“We seek justice, not just for ourselves, but justice for the whole creation.”
— Audrey Shenandoah (Onondaga)
A More Connected World
A new website asks what would happen if social justice weren’t just a human thing. Follow us and find out.
BY TRACY BASILE“Begin anywhere.” — John Cage
Cage’s quote is a reminder that just the act of starting something takes courage. Still, no matter where this blog begins, I want to get it right, but already I sense a problem with the word “animal.” Indeed, animals is what this blog is about, but the word carries with it a sense of othering that needs to be exposed.
Recent Post:
Decolonizing the World in Turtle Time
BY TRACY BASILETurtles* date back an incredible 230 million years to a time before the dinosaurs, before most mammals, and before birds. Before there were even continents. Their evolutionary history goes so far back, in fact, that we could almost begin their story with these three words:
Recent Post:
White Man’s Noises, White Man’s Smells
BY TRACY BASILEWhen steamships replaced the smaller keelboats that fur traders used to transport their traded goods on the inland rivers west of the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, some men called the ships’ booming whistles “the sound of civilization,” a blast so long and loud that it startled birds and all wildlife, setting their hearts racing.
Our Mission:
Animal Footnotes grew out of an idea for a book about the impact of colonization on the animals of Turtle Island, more commonly known today as North America. At its core, it’s about animals, but it’s also about Indigenous worldviews, the devastating impact of colonization, and what’s being done today. We seek to draw lessons from the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island who have built ties with their animal relatives lasting thousands of years.
This website is dedicated to all who have ever wondered about shifting away from a colonial mindset and learning what it means to live here on Turtle Island together.
