Two Worlds

We walk two worlds, balancing our Portland life, during the school year for our children, our livelihood and our small business (this tattoo shop) and our summer life on my ancestral lands in the place now called California, for our children, our spiritual growth and our traditional tribal ceremony. I have feelings about it taking me longer each year to transition back from ceremony to city and to get back on these social media platforms.

Tonight we spent the evening at the Native Activism Panel in Support of Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Lewis & Clark College where my Dad Terry Supahan was a presenter. There was a question about how to get involved with activism and panelist Jaime Cale eloquently reminded the audience that to get involved is sometimes the easiest part and that taking care of ourselves so our own cup is full, before stepping out to help others and work on change, is necessary.

That hit me and reminded me of tattoos that Toby did on our good friend Cinnamon Kills First @cinnamonkillsfirst - a word warrior dedicated to facing hard truths in order to bring about change. He tattooed “Resist” on the inside of one wrist and “Rest” on the other. For her to see. To remember we all need both.

Coming back from ceremony and having been able to fully focus on where I was and what I was doing can make me feel like I am not doing enough for this other life that we also need to live. I can feel torn between our worlds. Tonight helped me remember that “resist” can look like many things and “rest” can too, both are acts of resilience and we all get to determine and decide what that looks like for us. Even if it’s simply taking longer to transition from ceremony to city :)

Thank you for the event: @tsupahan @oei_lc @ime_lc @lc_nsu

Pictures of us (Nisha @nishasupahan & Toby @tobylinwood ) walking our worlds:

1st pic: Portland life- dressed up at the NWNC’s @nwnativechamber annual gala “The Gathering”- Traditions of Prosperity. Economies of the Future 10/10/24

2nd pic: Ceremony life- outside our tent in my village of Ameekyáaraam with a rake and a tarp behind us after days of fasting 8/10/24

#indigenouspeoplesday #indigenouslife #indigenousbusiness #nativeowned