Want to build a Nanih in Bvlbancha? We need all of us!
What is a “nanih?”
Nanih is a Chahta (Choctaw) word for hill or mountain, and is commonly used to describe our Ancestor’s earthen mound architecture.
Where is Bvlbancha?
Bvlbancha means “place of babbling tongues,” or “place of many languages” in Chahta (Choctaw), and is the only recorded pre-colonial name for the land that is now known as New Orleans. Many rivers have carried sediments and people here for millenia. We use this name to honor this rich history and diversity that continues to this day!
In October of 2022, descendants of southeastern moundbuilders were invited to submit a “public monument” proposal to Prospect’s Artists of Public Memory Commission. Our proposal was accepted, and in March of 2023 Prospect publicly announced the Commission and our participation in it! This is an invitation to you all to join us in this monumental endeavor! We are calling on our Indigenous relatives, and communities of color all over Turtle Island, from the bayous to the headwaters, to send us your soil and come to Bvlbancha to build an earthwork together. We wish to activate a stickball field, and to seed and tend to native plant gardens in a public space. The intertribal community members holding this work are: Virginia Richard, Ozone504, Monique Verdin, Jenna Mae, Ida Aronson, and Dr. Tammy Greer.
SEND US YOUR SOIL!
Nanih Bvlbancha
P.O. Box 52316
New Orleans, LA 70152
Guidelines:
We humbly request a ceremonial sample of the soil from your lands! About 4 tablespoons or less, in a sealed container. (Ziploc or equivalent is great!) We need: the name/location of your lands, and any stories of your lands you would like to share! Locations and stories will be archived, and included in visual mapping/graphics on site. It takes approximately 4-5 forever stamps to send 4 tablespoons. Let us know if you would like us to send you a prepaid mailer.
EMAIL US AT NanihBvlbancha@gmail.com
Thanks to all who have shared soil to build Nanih Bvlbancha.
Columbia, MS
Hattiesburg, MS
San Diego, CA 92177
Vermilionville, LA
Lake Charles, LA
Bvlbancha: Holy Cross, Chahta Yakni
Bvlbancha : The Fly, Riverbend, New Orleans
Bvlbancha garden, 9th Ward
China Beach, San Francisco, California
Istrouma, LA
Bvlbancha : City Park, New Orleans, LA
Bvlbancha : Mississippi river bed, LA
Bvlbancha : Algiers (west bank) garden soil, LA
Clay from Black Creek, MS
Mica from Flat Rock, NC
Jerusalem Croft, Scotland
Bvlbancha : Leonidas Batture soil
Texas
Marksville, LA
Black Creek, MS
Kentucky St, NOLA
New Orleans, LA
Pensacola Beach, FL
Qually Boundary, NC
Southern Pines, NC
Calvert, Maryland
Sarasota, FL
Avery Island, LA
Raleigh, NC
Seattle, WA
Empire, AL
Hebron, Palestine
Winona, Minnesota