Community Copaltemaliztl Gathering with Elena Rios

Elena will begin this gathering with a Copaltemaliztl, or a burning of copal. The smoke of copal is known as both a spiritual and physical medicine for balance of the mind, body, and spirit. It is 100% natural. Copal is a tree resin harvested from copalli trees. It is dried, and then placed on hot coals where it turns into the element of air and is offered as a smudge. Elena will then share some traditional song offerings, and facilitate a greeting circle. Together we will honor all of the elements of life: water, earth, fire, and air, as we reflect on the importance of our relationship to land and place. We will discuss how community wellness, and the overall wellness of our own mind, body, and spirit, is directly connected to our ongoing relationship with the Earth, La Madre Tierra, and how we can be conscious, intentional stewards of the land.

Elena Rios is a Nature Connection Guide, Earth Mindfulness Mentor, Cultural Practitioner, Interdisciplinary Artist, and Wildland Fire Professional. She draws inspiration from the life of her late grandmother, Maria Rios, who was a "curandera" and a "huesera" on Tataviam/Tongva territory in the San Fernando Valley. Her journey toward deepening relationship with the healing power of trees, plants, herbs, and flowers has continued throughout her life. It has taken shape within the context of their inclusion in inter-tribal circles of learning, ceremony, dance, and song, including Danza Azteca Chichimeca. Elena was born in California on the ancestral lands of the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples. She spent many of her formative years on Tübatulabul/Yokut territory in the foothills of Sequoia national Forest (Adjacent to the Tule River Indian Reservation) where she first learned about ranch, land, and fire stewardship practices from her family. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts form the San Francisco Art Institute. She has formed and participated in cultural music, song, and dance, and interdisciplinary art groups. She is a Xicana Indigena/Aztec/Mexica/Chichimeca/SW Pueblo/Inter-tribal/ Scots-Irish daughter of the Americas. She is based on Chumash land in central/southern coastal California.

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