I was born to a white settler family living on stolen Klallam lands. Not every settler kid gets to discover the local forests, but among my early memories I walked through the sunny woods keeping a special eye out on the flora and fauna and with luck, did find a cluster of ripe thimbleberries to munch on.

In my practice I aim to bring awareness to the plants and peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and the insensitivity, division and genocidal harm of colonialism, This berry bush can teach us about ourselves, relationships, the land, and about decolonizing. For me, it’s a symbol that reminds me about the complexity of repair.

I learned from my Indigenous teachers that raising native species of plants is a way of giving the land back to the plants, and bugs and animals that have been foundational to this ecosystem since time immemorial. As part of my commitment to decolonizing, I look out for indigenous species, oust invasive ones, and grow thimbleberries and other native bushes wherever I live.