By: Jessica Hench and Vidya Balasubramanyam

Please enjoy the following debrief of the recently held screening and discussion of Loren Waters’ film, ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek). If you were present, have seen the film, or are interested in becoming more intimate with this story, please share your takeaway in the form of an image to be woven into a digital quilt of compassion (more info below). 

Inspired by Cherokee elder Rebecca Jim and the stacked team behind the film’s visionary future, ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) centers Indigenous joy and possibility. Take a look at this introduction to the film! 

Rebecca Jim is a member of the Cherokee Nation, serves on the Climigration Network’s council, defends the sacred as a Tar Creekkeeper and directs Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency in Miami, Oklahoma. Loren described Rebecca as a gentle powerhouse - a characteristic fit for the elder who is always learning and often visioning: If Tar Creek was clean, what would this community look like?

Loren Waters is a Cherokee Nation and Kiowa Tribal Citizen who shapes narratives and creates futures through the medium of documentary filmmaking. She knows that storytelling is extremely important because art is cultural survival. Moving beyond the conventional approach of extractive storytelling (which usually follows harmful patterns of one perspective telling a fast story and never returning) the director instead honors land connectedness by showcasing Indigenous love. Loren met Rebecca through the knitted structures of Oklahoma and instantly became entangled in story.

ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) is rooted in an Indigenous approach to environmental storytelling grounded in agency and authenticity. The film inspires visionary futures of water’s sacredness while reverberating the clear demand of #NoMoreTarCreeks. Rebecca and Loren share a key lesson they’ve learned from this experience: learning about where we are now is just as important as learning our origin stories. 

In our group discussion, we unpacked the nuance of what it is to be Indigenous on poisonous land. We sat with the uncomfortable reality of how the Cherokee culture of being in intimate relationship with water has been stolen and poisoned by legacies of extraction and violence. Rebecca shared that it has been years since she has seen a live fish in Tar Creek, and recalled that on their “toxic tour” walks, the filmmaking friends noticed the forbidden bounty of berries and grapes hanging precariously, too poisonous for consumption. She notes that the Miami community is wary of water and soil because of extractive activity which poisons the minds and bodies of everyone, including the children. Loren channeled this reality of Tar Creek’s toxicity into her film without harboring the despair. Instead, the futurist message of hope is portrayed by the possibility of basket weaving and foraging for honeysuckle and black walnuts. 

Rebecca suggested that the film will help communities look at their place differently while encouraging lasting protection. She shared that, “where we are connects us to the past and links us to the future." 

The discussion took a turn toward navigating Tar Creek as an issue of climigration. Not to mention the toxic air and sociological nuance, Rebecca shared how the receiving Grand River floods because of the Grand River Dam’s interference on water’s natural flow. This results in poisonous water submerging homes, agriculture zones, school fields, and many other critical porous connections. Water connected us, and as Rebecca shares, “whether you're born upstream or downstream on the river, you are here to take care of the water.”  

The group talked about paradoxical considerations of loving a body of water that routinely harms the people. Rebecca longs to yell, “Meet me at the Creek!” and engage with her community in the water-loving relationship the film portrays. Now, however, she says, “Meet me at the Creek” to help put up warning signs of poison and precarity. By floating in their fleet of kayaks, members of LEAD Agency share the message that we do, in fact, want to be in water. Rebecca says that, when you remember this, you’ll want to protect it. The film evokes this vision of liquid joy by inciting hope through its hue of magical realism and sounds of solastalgia. 

The group was left with words of wisdom. In order to prevent despair, Rebecca says, you must simply get up everyday and start over. We must keep learning and educating and ultimately, continue to reach back out to someone who might have given up, offering a way to start again. Remembering that we didn't always have the traditions we have now, we must make them, develop them and cherish them. To do this, we must listen to the people around us, ask good questions and talk about place. Loren echoed these sentiments and added that the things we create have a spirit. Everyone must tell their own stories and create their art. It has an impact even if we can’t tell right away.  

What’s Next?

• Follow Rebecca’s work: Please sign up for Rebecca’s newsletters to follow and support LEAD Agency’s journey here.

• Join June 12 learning session: If you’re interested in aligning yourself with the sovereignty of Indigenous communities in your area and around the world, please join us for a self-paced learning module curated by Climigration Network members and partners. A debrief session for this iteration of the cohort will be held June 12 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT.  Sign up here to join!

• Contribute to a virtual quilt: Please add a symbol to a collaborative, virtual quilt here, or by sending directly to Vidya Balasubramanyam. It can be a photo, doodle, or even a virtual symbol like emoji or icon. The symbol should represent your reaction to the film, or a next step for you after watching the film. We will share the virtual art quilt back with Rebecca and Loren as a thank you for their generosity in sharing.

Watch a recording of our discussion (does not include the short film) here: