Celebrate and uphold the vision and legacy of

Jose (Joe) Enrique Soto Delgado

On December 23rd 2022, the New Moon after the Winter Solstice, our beloved José “Joe” Soto became an ancestor. As a father, grandfather, husband, partner, and caretaker to many relations, Joe profoundly influenced and supported countless people throughout his life and across many lands.

The loss of Joe Soto is tragic, however, according to our traditions, we believe and understand that he is still with us and guiding us. In that, we want to remind our younger generations the importance and the value of creating relationships with elders in our communities that are knowledge-keepers, story-tellers, and culture bearers. They connect us to the ways of the generations before them and are a life-line in keeping our Indigenous nations alive. 

It is our responsibility as the next generations to honor our ancestors and continue the fight for our sovereignty and liberation.

Your contribution will help us continue his legacy and traditional way of life, caretake for the land, and support Indigenous sovereignty.

We are asking our loved ones and extended relations to support this as a dedication to Joe and his legacy, in celebration of his life and our traditional ways.

Joe and his family worked hard over many years to maintain the land, as well as continue building systems to create a sustainable small community, “Ara’o’cibanikú Maisi Guaní Yukayeke” (Mountain People of the Sacred Stone, Water and Corn). It has always been a place that people feel safe to come to, to learn about plant medicines, growing food, what it means to take care of the land,to participate in ceremony, and to receive support in individual healing processes. As people spend time on the land, they renew their relationship with Nature and begin to remember who they are, thus the true healing process towards Sovereignty occurs. 

In order to build and maintain this small community, Joe, Maya and Alexas co-founded the Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing (TCIKH) to share knowledge and resources to the greater community, and provide a pathway to healing while establishing a deeper infrastructure for support. The work of TCIKH has been and will continue to be informed by traditional Indigenous values and ways of life. TCIKH’s work will also continue to uphold the legacy Joe left behind. 

While the family, who are the stewards of the land, as well as the ones who uphold TCIKH, find their footing, as well as take time to grieve, we are asking for your support to help uphold this legacy, this vision.

In Joe’s words:

I am not a scholar, I am not a medicine man, I am a traditional practitioner who follows the teachings and traditional values of my ancestors. These were handed down to me by grandmother Doña Victoria and mother Doña Julia, foremost, and the traditional healers I have apprenticed with. With that being said, I want to acknowledge those who have passed on a great deal of knowledge to me, I would not be where I am today without them.

Late William Commanda (Algonquian)

Late Robin and Kathleen Green (Ojibwe)

Late Angus Pontiac (Ojibwe)

Late Ernest Tetoosiss (Cree)

Late Albert Lightning (Cree)

Late Eugene Steinhauer (Cree)

Late Mary Lou Fox (Ojibwe, Potowatami)

Late John Dion (Ojibwe, Chippewa)

Joe Chasing Horse (Sioux)

Leonard CrowDog (Sioux)

Lillian Pitawanakwat (Chippewa, Ojibwe)

Help us honor our ancestors by continuing the legacy of Joe’s work, the teachings he received and passed down to us, and his instructions for taking care of the land and each other. 

We appreciate any amount that you are able to contribute - your contribution is a way to extend your care for Joe in honor of the ways that he cared for you and so many others.