In the vibrant Earthskills community, it’s critically important to recognize and celebrate the diverse voices that enrich our collective knowledge and whose ancestors have sacrificed so much while still teaching us their ways for a better life ahead. Today, we shine a spotlight on one of our remarkable contributors and teachers—a woman of color and a proud member of the Latinx community—who not only embodies resilience and wisdom but also advocates for the empowerment of underrepresented voices in the realm of Earthskills through Firefly Gathering’s Equity Committee (learn more).
As we continue to honor the perspectives of the global majority, we’ll explore the unique insights of Johana Castillo, also known as Mama Tortuga. Johanna is a traditional herbalist and a believer in sustainable and regenerative practices. She supports conscious, multicultural and green generations as well as businesses and organizations that encourage mindful changes and advocate for more abundant futures.
During our short interview, here’s what Johanna had to say about the Firefly Gathering and teaching in the earthskills space.
What skills do you teach in your community and in earthskills spaces?
I teach multicultural parenting to support community and society, and ethno-herbalism with an emphasis on the intersections of knowledge and history on this continent, Turtle Island and AbyaYala. I’ve worked in this space for around 10 years.
What draws you to teach these particular skills?
Personal experience. Living and raising children in a culture that is not the same as mine or that of my partner has taught me critical skills on living and parenting that supports many languages and many worlds. I help open perspectives on the connections that we all have with worlds that are parallel to our existence, how we can learn from them, and how to positively engage in the society we are living in. I feel very passionately about forming a community that cares in love and respect for our differences, not only with other humans; but also with all the many species we share Earth with.
Why is it important for people to engage in earthskills learning?
Earthskills education supports opening our minds to points of views outside of the dominant culture and seeing its importance as a way to create a more sustainable world. It requires us to learn other languages, think in many different ways, open up our minds and hearts to communities and learnings not like our own, and forge stronger connections with ourselves. After all, we are just walking the paths of our ancestors that, most likely, left the road already marked for us to follow.
How did you first come to learn about Firefly and why do you feel the Firefly Gathering is important to our communities?
I learned of Firefly at an Earth First! event through a mama friend. Firefly Gathering is a very word-of-mouth type of event. Gathering in this way is important first and foremost for the friendships. Firefly for me and my family, teen children and all, continues to be a good place to find friends that make us feel welcome just as we are, and safe in loving the Earth and each other.
Why is the earthskills movement and Earthskills Gatherings important to you now?
Earthskills for me are the answer to a call from the Earth but also to our bio-regions and ancestors. I see this as a must right now in our generation. As we are learning to navigate virtual spaces we are working on and remembering how to be human. Earthskills have the potential to support peace in conflict spaces, realness in artificial environments, and clarity on the ever fast pace of the modern world. I also love the support that Earthskills Gatherings creates for mentors and elders and their acknowledgment of those [not so] quiet contributions.
As a voice on Firefly’s Equity Committee, what inspired your involvement? What do you hope to see going forward?
I appreciate Firefly as a place of common understanding and a meeting place for many different circles, and I want to preserve that legacy. My vision for Firefly is to support a community of growing mindset to navigate a common future together, as Earthskills lovers and stewards, many visions, many cultures; but a strong core rooted with the Earth.
What classes, courses or events influence the thought leadership you will bring to Firefly?
I constantly support multicultural events and communities in South Florida that influence my ongoing virtual school, “Mama Tortuga Escuela Naturaleza.” I am a folk herbalist, which means I have acquired skills with many people since childhood, from my family in Colombia and immigrant communities in South Florida. I’ve also collaborated and supported at Florida Herbal Conference and I am a speaker at the SoulFire Farm Collective. Besides that, living as an immigrant mother, in a community that has a very diverse population has propelled me to be an advocate for ourselves and others.
I also have a degree in Science and I am studying Natural Gynecology based on ancestral practices of my ancestors, the Muisca People in Colombia, South America with the Escuela de Sabiduría y Salud Femenina.
What do you think the single most important thing folks can do right now to make the world a better place?
To start working on ourselves! We all have biases and judgments that have not served humanity. I have also thought that doing this at our own limits, with critical thinking, love and compassion, can be the only thing that can save us from the delusion and manipulation that we are sadly witnessing around the world. Not one of us is above the rest, no one has all the insights or answers. We all know it in our bones! And we can create solutions together.
What’s one of your favorite memories from an Annual Firefly Gathering?
The times dancing around the fire and sharing food as a completely diverse community, unapologetically. But also the magic and awe I feel when I see the fireflies in the mountains. And lately, supporting the Culture Camp and the Block Party has been such a complete joy!
As we look ahead to the Firefly Gathering coming up July 16-21 we invite you to join us in celebrating the many voices that will converge at this community-minded, transformative event. It’s an opportunity to embrace diversity, learn from a multitude of perspectives, and forge connections that transcend how we have converged in the past. Let us come together to create space where everyBODY, including members of the global majority and members of the LGBTQIA+ community feel not just welcomed but celebrated.
Find Johanna on her website mamatortuga.org, on Facebook at mamatortuga1, Instagram at mamatortuga, and on her bilingual YouTube channel HERE.
