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Layla ᎴᎳ

@laylajohnston.bsky.social
1K followers 399 following 528 posts

ᏥᏣᎳᎩ. Cherokee Nation citizen. Cherokee language learner. Reader and writer. Western Massachusetts. Native plant enthusiast. Climate crisis is now. 🪶💧🌽🍓 ᏗᎧᎸᎬ ᏗᏁᎯ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎹᏳᎶᏗ ᎤᎾᏓᎸᎬ www.eastcoastcherokees.org/mission

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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 9h
A few Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians dialect words for autumn 🍂
Cherokee Words of
the Week
It is Foggy
ukahada (oo-kah-haa-dah)
It's Cool
unesayvtsı (ooh-ney-sah-yuh-zee)
Put a Blanket Down
ayegatli hiyesdvvga
(aah-yay-gah-tlee hee-yay-sduh-gah)
DBSC ABOriS
Elk
egwa awi
(aye-gwah ah-whee)
RI DO
Ball Game
anetsodi (aah-ney-zoh-dee)
DAKJ
Scan the QR code below to hear audio
pronunciations of these words
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
ᎤᎳᎪᎲᏍᏗ ulagohvsdi autumn on the Kankakee River.
Sugar maple leaves in golden fall colors. Oak leaves turning red. Basswood leaves in golden fall colors. Shallow creek leading to larger river.
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Eric Allix Rogers @ericallixrogers.com · 04/11/2023
Rock Creek, Kankakee River State Park
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Adam Markham @adammarkham.bsky.social · 23h
There’s some wonderful work from Connecticut-based artists at the Aldrich Museum decennial in Ridgefield right now, including by Felandus Thames (@felandusthames.bsky.social), Dan Gunn, Philip Taaffe and Enrique Figueredo.
“She did what she could” - Bead work by Felandus Thames 2025“middle scenery (after the ride)” - Dan Gunn 2026“Syncopated ferns, 2001-19” - Philip Taaffe“Paveando en mi Cadillac antibalas” - woodcut, Enrique Figueredo, 2020
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A monarch butterfly visits our goldenrod during the golden hour. #nativeplants
An orange and black monarch butterfly on the yellow blooms of goldenrod
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New England asters giving us a vibrant purple pop of petals around rich gold center before the weather shifts to fall #nativeplants
Vibrant purple petals surrounding a golden head, New England asters
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
RESTORING CHEROKEE
PERSPECTIVES
Exploring First Voice Research Methodologies
Delancey Griffin
(Cherokee Nation, Archeology)
Makayla Williams
(Cherokee Nation, Archeology)
Constance Yellowtail Owl
(Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, History)
Rebecca Nagle
(Cherokee Nation, Journalism)
Friday, September 18, 10:30am
TJ Holland Education Room, Museum of the Cherokee People & Virtual via Zoom
https://bit.ly/3UNUzcC
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I just had the most thoughtful conversation and guest author experience with Vanessa Lillie at today’s session of my Cherokee book club, Digoweli! I highly recommend her thrillers if you’re into fast paced fiction featuring strong indigenous women. #booksky
Cover of The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
ᎤᏂᎩᏔ ᎠᏔᏍᎩᏍᎩ ᎠᎴ ᏥᏳᎦᎵ New Jersey tea and swamp milkweed seeds dried and ready to be cleaned for giveaway
Seeds of Asclepius incarnata and Ceanothus americanus ready to be cleaned
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paulseesequasis @pseesequasis.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A photograph by Jennie Ross Cobb (1881-1959), often called the first Native American woman photographer, certainly Cobb, a member of the Cherokee Nation, was among the first,
A photograph by Jennie Ross Cobb (1881-1959), often called the first Native American woman photographer, certainly Cobb, a member of the Cherokee Nation, was among the first, but there may be other Native American women photographers of her generation whose work has been lost to time, or who have yet to be discovered, suffice it to say she was among the first. Photographed in 1902, along the Cherokee Central railroad in Oklahoma. Note the woman on our left who appears to be wearing a ribbon skirt, in addition to the contemporary women's fashion of the time. | Oklahoma Historical Society Archives
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New England asters are in bloom 🐝 #nativeplants
A common eastern bumblebee on New England aster
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Cherokee youth win legal rights for waterway in first all-female U.S. effort. news.mongabay.com/2026/09/cher...
news.mongabay.com
Cherokee youth win legal rights for waterway in first all-female U.S. effort
Before the proceedings began, the young women carried Longperson into the room with them, water gathered from the mountain headwaters and held in traditional pottery. The chamber filled beyond capacit...
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Understory @kirbyadams.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Black-and-gold Bumble Bee (Bombus auricomus) working the Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor) in my "prairie." This was the second state listed (special concern) bumble bee to visit this exact patch of thistle in three days. #bees #pollinators #bumblebees #nativeplants
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Collecting ᎤᏂᎩᏔ seeds for a community exchange! The variation in size and shape is fascinating. Pictured here are ᎪᏌᎩ monarda fistulosa in the first picture, ᎦᏁᎵᏙ zizia aurea in the second. #nativeplants
Up close image of monarda fistulosa seedsUp close image of Zizia aurea seeds
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Locust borer on Canada goldenrod. I wish we had the space to keep this plant! It’s too aggressive for our small yard but it’s definitely the most popular plant with our pollinators right now. #nativeplants
A black and yellow striped locust borer on goldenrod
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
ᎦᏓᏲᏍᏗ marble. Played a modern version of the ancient game ᏣᎳᎩ ᏗᎦᏓᏲᏍᏗ Cherokee marbles while I was in ᏓᎵᏆ Tahlequah!
Photo shows a woman with black rimmed glasses and blunt trimmed bangs holding a billiard ball used to play Cherokee marbles
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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Went for a little bird walk on campus. Not too many birds but there was this Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Air Shrimp!). Excellent compromise for a birder during #invertefest 😂
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Walking Eagle News @theeagleist.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
BREAKING: sucks to have stuff renamed by white people, doesn’t it?
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Kay on the Prairie @kayontheprairie.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A few dragonflies from Ayers Sand Prairie today. There were so many out flying around! At one point I stepped into a whole swarm of Eastern Amberwings who were resting in the grass 💚
Widow skimmer perched on a plant stem Black saddlebags perched on a dried plant stem Eastern amberwing perched on a stem
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Iron Chef Bot @ironchefbot.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Frame #37150 from S06 -E17 - Battle Salmon-629300
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Erin 🌱 @wearegonnafindout.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Did you know about worm snakes? If you are a lawn haver, especially near natural areas, you should! They are precious babies who aerate your yard and only want to rest in a moist soft place, like in your grass. www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/sna...
virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com
Virginia Herpetological Society
Native Reptiles and Amphibians of Virginia
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Jim 🇺🇦 @pom137.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A swamp cicada seen earlier this past week. #bugsky #invertebrates #insects #nature #wildlife 🪲 #ECK
A mostly green bug with transparent posterior wing grasping a window screen. Likely Neotibicen tibicen
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Thank you so much @thatdana.bsky.social for the book!
Cover of Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
We are dog sitting and this is what pure relaxation and rest looks like 🖤🐾
A sleeping beagle and bulldog mix in sunlight on a down comforter
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250 to 250 @250to250.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Julie Reed is a citizen of the Cherokee nation, Native American historian, author, and professor whose reflective essays include a widely syndicated piece about Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of Cherokee Nation. @jreedmo.bsky.social #WeAreAmerica250
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Kristine ❌👑 @extrasuperkk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I get pretty excited about habitat gardening with #nativeplants for #birds frontrange.wildones.org/habitat-gard...
frontrange.wildones.org
Habitat Gardening is for the Birds! - Wild Ones Front Range Chapter
By Kristine Johnson A few years ago, I applied for and received a Terra Foundation Grant from the Landscaping with Colorado Native Plants Conference. This meant $1000 toward native plants which suppor...
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Join Cherokee Nation tribal historian Catherine Foreman Gray and East Coast Cherokees for a weekend of Indigenous history and culture in NYC September 19 - 20. Free and open to the public.
CHEROKEE HISTORY CLASSES
EAST COAST CHEROKEES
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - 20 | 9 AM - 4 PM
Center for Collaborative Indigenous Research with Communities & Lands
New York University, Centers & Institutes Building, Room 101
20 Cooper Square | New York, NY 10003
Register for a free, ten-hour class series emphasizing Cherokee arts, culture and oral tradition from pre-European contact through the present day. Students who complete this course will earn a certificate.
Check VisitCherokeeNation.com for alternate dates and locations.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Scan the QR code or call 918.200.3017 to register.
VISITCHEROKEENATION.COM |f@
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Plant native plants and join a hopeful, fun, and rewarding movement! Our yards can support biodiversity, no matter how small your place may be. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
How one American couple ditched their lawn and created a wildlife haven – and you could too
Novice gardeners James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz wanted to try something new when they moved out to the suburbs. Little did they know they were joining a nationwide movement
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First American Art Magazine @firstamart.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Want to look up info about an artist you've recently seen at an art market? Sky Sheyenne (Diné) of HODZA.mgmt created the Native Art Directory, which covers Native artists participating in numerous art markets! nativeart.directory #NativeSky #ArtSky #IndigiSky🔥 #NativeArt #IndigenousArt #NDNart
nativeart.directory
Native Art Directory — Native Art Week is here
For one week, Santa Fe becomes the center of the Native art world. Know whose work to find, see award histories, and save your booths before you go.
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Cute little American wedge beetle enjoying the tiny white flowers of boneset. #nativeplants
Black insect with gold sections on wings some type of American wedge beetle on the tiny white flowers of boneset
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Dr. Laura M. Furlan @laurafurlan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Thrilled that I have a flash nonfiction piece in @tahomareview.bsky.social! Read my “Sweet River” here: tahomaliteraryreview.com/selections/s...
tahomaliteraryreview.com
Sweet River - Tahoma Literary Review
It is eight a.m. on a Saturday in February, and I am mucking stalls in a small horse barn in Whately, Mass. I can already feel the soreness in my arms and
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Emily Green @chanceofrain.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Here's the best thing out of Texas since Kinky Friedman: a former railway switch operator turned botanist and the thorn scrub sanctuary brimming with life that he's fostered in the Rio Grande Valley (h/t @ddavisla.bsky.social) #nativeplants #nativegardening www.texasmonthly.com/travel/joey-...
texasmonthly.com
The Cursing Ex-Punk Creating a Plant Sanctuary in South Texas
Joey Santore wants you to “kill your lawn.” Freshly moved to Texas, he’s now working to preserve 150 acres of thornscrub in the Valley.
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Our cutleaf coneflower, ᏐᏣᎾ in ᏣᎳᎩ Cherokee, proving breakfast for ᏩᏓᎦ an American goldfinch. Can you spot him? #nativeplants
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
So many backyard visitors today! I spent time with blue jays, northern cardinals, goldfinches, house finches, a red-winged blackbird, a tufted titmouse couple, great black wasps, eastern bumblebees, a monarch, and an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. A pleasant afternoon was had by all.
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
ᎢᏣᎩ ᎧᎹᎹ an eastern tiger swallowtail visits our anise hyssop this morning. Plant native plants, your yard will attract cool visitors! 💛🖤 #butterflies #nativeplants
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Tulsa Flyer @tulsaflyer.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Cherokee Nation bans hyperscale data centers on tribally owned, trust lands The Cherokee Nation issued a ban on hyperscale data center development for tribally owned and trust land on Wednesday.... tulsaflyer.org/2026/08/10/news/post…
tulsaflyer.org
Cherokee Nation bans hyperscale data centers on tribally owned, trust lands
The Cherokee Nation issued a ban on hyperscale data center development for tribally owned and trust land on Wednesday.
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Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. @chiefhoskin.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
www.cherokeephoenix.org/culture/new-...
cherokeephoenix.org
New buildings incorporate Cherokee language
TAHLEQUAH – Cherokee Nation is merging its people’s language into its construction projects, installing Cherokee syllabary signage throughout new and renovated facilities across the reservation as par...
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Tiffany Morris @tiffmorris.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It’s always a good day to support Indigenous sovereignty. Many threats to our sovereignty link directly to extractive capitalism, proliferation of AI, pollution caused by data centres, and global food insecurity.
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Cherokee Nation bans hyperscale data centers on tribally owned, trust lands www.kosu.org/cherokee-nat...
kosu.org
Cherokee Nation bans hyperscale data centers on tribally owned, trust lands
The Cherokee Nation issued a ban on hyperscale data center development for tribally owned and trust land on Wednesday.
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Julie the ok gardener @juliejam.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Two courting Pipevine Swallowtails on the first Tall Thistle, and a skipper trying to ignore them. #butterflies #gardening #nativeplants #flyday 🌱
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Rebecca Nagle @rebeccanagle.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
On August 16, I'm headed to Santa Fe for "Reimagining the 250th: Indigenous Histories and Sovereignty" — a panel at MoCNA alongside Maggie Blackhawk (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), Kashona Notah (Iñupiaq), and Megan Tom (Diné). iaia.edu/event/reimag...
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Dark Summer literary fest at the Framingham Public Library tomorrow features some fantastic authors on the Indigenous lit for all ages panel! framinghamlibrary.org/news-events/...
framinghamlibrary.org
Dark Summer Book Fest | Events & Program Series | Framingham Public Library
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Plant native plants, get cool visitors! A hummingbird moth visits our monarda fistulosa.
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Potting up these little ᏐᏣᎾ sochana cutleaf coneflower plugs today to give away! #nativeplants
Little baby sochan plugs also known as cutleaf coneflower
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
An Eastern amberwing dragonfly on last year’s monarda fistulosa seed heads #nativeplants #savethestems
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Weyodi OldBear- The Root and The Seed is available. @weyodi.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
In 2018 I won the Imagining Indigenous Futurism prize for my short story "Red Lessons". I ended up turning the short story into a three book series. Book One; The Root and The Seed and The Thief In Between is now is available in ebook format from Android Press. www.android-press.com/product-page...
android-press.com
the Root & the Seed & the Thief In Between (EPUB) | Android Press
You can also order this title in paperback format. You can also buy this ebook on:Amazon From Imagining Indigenous Futurisms Award winner Weyodi OldBear, the Root & the Seed is a fiercely human s...
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Common eastern bumblebee napping on my favorite native plant, rattlesnake master, ᏎᎳᏉᏯ in Cherokee #nativeplants #bees
Common eastern bumblebee asleep on the spiky white blooms of rattlesnake master
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Frances Danger *Deadly SoverAuntie* @francesdanger.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
🧵 A list of trusted direct aid organizations that are providing community care for our relatives to the North. Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, who received no warning or assistance from the provincial or federal governments, is destroyed. There is nothing left standing on
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
We’ve been waiting for you! Our first tiger swallowtail butterfly, ᎧᎹᎹ ᎢᏣᎩ in Cherokee, visit of the year #nativeplants #butterflies
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Layla ᎴᎳ @laylajohnston.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Monarda punctata, a funky flower favorite, with stacked caps of pale pink and light green blooms #nativeplants
Light pink petals with a stack of green layers, monarda punctata in bloom
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