Women’s History Month Keynote: Shelley Buffalo: Rematriation and Indigenous Futurism

Shelley Buffalo, Decolonial Pathfinder, is a food sovereignty, rematriation and restorative justice advocate. Through collaborative partnerships and her consultancy, Water Panther, Shelley mindfully directs her labor to penetrate and transcend the colonial mindset. Through creative and compassionate solutions, Shelley seeks a path forward to a livable, equitable and biodiverse future on Earth. The story of Grandmother Spider who weaves the pattern of life on Earth teaches us the creative potential of making the pattern more beautiful than before as we hone our skills and vision informed by humility, value and respect for life on Earth. Shelley calls on her ancestors to help her weave with Grandmother’s hands; with wisdom, love and care for all of creation.

Shelley believes that the undoing of colonial structures is necessary for reweaving something more beautiful as is Grandmother Spider’s lesson for human life on earth. Each time we reweave the fabric of society, we have the opportunity to make it more beautiful.