Renee Hutchens is from the Diné (Navajo) Tribe and is an advocate for Native lands, public health and environmental issues, land conservation, and social justice for Indigenous peoples. She advocates for these issues by combining her culture’s rich oral tradition of storytelling with photography, film, writing, social media, and mixed media artwork. At the heart of her storytelling is her relationship with the land because it is inseparable from the Diné way of life, their culture, and traditions. This is why mountain biking is more than a sport she’s passionate about, it is one of the ways she maintains this necessary connection.

Discussed in this episode:

• Navajo Nation and the Diné people
• The power of oral tradition and storytelling
• Colonization/Decolonization Mountain biking as decolonization
• “We Are Still Here–Creating Space for Indigenous Riders,” Renee’s article in Bike mag
• Substance abuse prevention in native youth
• Native Women’s Wilderness
• Vida MTB: https://www.vidamtb.com
• Erasure of Indigenous people
• #NotYourTribe petition
• Renee’s words on recent actions of Rockshox
• Winona LaDuke
• Land acknowledgements

Follow Renee:

• Instagram: @renay.h

Follow Social Sport:

• Instagram: @socialsportpod
• Facebook: @socialsportpod
• Twitter: @emmamzimm

Quote:

“𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀—𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀. 𝗜’𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.”

*Photo courtesy of Eric Arce