The Cherry Valley Water Project
Why the Water?
I was born and raised in the small village of Cherry Valley, NY with a population of about 500 people. It is part of the unceded ancestral land of the Kanien’kehà:ka (Mohawk people), who were forcibly removed during the Revolutionary War. They continue to suffer injustices at the hands of the American and Canadian governments. They have been at the forefront of protecting nature and are a great model of standing up for what is most important: our mother earth and a future for our children. There are several #landback Kanien’kehà:ka communities in our area which I encourage you to learn about and support: Waterfall Unity Alliance and Kanatsiohareke.
I start by telling you about the Kanien’kehà:ka because they were the indigenous caretakers of the land and water I was born on and love dearly, and where I’ve birthed and raised my children. You cannot really know a place (or a person) deeply without knowing its history and both the beauty and injustices it has witnessed. There is still much healing to do and reparations to be made.
Cherry Valley has lived many lives since the Revolutionary War. It has been a hub of innovation, manufacturing, and travel; it has been a home and respite to artists and farmers alike; and it has seen some amazing parties, once hosting at least fifteen taverns and hotels. Learn more about its history here.
Nowadays in Cherry Valley, we lead a quiet life in a beautiful community with very clean air and water. It is this water that I am inspired to explore, learn from and help my community connect with. The Cherry Valley Creek, its tributaries and waterfalls, are the source of our drinking water and our well-being. As I watch water wreak havoc throughout the world through droughts, floods and tidal waves, I am so very grateful for our gentle creek. In time our creek could dry up or turn into a raging river and this makes it all the more important for our community to develop a relationship and deep knowing of its ways.
Water is known as a conduit for emotions. There are many aspects of the water in our community that are ripe for exploration and full of creative inspiration. Some of the tributaries have been buried and do not appear on maps. Many local people don’t know they’re there or where they connect. Connecting with the water in its fullness will provide a guide by which we can connect to our own emotions and stories. Through creative workshops (poetry, music, theater and puppetry) offered by myself and other community members, we will create a body of work inspired by our water. We will assemble this work into an evening performance and an online presence to share our creative efforts with the rest of the community and the world.
My hope is that through the Cherry Valley Water Project, we will slow down and notice the beauty and vitality of our surroundings. By attending a workshop and sitting by the creek for an afternoon, slowly drafting a poem, we will feel less alone and more connected to nature. By building the courage to share that poem in front of an audience and online, we will build confidence and pride in our surroundings. Together we will bond in new ways, becoming both vulnerable and resilient, all while developing a deep love for the flowing water that surrounds us.
May the water teach us its life-giving ways of connection, transformation and peace.
May we learn to honor its sacredness and to protect it.
— Angelica Dzeli Palmer, Artist / Director