We at Metta Earth acknowledge our many predecessors, human and nonhuman, on the land upon which we stand, live, and create community. We hold deep gratitude for the opportunity to be able to live upon this land, to have a sense of place, to grow herbs and food, and to be in community together. With this gratitude comes important recognition of all of those who lived on this land before us. We acknowledge that these lands were stolen.

This is unceded Abenaki territory that is now being called Metta Earth. This trauma is extremely deep and affects not only the people here in N’dakkina, what many call Vermont today, but people all over the country and the world, in places where indigenous people have lived and, time and time again, been displaced by white people. This often results in cultural erasure. This will not be a whole community until all voices are heard, until all people are safe and welcome to carry out their cultural traditions.

We also hold gratitude for the many plant ancestors who have called this land home, sustaining this place for us to survive. We acknowledge that white settlers’ enormous role in the degradation and destruction of natural ecosystems, and the extinction of many nonhuman species, is distinct from the ways in which many indigenous peoples have lived and continue to live in symbiotic relationships with plants.

We have reparations to make and healing to invite. With everything that we do at Metta Earth, we seek to honor generations of stories that live on in the land here. We are committed to learning about and honoring the ways of those who have lived and still live here, many of whom have been suppressed for many generations. We are committed to deeply listening and seeking out pathways for reparations and healing to occur.

We pledge to contribute to a process of change through action steps that are healing and restoring, and to contribute to refuge and sanctuary for the ancestors and peoples of this place to be here again. With immense gratitude for our place on this land, we prioritize the constant consideration of what we can do to contribute to justice for all.

We acknowledge what a privilege it is to be beneficiaries of such abundance on this land that we call Metta Earth. We feel passionately about ensuring that everyone has access to outdoor spaces and healing sanctuaries. We are eager to do whatever we can to contribute to equitable access to land.

We are interested in co-creating with farmers, healers, and other people of color in creating space for their stewardship of the land and community.