Returning to the Mother: A Conversation with Sherri Mitchell on Rematriation and Sacred Instructions

In this powerful new episode of the Matriarch Movement podcast, host Shayla Oulette Stonechild sits down with author, attorney, and activist Sherri Mitchell (she/her) – Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset, a member of the Penobscot Nation and founder of the Land Peace Foundation. Sherri’s book Sacred Instructions has been life-changing for Shayla and thousands of readers, offering spiritual clarity, cultural wisdom, and practical tools for navigating a world in need of healing.

Their conversation explores what it means to live in balance with the Earth, how to reclaim Indigenous teachings in a modern world, and why rematriation is the antidote to colonization.

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What is Rematriation?

Sherri describes rematriation as a return to the Mother, to Earth, to community, and to right relationship. “Colonization wasn’t just about oppression,” she explains. “It was the severing of the sacred connection between the people and the land. Rematriation is how we heal that.” It’s not exclusive to women, it’s a collective responsibility rooted in kinship and balance.

“Everyone can be part of rematriation,” Sherri says. “We are all children of the Earth.”

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Connection to the Land: The Penobscot River as Teacher

Raised in a riverine culture, Sherri shares how the Penobscot River shaped her worldview. She learned to paddle before she could ride a bike, and her early relationship with the water sparked a lifelong devotion to land stewardship and Indigenous rights. “Time doesn’t move in a straight line,” she reflects. “It circles us in place; grounding us in our homelands, our ancestors, and future generations.”

These teachings live on through her environmental work, including rematriation programs and community healing gatherings through the Land Peace Foundation.

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Sacred Instructions:

Sacred Instructions was born out of Sherri’s lifelong study with Indigenous elders across Turtle Island. Encouraged by one of her spiritual mentors to write it down – even though traditional teachings are often oral – Sherri crafted the book with deep care and consultation. She read each chapter aloud to her elders before publishing and recorded the audiobook in her own voice to preserve the vibration and frequency of the teachings.

This isn’t just a book, it’s a guide for Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers to reconnect to spirit, land, and each other.

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On Technology, Control, and the Need to Rise

Sherri shares her concern about the rise of technocratic systems that separate us from what truly nourishes us: the Earth, community, ceremony, and story. In a world addicted to performance, filters, and virtual validation, she reminds us of the importance of being rooted, resilient, and whole.

Her next book, Rise Wild (expected 2026), is a follow-up to Sacred Instructions, a call to remain untamed in a world trying to domesticate our spirits.

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On Matriarchy, Balance, and Becoming the Future

Sherri reminds us that true matriarchy isn’t about flipping patriarchy, it’s about balance. She speaks of mediwewin — a word describing the sacred space between the skin and wood of a drum — a metaphor for creation, relationship, and possibility. In that space between the masculine and feminine lies the potential for collective healing.

At the upcoming Matriarch Gathering (August 23–25), the theme is “Writing Ourselves into the Mythology of Our Futures.” Sherri invites all who identify with this vision to gather, create, and embody the change we wish to see.

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Key Teachings from This Episode:

✨ Rematriation is a path to restore sacred relationship between people and the land
✨ Healing requires participation from all people, not just women
✨ Technology must not replace our connection to what is real and rooted
✨ Leadership begins with humility, responsibility, and relational learning
✨ We must become the kind of people capable of living in the world we dream of

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Support the Work:

🌿 Land Peace Foundation: landpeacefoundation.org
📚 Sacred Instructions: Available in print and audiobook
🌐 Sherri’s website: sacredinstructions.life

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🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you stream your podcasts. This one is more than a conversation, it’s a ceremony, a remembering, and a map forward.

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Thanks for checking out this episode of the Matriarch Movement podcast!

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Find Shayla Oulette Stonechild on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/shayla0h

This podcast is produced by Women in Media Network:
www.womeninmedia.network/show/matriarch-movement/

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