Offgrid Indigenous Women need Electricity!

First,

Thank you for all those who supported us earlier this year. Your donations allowed us to get back on our feet. We’ve been able to do just that, and finally have the work we need so we don’t lose the land. Our beautiful homestead has been, and always will be a pinnacle in the work we do in and for the community. The land was acquired by Joe because of a sacred vision, and we have been given the blessing to carry it on. Right now, we need to update our energy system. We use only renewable energy, we are not connect to the grid, and our battery bank is nearly dead.

Our off-grid homestead is our practice of autonomy, climate resilience; it’s our healing, and it’s our home.

We have an Outback off-grid system, with solar panels, and a wind generator. While there is maintenance, everything has its lifespan and limitations. Over the years, the wind generator got fried by a lightning strike, and is nonfunctional. We also have hit the limit on our batteries, and they are barely holding a charge.

What does this mean in general?

We use wood for heat, propane for cooking fuel. We don’t have what are often viewed as regular amenities and appliances - no microwave, toaster oven, washer, dryer, no wifi, or TV - not even a water pump! It was only in the past 5 years that we moved from an outdoor outhouse to an indoor toilet. Almost all of our lighting are energy efficient LED bulbs, and our water system is gravity fed.

What is going on for us right now?

With batteries, the set up is only as good as its weakest link, and we have 3 cells that are holding no charge. This means, we have minimal energy available for use when there is no sunlight (this also means really overcast and foggy days!). So, we can use lights sparingly, and have enough to keep our phones charged up. We don’t have enough power to use a fridge, or any large appliance without turning on our generator. It’s been since August that we have been without use of our fridge. At night now, we have to turn the generator on to keep the batteries from totally draining, so that we still can use lights. Our generator is not made for daily use, and we don't want to kill it either.

How can you help?

Fortunately, it's only every 6-10 years that we need to replace the battery bank. Each battery costs $500, plus the delivery and or pick-up costs, and there are 8 batteries that make up the system.

We’ve been consulting with Renovus, as well as getting support from friends and relatives who know about these systems (shout out to Jason Corwin!).

Our estimate for the system updates that we need:

Batteries: 8 Batteries @ $600/battery (Deka 6v Deep Cycle Lead Acid) - $4800

Installation: $1000

Wind Generator: $2000

Total: $7800

We can work on some financing solutions, but need a minimum down payment of $2000 within the next week (that's 11/10!)! This would mean the fundraiser total would read: $6552, and our goal it to get it to $12,352.

So, please support Indigenous Autonomy, Climate Resilience and Environmental healing through the work we do for the community.

Donate, Share and Support!

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Original GoFundMe Post:

Today on what would have been his 64th birthday, (2.14.2023) we are launching a fundraiser to support Joe's daughter and partner to uphold his legacy and vision. The rest of this letter is in their own words.

On December 23rd 2022, the New Moon after the Winter Solstice, our beloved José “Joe” Soto became an ancestor. As a father, grandfather, husband, partner, and caretaker to many relations, Joe profoundly influenced and supported countless people throughout his life and across many lands. The loss of Joe Soto is tragic, however, we believe and understand that he is still with us and guiding us.

Your contribution will help us cover the costs of his end-of-life care, funeral arrangement expenses, and afford 6 months of bills. It will also help us continue his legacy and traditional way of life, caretake for the land, and support Indigenous sovereignty.

We are asking our loved ones and extended relations to support this as a dedication to Joe and his legacy, in celebration of his life and our traditional ways.

Joe and his family worked hard over many years to maintain the land, as well as continue building systems to create a sustainable off-grid, self-determined, regenerative small community, “Ara’o’cibanikú Maisi Guaní Yukayeke” (Mountain People of the Sacred Stone, Water and Corn). It has always been a place where people feel safe to come, to learn about plant medicines, growing food, what it means to be a part of Nature, participate in ceremony, and receive support through various traditional Indigenous healing modalities. As people spend time on the land, they renew their relationship with Nature and begin to remember who they are, thus the true healing process towards Sovereignty occurs. As people come to learn and share, they become part of the community, part of a larger family, and we respect and honor each other as such. Our people took care of each other, and this is what we practice.

To build and maintain this small community, Joe, Maya and Alexas co-founded the Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing (TCIKH) to share knowledge and resources with the greater community, provide tools for healing intergenerational trauma, while establishing a resilient infrastructure for community self-determination. The work of TCIKH has been and will continue to be informed by traditional Indigenous values and ways of life. TCIKH’s work will also continue to uphold the legacy Joe left behind.

In the midst of this work, and a year and a half before Joe's passing, Joe lost his wife, Robin to Early On-set Alzheimers. In 2002, they founded an in-home caregiving business: RedMoon Caregivers, and provided end-of-life care for many in the Ithaca, NY community. In 2016, when Robin's capacity to run the business declined due to the progression of her disease, they shut down their business for Joe to provide end-of-life support for his wife, which has cost the family $75,000, after they settled their debt to the bank by putting it on the mortgage. With Joe's death, this is a far greater burden than we can bare.

While we, the stewards of the land, as well as the ones who uphold TCIKH, find our footing, as well as take time to grieve, we are asking for your support to help uphold this legacy, this vision.

As people come to learn and share, they become part of the community, part of a larger family, and we respect and honor each other as such. Our people took care of each other, and this is what we practice.

We want to remind the younger generations of the importance and value of creating relationships with elders in our communities that are knowledge-keepers, story-tellers, and culture bearers. They connect us to the ways of the generations before them and are a life-line in keeping our Indigenous nations alive. Joe Soto immensely impacted people as an elder, and we are deeply grateful for the ways in which he worked tirelessly for the benefit of the generations to come.

Who we are today, and the work we do in our community, is a testament to this.

It is our responsibility as the next generations to honor our ancestors and continue the fight for our sovereignty and liberation.

In Joe’s words:

I am not a scholar, I am not a medicine man, I am a traditional practitioner who follows the teachings and traditional values of my ancestors. These were handed down to me by grandmother Doña Victoria and mother Doña Julia, foremost, and the traditional healers I have apprenticed with. With that being said, I want to acknowledge those who have passed on a great deal of knowledge to me, I would not be where I am today without them.

Late William Commanda (Algonquian)

Late Robin and Kathleen Green (Ojibwe)

Late Angus Pontiac (Ojibwe)

Late Ernest Tootoosis (Cree)

Late Albert Lightning (Cree)

Late Eugene Steinhauer (Cree)

Late Mary Lou Fox (Ojibwe, Potowatami)

Late John Dion (Ojibwe, Chippewa)

Joe Chasing Horse (Sioux)

Leonard CrowDog (Sioux)

Lillian Pitawanaskwat (Chippewa, Ojibwe)

Help us honor our ancestors by continuing the legacy of Joe’s work, the teachings he received and passed down to us, and his instructions for taking care of the land and each other.

We appreciate any amount that you can contribute - your contribution is a way to extend your care for Joe in honor of the ways that he cared for you and so many others.

Love,

Maya and Alexas

February 14, 2023