Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo (elle | their)
Tzintzun is a Xicanex environmental storymaker and movement weaver, residing as a settler on Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) Territory. They are part of the Kaniatarowanénhne (Upper St. Lawrence River) Watershed and live along the banks of my friend and guardian, the St. Regis/Akwesasne River. Their ancestors are a rainbow of cultures, landscapes and waters; resisting, partaking in, and suffering the violence colonization, migration, and the systemic injustices of an imperialistic global economy. In navigating this complex actuality, they create art and actions to honor all their ancestors (human and beyond).
In recent years, they have collaborated with their art and life partner, Blake Lavia, to create/share stories of resistance and hope. As part of the environmental storytelling collective Talking Wings, Tzintzun has organized environmental conferences in the Kaniatarowanénhne Watershed. These include the North Country Rights of Nature Symposium, North Country Art, Land and Environment Summit, the Listening to Water Symposium, and WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. During these events, community members from across the region, and the world, came together to celebrate and protect ecosystems and their communities.
Together, Tzintzun and Blake are now currently working with Talking Rivers, Inc., to weave together communities across Kaniatarowanénhne (St. Lawrence River) Watershed and advocate for the Rites of the regions Rivers.