River Weaver, Ink and pen, 2021
Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo (elle | their)
My name is, Tzintzuni, and I am a Xicanex environmental storymaker and movement weaver, residing as a settler on Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) Territory. I am part of the Kaniatarowanénhne (Upper St. Lawrence River) Watershed and live along the banks of my friend and guardian, the St. Regis/Akwesasne River.
My ancestors are a rainbow of cultures, landscapes and waters; resisting, partaking in, and suffering the violence colonization, migration, and the systemic injustices of an imperialistic global economy. In navigating this complex actuality, I strive to understand and live my history, honoring my Indigenous and settler grandmothers and grandfathers, while celebrating the land and water that made them one. We are all part of the living being of this Earth: the ecosystem of energy, waters and memories that breathe through our lungs. We are their tapestry, and I create to honor all my ancestors (human and beyond).
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In recent years, I have collaborated with my art and life partner, Blake Lavia, to create/share stories of resistance and hope. As part of the environmental storytelling collective Talking Wings, we have organized environmental conferences in the Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed. These include the North Country Rights of Nature Symposium, North Country Art, Land and Environment Summit, the Listening to Water Symposium, and WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. During these events, community members from across the region, and the world, came together to celebrate and protect ecosystems and their communities.
Together, we are now currently working with Talking Rivers, Inc., to weave together communities across Kaniatarowanénhne (St. Lawrence River) Watershed and advocate for the Rites of the regions Rivers.