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Mediacontact: MelissaBurrell Braided River 360-528-7408
mburrell@braidedriver.org
AcatalogueofstoriesthatdrawonancestralknowledgetofurtherempowerandinspireIndigenous-led environmentalcampaignswithnon-Indigenousalliesandpartners
NEWAUGUST2025FROMBRAIDEDRIVER
IntheSpiritofRightand RespectfulRelations
Conversations about Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being in Nature
AstoldbyKurtRusso,ForewordbyJayJulius W’totlhem,IllustrationsbyFiorellaDeLaO
Giventherelentlessandurgentenvironmentalcrisis,itisincreasinglyimportanttoenvisionawayforwardforall ourrelationsandfuturegenerations.Toensureestablishingequal,respectful,andproductiveconversationsand solutionsbetweenTribesandotherpartners,anIndigenous-ledapproachhasemerged.
Thisbook, In The Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations,waswrittentopromotedialoguewithIndigenous peoples,increaseunderstandings,buildrelationshipsandmomentum,andinspireactiontosupport,protect, andrestoreourregion’simperiledlands,waters,andlifeways.Thebookwas inspirited byanIndigenous gathering,wherethosepresentspokefromtheheartandthemindtotheideaofwhatitmeanstobeinright andrespectfulrelations.PublishedbySe’Si’Le,withBraidedRiver.Se’Si’LeisanIndigenous-led, Bellingham-based,non-profitwhoworkstoprotectIndigenousareas,resources,andsacredsites.
In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations issplitintosevensectionsundertheoverarchingthemeofright andrespectfulrelationswith:theReader,theCreation,History&theLaw,Nature,Empathy&Identity,Honor, TechnologyDesired.OutcomesincludeidentifyingculturalaffinitiesbetweenparticipatingIndigenouspeoples; establishingIndigenous-led,place-basedcaretakingknowledge,providingastrategicfoundationforfuture collaboration,andsharingIndigenousancestralknowledgeandtheirnarratives.Learnmoreat Braidedriver.org/right-respectful-relations-sesile
ABOUTTHECONTRIBUTORS
Availableforexcerpt,bookreview,and/orauthorinterview
Selectphotosavailableforexcerpt
Mediacontact: MelissaBurrell
Braided River 360-528-7408
mburrell@braidedriver.org
KurtRussoworkedfortheLummiNationfrom1978-2020inthe areaofsacredsitesandtreatyrights.HenowservesastheExecutive DirectorofSe’Si’Le.
JayJuliusW’totlhem(Lummi), isafisherman,father,andformer ChairoftheLummiNation.JayJuliusistheFounderandPresidentof Se’Si’Le.
FiorellaDeLaOisathird-yearBachelorofAppliedSciencestudentin EnvironmentalConservationatSkagitValleyCollege.Inspiredbythe ecosystemsoftheU.S.PacificNorthwestandherancestralrootsinPeru’s QuechuahighlandsandAmazon,sheispassionateaboutprotectingbiodiversity acrossbothregions.Asaneurodivergentconservationistwithautism,Fiabrings auniqueperspectivegroundedincreativity,curiosity,andempathy.
ABOUTTHEPUBLISHERS
BRAIDEDRIVER: In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations ispublishedundertheBraidedRiverimprintof MountaineersBooks,whichpublishesphoto-drivenconservationbooksthatarethefoundationforcreativecommunication campaignswithtangiblepublicpolicygoals.BraidedRiverdefendswildplacesbybringingevocativeandinspirational imagesandstoriestoanever-growingaudienceofenvironmentalprotectors.Braidedriver.org
SE’SI’LE:Se’Si’LeistheLummiIndianwordfor“ourgrandmother.”TheirmissionistoutilizeIndigenousancestral knowledgeforthebenefitofourMotherEarth,Indigenouslifeways,andforfuturegenerations.Throughevents, educationalresources,andcommunitybuilding,Se’Si’LeoffersstrategiesandplanstoprotectIndigenoussacredsites, areas,resources,andlandscapes,andtopromotetheunderstandingofIndigenouswaysofknowingthenatureofNature. Se-si-le.org