage done to Indigenous peoples and the land, but that it is also about healing ourselves.
We ask that those who join this network are willing to make the following commitments:
- Contributing ongoing financial support to Honor Native Land Fund, which supports the ReMatriation Fund of the Great Plains Action Society
- Regularly attending monthly learning and organizing calls on the first Wednesday of each month that will focus on learning Indigenous and colonial history, current issues facing Indigenous communities, engaging guest speakers (both Native and non-Native), healing, and networking
- Willingness to confront racism in all its forms, such as racist mascots and cultural appropriation
- Willingness to work to dismantle legal and cultural systems of white supremacy
- Inner transformation and healing the wounds of colonialism within
- Healing land in whatever places we inhabit
- As able, to show up when Indigenous leaders call for solidarity and support
The Honor Native Land Fund (HNLF) is an opportunity for non-Native people living in the Midwest – particularly the homelands of the Ho-Chunk, Winnebago, Ioway, Meskwaki, Fox, Sauk, Dakota, and other nations – to contribute to Native efforts to restore land and water to Indigenous stewardship. We invite anyone – from Chicago to Kansas City, from Minneapolis to Saint Louis, and everywhere in between – to participate.
https://honornativelandfund.org/
Indigenous Led
We are a small society of Indigenous Folks living in the Great Plains region, resisting colonization and re-Indigenizing the land and the world around us.
https://www.greatplainsaction.org/
Embracing Repair is dedicated to announcing opportunities for community, gathering, learning, and the occasional writing on themes of spirituality with the land, wild church, colonialism, Indigenous history and resurgence, reparations and repair.
https://embracingrepair.substack.com/
Abolition, Quakers and Mutual Aid
This blog has been created to explore how the concept of abolition has changed over the years. In the early settler-colonial history, abolition referred to abolishing the institution of slavery. Today, it refers to abolishing police and prisons, which are the modern-day versions of enslavement.
https://quakersmutualaidandabolition.blog/
Recent blog posts
Scattergood and Great Plains Action Society Part 2
We began the demolition of the Healing Justice House several days ago. Scattergood Friends School is included in the title of these blog posts because some people working on the demolition have been hosted at the school. Another part of Scattergood’s involvement is that I was so glad to be able to share about this…
Scattergood and Great Plains Action Society Part 1
I arrived at Scattergood Friends School and Farm Sunday where I’ve been staying so I can go into nearby Iowa City to help with the beginnings of the renovation of the acre of land the Great Plains Action Society (GPAS) recently acquired, or would it be re-acquired? This is an example of the idea of…
Convergence on Healing Justice House
This invitation is an opportunity to take part in meaningful and practical work toward decolonial repair. Right now in Iowa City, the Great Plains Action Society (GPAS) is beginning a project that’s more than just a vision—it’s a real, on-the-ground effort to shape what a more just future looks like for Indigenous communities. GPAS is…