Cosmic Well is based in the the occupied territory of the Shawandasee Tula (Shawnee) and Tsalaguwetiyi (Eastern Cherokee), which they share with the Kaskaskia (part of the Illiwinek Confederation), Wazhazhe Manzhan (Osage), and other nations and tribes. These peoples resided in the pelewa thiipi or Ohi:yo river valley prior to the Euro-Amerikkkan colonial invasion.
Today, the nations of Shawnee, Cherokee, Illiwinek, and Osage have been displaced to Oklahoma, while the Kaskaskia have been drastically reduced in number. However it is important to recognize that Indigenous Peoples still live and work in occupied Kentucky and Ohio, their cultures are vibrant and alive, and their resistance to the theft and occupation of their lands and the desecration of Mother Earth has never, and will never end, until the settler occupation is ended.
We often hear settlers and others whose presence here is made possible through ongoing displacement, genocide, and ethnic cleansing share gratitude for having the “opportunity” to live, work, play, serve, and worship on Turtle Island. But this is not an opportunity that has been willingly shared with us, it was stolen by some of us, and many others would never have chosen to be here if the choice had not been ripped from their hands due to colonialism, imperialist war, slavery, and other social, political, and economic injustices worldwide.
The Ohi:yo river is also the home of the white-tailed deer, groundhog, raccoon, muskrat, and mink, the cottontail rabbit and red fox. “More than 160 species of fish have been found in its waters, it has some of the greatest biodiversity of freshwater mussels, which are critical to the health of our ecosystems and waterways. At the turn of the century, the Ohio River basin was home to 127 of the 297 freshwater mussel species native to North America. Since then, human changes in the environment have taken their toll: 11 mussel species are extinct, and 46 others are classified as endangered or species of concern.”1 It is also the most polluted river in the so-called United States, and was listed among “America’s Most Endangered Rivers” in 2023.
If you are in the Ohio River Valley, please check out the work of the Urban Native Collective, an Indigenous run network of Indigenous Relatives and allies committed to decolonization of the so-called “United States” and the unquestioned sovereignty of Indigenous Tribes and Nations.
Check out their Indigenous Ally Toolkit for actions to take, and when you have the time and inclination check out their Native Sovereignty Center in the neighborhood of Northside in so-called Cincinnati.
Goddess Be With You.
- https://ohioriverfdn.org/ohio-river/ecology/ ↩︎