Contact Janie Ganga
Where in the world is Janie Ganga?
I am deeply grateful to be living on the land now known as Cape Cod, Massachusetts - which is the unceded land of the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Peoples. I’ve always resonated with the Wampanoag’s name for themselves: the People of the First Light.
Acknowledging the Native Stewards of the land is important to me.
I’ve been honored to spend time on:
The land now known as Providence, RI - which is the unceded land of the Nahaganset (Narragansett) and Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Peoples. I lived here for 30 years!
The land now known as Miami, FL, which is the unceded land of the Taino, Tequesta, and Seminole Peoples. I got to live the “sock-free life” for about 3 years.
The land now known as Park City, UT, which is the unceded land of Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Timpanogos Peoples. I visit here often to spend time with my parents, my brother and his wife, and my beloved niblings (non-gendered word for nephews).
To find out more about the lands that you live on, travel to, or spend time on, I highly recommend exploring: https://native-land.ca/
I encourage everyone to start to learn about the indigenous communities of the lands around you because:
1) I want to shine the light on the ancestors who cared for this land before we were here, even while I am still in the learning process.
2) We all can counter the effects of erasure by honoring the complicated history of humans who have lived on these lands.
3) I respect other knowledge systems, including traditions that impacted language, the arts, the plants, animals, waterways, and our whole ecology.