In episode one I dove into the home of my family, and in this episode I’m delving into the "home of my heart". After pinpointing this home, we talk to Jolie Varela, founder of Indigenous Women Hike. She leads us through the history and landscape of her homeland, Payahuunadü, and tells about the Nüümü people, her journey along the Nüümü Poyo, and about this special place, the place of flowing waters.

Jolie, standing in Payahuunadü. Photo by @numu_wanderer / Autumn Harry

Jolie, high up in the mountains.. Photos by @numu_wanderer/Autumn Harry

Learn more about Jolie and Indigenous women hike:

Indigenous Women Hike Website

Indigenous Women Hike Instagram

Read more about Jolie’s hike along the Nüümü Poyo last summer (2018):

Hiking the Nüümü Poyo: An Act of Love by Indigenous Women - by Tazbah Chavez

Learn more about the Bishop Paiute Tribe.

Additional resources:

Native Land Website: a great resource for learning about who’s land you are living and recreating on. (Also available as an app for your smartphone!)

Suggested book to read: Dispossessing the Wilderness, by Mark David Spence

Environmentalism’s Racist History - New Yorker

From Yosemite to Bear’s Ears, Erasing Native Americans from U.S. National Parks - Collectors Weekly

A Brief History of L.A’s Indigenous Tonvga People - LAist

Also in this episode:

We listen to a voice memo from Hiranya de Alwis Jayasinghe, and she tells us what home means to her. Read Hiranya’s blog here: Life Moves in Cycles (Pictured below: Hiranya in one of her homes, Sri Lanka.)

I visit the Italian Dolomites and meet a woman named Mihaiela (aka “Mama Rambo”) who shows me the mountains in her backyard, and she tells me about finding the home of her heart. (Pictured: Mama Rambo hiking in the Dolomites, Italy.

Over several trips to high sierras, I discover that the home of my heart is nestled in a valley, at one particular lake, pictured below.

CALL FOR VOICE SUBMISSIONS! I want to hear what home means to you, to include your thoughts in an upcoming episode. Is “home” a specific place, a ritual you have, an object, a person, a food, a smell, a mindset, or something you’re still trying to find? All answers are welcome, whether traditional, funny, out there, or heartbreaking. Record a short voice memo on your phone or computer and send it to unrootedpodcast@gmail.com. Don’t forget to include your name in the voice memo. I won’t be able to include every voice submission, but I can’t wait to listen to them all. (Fine print: By submitting a voice memo, you are allowing UN/ROOTED to use your submission in whole or part, in any upcoming episode.)

If you enjoyed this podcast please: Leave a review or rating on your favorite podcast app, subscribe to the show, follow @unrootedpodcast on Twitter and Instagram, tell a friend, or share about it on social media.

Show hosted and produced by Julie Hotz. All music for this episode was composed by myself.

Season 1: Episode 02 // Part 2: Payahuunadü (The Place of Flowing Water)