Voices of the Land & Sea
Waterways as Ancestors: Honoring the Flow of Life
In many Indigenous cultures, including my own as a Haudenosaunee person, water is not just a resource - it is a living relative. It carries memory, healing, and spirit. In our teachings, water is among the first beings we give thanks to in the Ohén:ton Kariwatehkwen (the Words That Come Before All Else), because without it, life could not exist.
This May, as the heat begins to rise and our Florida rains return, we turn our attention to the waterways - the springs, streams, oceans, and Everglades that nourish our planet. It’s a powerful moment to reconnect with water not just physically, but spiritually and responsibly.
Water is Memory
For the Haudenosaunee, water holds the voices of our ancestors. It flows through time, connecting generations. In Seminole and Miccosukee teachings, water is deeply tied to the Everglades, a slow-moving, sacred river of grass that is home, spirit, and provider. For these communities, water is not separate from us. It’s part of who we are.
We are reminded that every time we drink, swim, fish, or paddle, we are engaging with something sacred. Water listens. It remembers. It asks us to listen in return.
Water Teaches Us to Flow
Water doesn’t resist. It adapts. It moves around obstacles and creates new paths. That’s one of its most beautiful lessons. In our fast-moving world, pausing to reflect beside a stream, ocean, or rain shower reminds us to slow down, breathe, and move through life with grace.
Whether it’s through a quiet beach walk or sitting near a canal or spring, connecting with water helps us reconnect with ourselves. This is how we heal, with rhythm, and presence.
Protecting the Sacred
Florida’s waters are hurting. Pollution, overdevelopment, and climate change are putting our ocean and freshwater ecosystems at risk. The Everglades are shrinking. Coral reefs are bleaching. Sacred springs are overused.
But Indigenous knowledge reminds us that we are never too far gone to return to balance. Healing water means honoring it and standing up for it.
Here are a few ways you can honor water this month:
Attend a local beach or waterway cleanup - or start your own with friends.
Reduce plastic use to keep toxins out of the ocean.
Learn about the Everglades from Miccosukee or Seminole perspectives, and support their stewardship.
Offer water a gesture of thanks - pour a small cup into a plant or river with intention. Speak your gratitude.
Choose sustainable seafood, or reduce consumption in support of marine life.
A Reflection Invitation
This month, try this practice:
Take a walk to the nearest body of water - even a small puddle. Sit for a moment. Listen. The water that carried fish. The rain that nourished the plants that fed you. Whisper a thank you. That’s where reconnection begins.
