210. Spirit Farm: Listening to Navajo Diné land with James & Joyce Skeet

The RegenNarration Podcast

The Navajo Diné Nation is the biggest First Nation in the US, crossing Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. There we connected with Diné elder James Skeet, and his brilliant wife Joyce - descendant of award-winning Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania. Together, they founded Spirit Farm, and the educational non-profit Covenant Pathways.
Spirit Farm is a demonstration and experiential farm focused on healing the high desert southwestern soil, and the communities living there. They do this by weaving insights from modern holistic management and regenerative agriculture, with the ancient wisdom of dryland farming and Native American cosmology. And they’ve created a suite of incredible value-add enterprises that importantly don’t perpetuate the commodisation of food, land and culture. While their education and employment programs bring others along with a range of experiences on the land, such that they’re now called upon around the country and the world. Which is part of where this conversation culminates - with the extraordinary sharing of spiritual stewardship with an African American community, and the profound implications – and inspiration - for all of us.
We sat down together by an ancient spring and sweat lodge for this. And close with something special from the following morning.
This episode has chapter markers and a transcript, if you’d like to navigate the conversation that way (available on most apps now). The transcript is AI generated and imperfect, but hopefully provides greater access for those who need or like to read.
Recorded 27 May 2024. With thanks to podcast member Chris Diehl for introducing us.
Title slide: Joyce & James Skeet at Spirit Farm (pic: Olivia Cheng).
See more photos on the website, and for more from behind the scenes, become a member via the Patreon page.
Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.
The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests (thanks to Josie Symons).
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Capítulos

1. Music, Preview, Introduction & Supporter Thanks (00:00:00)

2. Reconnecting With Ancestral Lands (00:04:58)

3. James & Joyce coming back to the Farm - & others feeling the pull too (Joyce takes the dogs back home!) (00:07:00)

4. Indigenous fractals (00:09:50)

5. James’ way back from linear thinking to the ancient ways (00:11:50)

6. How the elders have reacted to what’s happening here (00:15:51)

7. How have the stories survived & evolved? (00:18:00)

8. The enemy within (00:21:20)

9. (Joyce returns) Why it matters to be doing this at a time of collapse? (00:22:50)

10. How Spirit Farm started & how Joyce came to feel part of Navajo land (00:26:00)

11. How Joyce’s upbringing as a Mennonite Christian in Pennsylvania plays into her life now (00:28:50)

12. Regeneration at Spirit Farm, even with drying climate and other degradation (00:30:50)

13. How they avoid the commoditisation of food when growing enterprises? (James gets tea) (00:34:30)

14. And in the face of barriers (00:38:50)

15. (James returns) Helping other Indigenous peoples – and other cultures - to regenerate culture with livelihood and dignity (when ag doesn’t pay) (00:42:20)

16. From shame to regeneration to nurturing a community again (00:47:20)

17. Granting spiritual stewardship to an African American community (00:51:20)

18. Is it worth mobilising finance to this end, or letting that colonial train crash? (00:55:40)

19. A cultural story of time and working for our salvation (00:57:20)

20. Learning how to let go and receive things (01:00:20)

21. Have you each felt a dose of healing in this? (01:08:10)

22. Closing with a special story and piece of music (01:11:20)

23. Morning Invocation at the Farm (01:15:58)