TriMindFul

The TriMindFul event was organized by Chelsea Trillo with help by the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples in order to promote a sound mind and body and teach the power of resisting oppression to local  communities. This event took place at Patrick's Point in the Sumeg Village, which is considered a sacred land for the local Yurok.

​One of the main pillars of survivance  is the continuation of culture and knowledge. A great example of this is through the teaching of stories. Chris Peters, SGF's President and CEO of The Seventh Generation Fund,  told the story of a family who's children had gotten very ill. The community had sent out their people in search of finding medicine women, but when they returned it was too late for the children. So,  in return the three women blessed three rocks, one of them know today as Wedding Rock. These rocks now represent an everlasting place of healing. ​​


​Chelsea Speaks on Behalf of Her Project:



​The Experience:

While attending this event we were fortunate enough to partake in activities including a 3 kilometer walk through Patrick's Point, listening to multiple speakers, as well as share our prayers for the lost and murdered indigenous women. From this event we learned how to obtain a sound mind and body. We were also fortunate enough to learn that community plays a big part in achieving a healthy state of mind. Below are a few photos of our experiences at the TriMindFul event.
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The image on the left portrays the prayer booth






The image on the right is Travis tying his prayer onto the fence next to the others.

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​The two bottom images are tributes to the missing and murdered indigenous women and children.
At the TriMindFul event visitors were encouraged to take part in a 3k walk or a 5k run. Naturally we chose to do the 3k walk. These activities are important due to the growing rates of diabetes and obesity, of which the activity show encouragement for the Native American community to combat stereotypes and promote health and well being. ​​


​Interview with Chris and Tia Peters

From our time speaking with Chris and Tia Peters we learned that they are Ner Er Ner , Coastal Yurok. They were very helpful and conveyed great humor.  ​We were able to speak at length with Chris about the importance of teaching the youth cultural knowledge and traditional practices that had been passed down from their ancestors.
Chris was able to open the  TriMindFul event and talk about the importance of "[...] freeing ourselves from pressure. To live in the present and be who we are. " He expressed that the goal of this event was to free ourselves of the pressures of daily lives to take some time during the walk/run, go through the forest, absorb the beauty, and take sometime to think about ourselves.

​We were able to catch up with Chris and Tia during our 3K walk and chatted with them about how we can preserve Native culture. He expressed to us about his beliefs in passing down language, ceremony, and the understanding of culture is critical for long term survival.
Some ceremonies that the Seventh Gen. Fund holds revolves around Earth Revitalization. The Northern California Tribes are a part of Earth healing and Earth renewing culture. "That is our purpose in life, is to heal and renew the Earth" (Chris Peters). The Jump Dance and Deer Skin Dance are two types of ceremonies that help with the continuation of the Earth. Chris also talked about the Seventh Generation Fund.'s mentoring program, in which they teach their youth the importance of ceremony and understanding of their culture. This also creates a cultural exchange among various tribes across California. 

Chris and Tia Peters are both examples of survince in our Native Community of Northern California because of their persisting efforts in educating the seventh generation in terms of their cultural background and  their language, and their work in inter-tribal communication.