The Eternal Song Resources
This is a living document. It will continue to grow and evolve as new threads are woven, new voices emerge, and deeper layers of remembrance are uncovered. With your support, we hope to nurture and expand this weaving—tending it together with care and curiosity.
These elders, speakers, and communities carry songs, scars, and teachings rooted in long lineages of land connection. Here you’ll find their voices from The Eternal Song film and June 2025 gathering. We invite you to explore with humility, let each click be a bow, weaving these sharings into living relationships of care and reciprocity.
Thomas Kanatakeniate Cook
Executive Director Afraid of Bear—American Horse Tiospaye Org
ANCESTRAL HEALING AND LINEAGE RECONNECTION
Healing is not found in isolation – it asks us to reconnect with our benevolent ancestors, our communities, and with the generations to come.
Reconnecting to our lineages is one way to transform the curse of colonialism, whether we are survivors of colonial oppression, descendants of colonizers, have lineages of both, or don’t know where our people came from. These wounds ripple through our families and cultural stories, as intergenerational and collective trauma. What are the wounds that have been passed down that you hope might end with you?
Here are some pathways to ancestral healing – see which call to you in this moment.
*With care and curiosity, we tend this living document together. Please get in touch with us (mailto:[email protected]) if you have a suggested resource to add.
Seek out teachers, practitioners & organizations to support your journey. Here are some within the SAND community and beyond:
- Decolonizing Therapy with Dr. Jennifer Mullan, @decolonizingtherapy
- Somatic Abolitionism with Resmaa Menakem
- Raven’s Call, Trauma Training & Healing with Patricia June Vickers
- Black Women Healing Retreats — Sanctuary for Black women
- Reclaiming our Authenticity with Gabor Maté
- Ancestral Medicine with Daniel Foor (includes a directory of practitioners around the world)
- Somatic Experiencing with Peter Levine
- Ancestral Institute (AI), a forum a forum for sharing ancestral/traditional healing practices, especially for Indigenous, Black and people of color practitioners
- Inherited Family Trauma courses with Mark Wolynn
- Wounds into Wisdom courses with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
- Maori Healers online and in-person workshops, classes, events
Indigenous community-serving resources
- Native Wellness Institute — leading provider of Native-specific, historical trauma, and wellness-related training
- Friendship House – a place for Native people to reconnect with their culture and heal
- National Native Children’s Trauma Center – Supporting the trauma-related needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and youth
- Indigenous therapists offering training on historical trauma and Indigenous healing practices including: Dr. Anita Sanchez, Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart
- National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
- The Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
Ancestral Healing Teachings from SAND
- ALTÆR: Ancestral Bone Mapping & Healing — SAND community gathering with Iya Affo
- Restoring Wholeness: An Introduction to Internal Family Systems – SAND community gathering with Richard Schwartz, PhD
- SAND collection of self-guided courses
- SAND collection of community gatherings
Make space to grieve what's been lost
- Explore your ancestors’ relationships to land and loss
- Tune into “The Sacred Work of Grief” with Francis Weller and Orland Bishop
- Watch “Ancient Rhythms: Dreaming Into Death & Renewal” with Francis Weller and Pat McCabe
- Courses with Francis Weller
Reclaim ceremony practiced by your lineages, make offerings, sing
Watch The Wisdom of Trauma
A film with Gabor Maté created by SAND, which planted the seeds that led to The Eternal Song. Watch here: Wisdom of Trauma
Learn
Our library of resources on healing trauma and our Eternal Song Learning Library (LINK)
Because colonization is actively continuing today, we each have a role to play in shifting out of the curse, and imagining ourselves into new, interwoven, life-affirming ways of being. To be a good relative, is not to fix or lead—but to walk beside.
We offer these ways of taking action as openings, not prescriptions. Learning how to be in accompaniment, and to co-resist systemic racism and colonial structures, is life-long work. Let’s begin today with what speaks to you in this moment.
It can be as simple as bringing The Eternal Song to your community, congregation, or classroom. Or more involved such as engaging in land rematriation and other Indigenous-led struggles for justice. With care and curiosity, we tend this living document together. Please get in touch with us (mailto:[email protected]) if you have a suggested resource to add.
CULTIVATING RIGHT RELATIONSHIP
- To begin, ask: What is your relationship to the land where you live now, and the indigenous peoples of that place? Learn whose ancestral lands you are living on — one resource is native-land.ca – and support local Indigenous leadership where possible
- Support Land Back efforts to rematriate the land – learn more in this article, “Tribal lands were stolen. What happens when those ancestral territories are returned?”
- Stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities facing ongoing colonial land struggles and displacement, from the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
- Call on your elected officials to act in support of Indigenous rights and sovereignty
- Donate: Learn about the Indigenous-led initiatives in the communities featured in The Eternal Song and explore how you can participate in this circle of giving
- Practice reciprocity by paying Indigenous land tax when you can; one example is Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, stewarded by urban Indigenous women
- Protect sacred sites, and listen for the stories the land around you still carries
- The Coalition for Outdoor Renaming and Education (CORE) promotes justice through renaming places
- Gift Native-designed goods and art that carry story, tradition, and warmth, rather than art that culturally appropriates Indigenous culture; one source is Eighth Generation
- Amplify Indigenous and marginalized voices and give credit when quoting from Indigenous sources
- Take a course on how to be in solidarity
- Re-Human: Building Solidarity with Indigenous Communities – courses with Dr. Lyla June Johnston (Diné/Tsétsêhéstâhese)
- Comrades Education – courses on antiracism and land connection
- Motherhouse – 7-part course on being of service to life in the face of fascism, climate collapse, genocidal empires
- Indian Country 101 Training: Growing Competency and Capacity to Partner with Indigenous Peoples developed by The Whitener Group, a Native-owned firm, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
- Webinars and courses with Relentless Indigenous Woman – Consulting services to move toward authentic, actionable solidarity.
- Read more on allyship and accompaniment
- Indigenous Ally Toolkit (PDF)
- Changing the Narrative about Native Americans — A Guide for Allies (PDF)
- A Guide to Build Cultural Awareness – SAMHSA Culture Card
- Decolonizing Wealth Project – transforming wealth into collective wellbeing
- The “Set-Up” of Settler Colonialism: From the U.S. to Ireland to Palestine – understanding how the rich and powerful have divided and ruled over the global 99%
- Connect, support, and learn from Indigenous-led organizations such as these
- Movement Rights – Aligning human laws with the laws of the natural world
- NDN Collective – Building Indigenous power through organizing and philanthropy
- Redbud Resource Group – Native advocacy providing training and support to Tribal and non-Tribal communities
- Spirit of the Sun – Empowering Native Communities in the greater Denver area
- IINÁH Institute – Rooted in Diné lands and leaders, Teaching Native Life ways
- Constellate Change – Healing with ancestral, systemic, and creative constellations
- American Indian Community House – Improving the well-being of the American Indian Community in New York City
HEALING THE LAND & SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS-LED STEWARDSHIP
Attune to your heartbreak amidst climate collapse and systemic unraveling – where are you called to bring your gifts to support land healing and justice? Perhaps in the place where you live, or in a place faraway facing immediate harm, or leveraging your power and influence in your country, industry, or craft. We each have a role to play.
Around the world, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have long protected lands and waters in reciprocity with the Earth, rooted in culture, ways of knowing, abundance and care. Supporting Indigenous-led stewardship is an act of repair and is more impactful toward protecting ecosystems and future generations.
- Join efforts to protect the land and ocean, keep oil in the ground, build regenerative agriculture practices, practice seed saving, and follow the lead of the most impacted communities
- Be part of the Just Transition toward renewable energy, a solidarity economy, and thriving way of life
- Support Indigenous-led conservation efforts such as:
- Prescribed burns such as the work of the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network is revitalizing traditional fire culture
- Dam removals such as the recent Klamath river project, which Indigenous teens shared was an “answer to our ancestors’ prayers”
- Forest rights and land management, such as the protection of the Great Bear Rainforest and Sea, one of the most productive cold-water ecosystems in the world, drawing together endangered whales, halibut, abalone and, yes, bears
- Connect, support, and learn from organizations such as these
- Indigenous Climate Action – Centering Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge systems in developing solutions to the climate crisis
- Global Rights of Nature Alliance – Network committed to implementing legal systems recognizing the Rights of Nature.
- Indigenous Environmental Network – Addressing environmental and economic justice through education and political activism
- Women’s Environment and Climate Action Network (WECAN) – Rising for climate justice & community-led solutions
- Seeding Sovereignty – female indigenous-led organization working at the intersection of conservation and human rights
- Pachamama Alliance – Training to regenerate the planet’s ecosystems and restore right relationship, with roots in the Amazon rainforest
- Indigenous Led & Buffalo Beyond Borders – Healing land, people and all our relations, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing
- RAD Network – Working toward decolonized and regenerative Indigenous-led conservation in Canada
- Honor the Earth – Offers financial and organizing support to grassroots Native environmental organizations throughout the US
- Gathering Voices Society – Catalyzing Indigenous-led environmental stewardship in Canada
- Bioneers – Offering an annual environmental conference, online courses, and bringing Indigenous perspectives to global conversations
- Native Seeds/SEARCH – Stewarding the seeds of the desert Southwest and Mexico
- Kanyon Konsulting LLC – Corporate consulting to strategize for future generations
- Learn more
- Remembering Nature’s Ways – SAND community gathering with Darcia Narvaez
- Land, Lineage & Resisting Genocide – SAND community gathering with Layla K. Feghali, Taya Mâ Shere & Daniel Foor
- Our Living Waters: Right Relations – Declaration on undoing the colonial relations at the root of the climate crisis
- Nature United: Indigenous Right Relations – A strategy and action plan example from one of the largest conservation organizations
- Heirs to Our Oceans (H2OO) – Globally preparing youth for leadership that uplifts our natural world and one another
- “The Collective Conservation of Indigenous Land Is Everyone’s Responsibility: As Indigenous people, we are expected to educate our white counterparts — and it takes a mental toll,” published in Huffington Post
- Who Has the Right to Decide What Happens on Indigenous Lands? published in Climate News, on how Indigenous communities are fighting to protect their sovereignty and keep oil in the ground
“To us, the land is not something different from us. The land is me.
The land is us. And we are the land.” —Samwel Leiyian Nangiria, Maasai Activist
MAKING REPAIR WITHIN CHRISTIANITY & FAITH COMMUNITIES
- Share The Eternal Song with your congregation by hosting a screening, and hold space for connection using the discussion guide that accompanies the film
- Dig Deeper with these books:
- The Land is Not Empty by Sarah Augustine
- So We and Our Children May Live by Sarah Augustine & Sheri Hostetler
- Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization Edited by Steve Heinrichs
- Healing Haunted Histories by Elaine Enns and Ched Myers
- Connect, support, and learn from organizations such as these
- KAIROS Canada – Working toward truth, healing, and reconciliation for the past and Indigenous justice for the present
- Land Justice Futures – Offering free educational resources, including the Motherhouse 7-part course, for faith communities, the land and climate justice movements, and all those seeking racial repair and transformation of our relationship to land
- The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery – Calling on the Christian Church to address extinction, enslavement, and extraction done in the name of Christ on Indigenous lands
- Christians For a Free Palestine — Challenging Christian Zionism, and resisting all forms of empire
- Bartimeus Ministries – Supporting communities of discipleship and justice
- Sacred Grounds
CULTURAL PROTOCOL AND HUMILITY
The Eternal Song was created in close relationship with Indigenous communities — both in front of and behind the camera. We are deeply grateful for the trust extended across divides shaped by centuries of colonization, and we remain committed to honoring cultural protocols. This film is part of a broader effort to restore right relationship.
We are on a learning journey toward practicing solidarity and embodying principles of cultural humility throughout the filmmaking, relationship building, and activism that comes after the film release. Here are some of the ways we strive to walk humbly and with respect, and invite you to join us to do the same.
S E L F – R E F L E C T I O N
- Approach other cultures with genuine curiosity rather than assumptions
- Examine your own cultural perspective, biases, and assumptions
- Read books, watch films, and engage with art created by Indigenous people
R E S P E C T F U L E N G A G E M E N T
- Enter conversations with a commitment to deep listening
- Avoid positioning yourself as an expert on someone else’s culture
- Accept correction gracefully when you misunderstand
- Assume good intent and acknowledge harmful impact
- Follow the leadership of Indigenous and frontline communities
- Approach ceremonial and spiritual practices with care, respect, and without slipping into cultural appropriation
- Counter extractive modern cultural norms, and honor Indigenous teachers by showing up well-prepared and offering compensation
- Be aware of historical and current power imbalances, and your social positioning, in cross-cultural interactions
I N S T I T U T I O N A L P R A C T I C E
- Use your platform to uplift the voices of those silenced by oppression
- Seek to not only treat symptoms, but challenge systems that perpetuate cultural dominance, dehumanization, and exploitation
- Hold sacred the dignity, culture and history of Indigenous communities by supporting their agency and reclamation of identity
- Stand alongside those impacted by colonialism, injustice, and war
- Advocate for Indigenous representation in decision-making processes
- Question “standard” procedures that may reflect cultural bias
- Support land return and rematriation, and Indigenous-led stewardship
- Promote not only healing, but freedom and justice in all aspects of the work
“Liberation and mental health are intertwined, and we must be the healers who stand for both… Let us unite, as healers and defenders of human rights, to bring about a world where mental health is synonymous with justice and liberation.”
—Dr. Samah Jabr, Psychologist & Author, whose oath inspired the institutional practices above
The stories in The Eternal Song film come with a responsibility.
What is one action, commitment, or shift you feel called to make?
May the Eternal Song offer medicine for our fractured times to help usreimagine our place in the sacred web of life.
May we live in balance and harmony with the more-than-human world.
May we act with integrity for the wellbeing of future generations.
Resources for Trauma Healing, Earth Connection, and Indigenous Right Relations
The Eternal Song invites us into ancestral memory, grief, and resilience. Healing begins by facing painful histories, grieving, and reweaving threads of relation. This library offers openings, not answers, and will continue to grow as new voices and layers of remembrance emerge.
With care and curiosity, we tend this living document together. Please get in touch with us (mailto:[email protected]) if you have a suggested resource to add.
For additional resources on healing trauma, please visit our Wisdom of Trauma film resource page.
FILMS & VIDEOS
- 3,100+ Indigenous Students Died at U.S. “Boarding Schools” — with Dana Hedgpeth
- Healing Colonial Wounds — Pitt Rivers Museum participates in a Maasai healing ceremony
- Healing The Legacy of Historical Trauma — presentation by Linda Thai for the Asian Mental Health Collective
- Indigenous Knowledge is a Climate Solution: Earthen Lodge in Ponca, Oklahoma — with Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation)
- Indigenous worldview can preserve our existence – our original Indigenous, nature-based worldview is an antidote to climate, extinction crisis and more.
- Living Cultures Reconnecting with our Ancestors — Maasai efforts to bring their ancestors home
- Ponca Tribe’s & Fight to Protect the Rights of Nature — Story told by Casey Camp-Horinek
- Undammed — Amy Bowers Cordalis and the fight to free the Klamath River
- You Are Creation: Trauma Training 1,2 & 3 — with Chief Beverly Cook
- Kiss The Ground & Common Ground Films – Regenerating the world’s soils, to rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate & how Americans are saving the soil beneath our feet.
- Reel Injun Film – Examines the history of Hollywood’s damaging portrayals of Native Americans
PODCASTS
- Coming Home to the Cove — Audio story about CA Coastal Miwok Stolen Lands
- Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery — Uncover the deep structure of colonization
- Land Back for the People – Dig deep into history, and look towards the future of Indigenous liberation, from NDN Collective
- Language Keepers Podcast Series — From Emergence Magazine
- Medicine for the Resistance
- Nihizhí, Our Voices: An Indigenous Solutions Podcast
BOOKS
- The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World – Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Emergent Strategy Shaping Change, Changing Worlds – adrienne maree brown
- Healing the Soul Would: Trauma-Informed Counseling for Indigenous Communities – Eduardo Duran
- DECOLONIZING THERAPY: Oppression, Historical Trauma & Politicizing Your Practice – Dr. Jennifer Mullan
- Bad Indians Book Club – Patty Krawec
OTHER
- Sacred Grounds – A Right Relations Guidebook on Native Burials and Cultural Items
