Native Womens Wilderness

Yesterday scrolling through Facebook, I happened across a post in Pantsuit Nation. And while I find nearly every post I read from the group inspiring, this particular story stuck out to me. It was from the founder of an organization called Native Womens Wilderness.

The group is a place for native women to share their stories about their love for the wilderness; a place to end the stigma of what women who are outside should look like; a place for women to admire and support and lift each other up.

The further and further I scrolled back on the stories, the more admired I became. I like to hike. I've hiked around Mount Hood in Oregon, I've hiked all over Glacier National Park, I hike in the Black Hills and around where I grew up in Minnesota. But for me, as a white woman, hiking was always something I was told I could do. The women I saw climbing mountains were white. The women I saw advertising the best [insert latest shoe/shirt/pack here] were white. And now, because of this group, women of color and particularly native women get to see themselves represented.

I am glad this group exists so that native women get that representation they deserve, though I wish it was a more well-known group in the realm of outdoor enthusiasts; after all, as many of Native Womens Wilderness' posts question: whose land are we exploring on? I urge you to take some time to read the stories--I promise it'll make your day better.

Like their Facebook page here

Follow them on Instagram: @nativewomenswildreness

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