#sumac — Public Fediverse posts

#CulinaryAsh (Chahota) - by #IndigenousChef #SeanSherman

"Culinary ash seasoning dates back thousands of years. Just as smoke was an important, primal flavor that cues our original use of fire to transform raw ingredients into delicious foods, burning trees and the hard, inedible parts of plants is an ancient method of creating flavorful spices.

The tastes of ash seasoning vary depending on the plant used -- #corncobs, #sage leaves, #juniper berries, rose hips, #sumac -- and the ash adds color and interest to many dishes. To create ash, hold the food over a flame with tongs or set it on a grill or under a broiler, rotating it until it's thoroughly blackened. remove and place on a baking sheet until it is cool enough to handle.

Any food can be 'ashed,' but here are those we like using the best:

- Corn ash is slightly sweet, dark, and a bit creamy.
- Sage ash is peppery and assertive.
- Juniper ash will turn the foods it seasons a dark, inky blue and add a earthy, peppery note."

Page 182, "The #SiouxChef's Indigenous Kitchen."

#SolarPunkSunday #PlantAsh #IndigenousRecipes #TraditionalIngredients #NativeAmericanRecipes #NativeAmericanIngredients

#CulinaryAsh (Chahota) - by #IndigenousChef #SeanSherman

"Culinary ash seasoning dates back thousands of years. Just as smoke was an important, primal flavor that cues our original use of fire to transform raw ingredients into delicious foods, burning trees and the hard, inedible parts of plants is an ancient method of creating flavorful spices.

The tastes of ash seasoning vary depending on the plant used -- #corncobs, #sage leaves, #juniper berries, rose hips, #sumac -- and the ash adds color and interest to many dishes. To create ash, hold the food over a flame with tongs or set it on a grill or under a broiler, rotating it until it's thoroughly blackened. remove and place on a baking sheet until it is cool enough to handle.

Any food can be 'ashed,' but here are those we like using the best:

- Corn ash is slightly sweet, dark, and a bit creamy.
- Sage ash is peppery and assertive.
- Juniper ash will turn the foods it seasons a dark, inky blue and add a earthy, peppery note."

Page 182, "The #SiouxChef's Indigenous Kitchen."

#SolarPunkSunday #PlantAsh #IndigenousRecipes #TraditionalIngredients #NativeAmericanRecipes #NativeAmericanIngredients

@janettespeyer I learned that recently when I started cooking some of #ShawnSherman's (#TheSiouxChef) recipes, which called for #sumac. I was like, "Waittaminute. Isn't this used in the Middle East as well?"

@janettespeyer I learned that recently when I started cooking some of #ShawnSherman's (#TheSiouxChef) recipes, which called for #sumac. I was like, "Waittaminute. Isn't this used in the Middle East as well?"

Sumac Has Two Ancient Homelands. Most People Only Know One. Sumac grew wild in North America long before it ever hit a Middle Eastern spice rack. The crimson berry has a secret history and it’s one worth knowing. #Sumac #AncientSpices #FoodCultureBites #foodhistory #foodculture

https://foodculturebites.com/persians-native-americans-loved-sumac/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into FLIPBOARD USER GROUP @flipboard-user-group-JanetteSpeyer

Sumac Has Two Ancient Homelands. Most People Only Know One. Sumac grew wild in North America long before it ever hit a Middle Eastern spice rack. The crimson berry has a secret history and it’s one worth knowing. #Sumac #AncientSpices #foodhistory
https://foodculturebites.com/persians-native-americans-loved-sumac/

#foodculturebites

Sumac Has Two Ancient Homelands. Most People Only Know One. Sumac grew wild in North America long before it ever hit a Middle Eastern spice rack. The crimson berry has a secret history and it’s one worth knowing. #Sumac #AncientSpices #foodhistory
https://foodculturebites.com/persians-native-americans-loved-sumac/

#foodculturebites

New post: Live Review: SUMAC / Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean – G2, Glasgow (7th April 2026) https://moshville.co.uk/reviews/gig-review/2026/04/live-review-sumac-chained-to-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-g2-glasgow-7th-april-2026/ #SUMAC

English is fairly adequate for basic communication, but it falls short for niche communities. In the same way that skiers repurpose “powder” or “carve” and gamers repurpose “own” or “sweaty,” metal fans break and contort language to suit our needs. We talk about “filthy” guitar tones and “razor sharp” riffs, discuss “cavernous” production and “suffocating” weight, and use violent imagery—bleeding ears, caved in skulls—to denote quality. So when I read phrases like “slow, painful march,” “soporific1 dirge,” and “empty decades between chords” on the promo sheet for debut Dark Thoughts with Lights Out, I thought Cattle Hammer was just employing a little dialectical variance, speaking the lingo. Joke’s on me, though. They weren’t.

Based in Birmingham, UK, Cattle Hammer was formed by vocalist/guitarist Duncan Wilkins (Fukpig, Mistress) in 2023. He’s joined by I Cartwright on drums, J Wyles on guitar, and D Von Donovan on bass. Together, they mix a caustic brew of drone, doom, and sludge, but each track on Dark Thoughts with Lights Out has its own identity. “Gloomsower” leans stony, and Wilkins oscillates between deep roars and strangled croaks reminiscent of Weedeater. “Rotting” features short tremolos, although they don’t do much besides check the “blackened” box on the PR sheet. The ambient, noise-tinged intro to “Watchmen, Alone” caught my attention, but repetition of the vocal sample stunts its ability to build tension. Similarly, “Body Puzzle” ends on some interesting synths, but it’s a tough sell so late in the album. If you can’t tell, I’m really reaching for positives here, but there’s not a one that isn’t ultimately a disappointment.

Dark Thoughts With Lights Out by Cattle Hammer

Every time I thought Cattle Hammer might do something interesting or better texturize Dark Thoughts with Lights Out, they shrank from the occasion. The early lead guitar in “Gloomsower” is a bright change of pace amidst thick, doomy passages, but instead of playing a countermelody or variation on the theme or literally anything else, it just plays the same fucking riff in a higher register. This same-riff-different-instrument/key tactic is fairly common (“Rotting,” “Watchmen, Alone”). Organ (“Watchmen, Alone,” “Body Puzzle”) and piano (“Rotting”) make appearances, but fail to deliver anything justifying their inclusion. Static and feedback crop up frequently, but in Cattle Hammer’s hands, they are merely unpleasant and banal. While I was intrigued by the first sample2 and always appreciate Sheri Moon Zombie,3 Cattle Hammer’s sample usage is ham-fisted and melodramatic. Each of these ornaments gave me hope that I might soon feel something besides boredom and frustration, but invariably, Dark Thoughts with Lights Out dashed my hopes and shuffled on.

What astounds me most on Dark Thoughts with Lights Out is how avoidable many of these blunders seem. Percussion is a little lackluster, and the instruments seem a bit compressed in the mix, leaving the vocals too far in front. These aren’t deal breakers, but playing fewer riffs—I’m being generous, calling them that—in 45 minutes than I have fingers is. Structuring the front half of a song to sound like a narrative climax with no build-up or release is (“Watchmen, Alone,” “Body Puzzle”). Rhythmic density rivaling the emptiness of space is. Ambient, feedback-laden outros enough to compile an EP is. This album is ostensibly meant to convey misery and suffering, but devoid of creativity or artistic abstraction, it misses the mark that acts like Primitive Man, The Body, or Sumac hit so well. It’s as if Cattle Hammer has crafted some misguided meta experience, in which the act of listening to the music imparts the misery normally communicated through the music itself.

If there’s one thing Cattle Hammer truly excels at, it’s squandering potential. Every criticism in this review is a place where I saw an opportunity for Dark Thoughts with Lights Out to get better, only for it to stay the course. What’s even more frustrating is that, if any one of these problems weren’t a problem, it could have at least partially salvaged the album. Amidst deeply uninteresting riffs played slow enough for inter-note naps, song constructions that fail to launch, underutilized instrumentation, an impressive lack of variation, repetition ad nauseum, and a totally unjustified runtime, Dark Thoughts with Lights Out isn’t simply unremarkable or uninteresting; it’s a literal chore to listen through. Based on the promo sheet, maybe that’s the point, but whether Cattle Hammer achieved their goal is irrelevant.4 Dark Thoughts with Lights Out is a bad album.

Rating: 1.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Road to Masochist
Websites: Bandcamp | Ampwall | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026

English is fairly adequate for basic communication, but it falls short for niche communities. In the same way that skiers repurpose “powder” or “carve” and gamers repurpose “own” or “sweaty,” metal fans break and contort language to suit our needs. We talk about “filthy” guitar tones and “razor sharp” riffs, discuss “cavernous” production and “suffocating” weight, and use violent imagery—bleeding ears, caved in skulls—to denote quality. So when I read phrases like “slow, painful march,” “soporific1 dirge,” and “empty decades between chords” on the promo sheet for debut Dark Thoughts with Lights Out, I thought Cattle Hammer was just employing a little dialectical variance, speaking the lingo. Joke’s on me, though. They weren’t.

Based in Birmingham, UK, Cattle Hammer was formed by vocalist/guitarist Duncan Wilkins (Fukpig, Mistress) in 2023. He’s joined by I Cartwright on drums, J Wyles on guitar, and D Von Donovan on bass. Together, they mix a caustic brew of drone, doom, and sludge, but each track on Dark Thoughts with Lights Out has its own identity. “Gloomsower” leans stony, and Wilkins oscillates between deep roars and strangled croaks reminiscent of Weedeater. “Rotting” features short tremolos, although they don’t do much besides check the “blackened” box on the PR sheet. The ambient, noise-tinged intro to “Watchmen, Alone” caught my attention, but repetition of the vocal sample stunts its ability to build tension. Similarly, “Body Puzzle” ends on some interesting synths, but it’s a tough sell so late in the album. If you can’t tell, I’m really reaching for positives here, but there’s not a one that isn’t ultimately a disappointment.

Dark Thoughts With Lights Out by Cattle Hammer

Every time I thought Cattle Hammer might do something interesting or better texturize Dark Thoughts with Lights Out, they shrank from the occasion. The early lead guitar in “Gloomsower” is a bright change of pace amidst thick, doomy passages, but instead of playing a countermelody or variation on the theme or literally anything else, it just plays the same fucking riff in a higher register. This same-riff-different-instrument/key tactic is fairly common (“Rotting,” “Watchmen, Alone”). Organ (“Watchmen, Alone,” “Body Puzzle”) and piano (“Rotting”) make appearances, but fail to deliver anything justifying their inclusion. Static and feedback crop up frequently, but in Cattle Hammer’s hands, they are merely unpleasant and banal. While I was intrigued by the first sample2 and always appreciate Sheri Moon Zombie,3 Cattle Hammer’s sample usage is ham-fisted and melodramatic. Each of these ornaments gave me hope that I might soon feel something besides boredom and frustration, but invariably, Dark Thoughts with Lights Out dashed my hopes and shuffled on.

What astounds me most on Dark Thoughts with Lights Out is how avoidable many of these blunders seem. Percussion is a little lackluster, and the instruments seem a bit compressed in the mix, leaving the vocals too far in front. These aren’t deal breakers, but playing fewer riffs—I’m being generous, calling them that—in 45 minutes than I have fingers is. Structuring the front half of a song to sound like a narrative climax with no build-up or release is (“Watchmen, Alone,” “Body Puzzle”). Rhythmic density rivaling the emptiness of space is. Ambient, feedback-laden outros enough to compile an EP is. This album is ostensibly meant to convey misery and suffering, but devoid of creativity or artistic abstraction, it misses the mark that acts like Primitive Man, The Body, or Sumac hit so well. It’s as if Cattle Hammer has crafted some misguided meta experience, in which the act of listening to the music imparts the misery normally communicated through the music itself.

If there’s one thing Cattle Hammer truly excels at, it’s squandering potential. Every criticism in this review is a place where I saw an opportunity for Dark Thoughts with Lights Out to get better, only for it to stay the course. What’s even more frustrating is that, if any one of these problems weren’t a problem, it could have at least partially salvaged the album. Amidst deeply uninteresting riffs played slow enough for inter-note naps, song constructions that fail to launch, underutilized instrumentation, an impressive lack of variation, repetition ad nauseum, and a totally unjustified runtime, Dark Thoughts with Lights Out isn’t simply unremarkable or uninteresting; it’s a literal chore to listen through. Based on the promo sheet, maybe that’s the point, but whether Cattle Hammer achieved their goal is irrelevant.4 Dark Thoughts with Lights Out is a bad album.

Rating: 1.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Road to Masochist
Websites: Bandcamp | Ampwall | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026

Branches of dried sumac flower spikes in the winter

#photo #photography #bloomscrolling #flowers #sumac #plants #winter

Branches of dried sumac flower spikes in the winter

#photo #photography #bloomscrolling #flowers #sumac #plants #winter

Sumac Fruits in the courtyard in the ILR school (years ago I used to get lost whenever I went in there!)

#photo #photography #sumac #plants #bloomscrolling #winter #red #ilr #cornell #bloomscrolling

Sumac Fruits in the courtyard in the ILR school (years ago I used to get lost whenever I went in there!)

#photo #photography #sumac #plants #bloomscrolling #winter #red #ilr #cornell #bloomscrolling

@gazeshift I had only ever heard of poison #sumac, but my husband got some powdered sumac at the international store and we sprinkle it on hummus as a garnish, and it is delicious!

@gazeshift I had only ever heard of poison #sumac, but my husband got some powdered sumac at the international store and we sprinkle it on hummus as a garnish, and it is delicious!

Wild Rice with Cranberries and Hazelnuts

By Susan Belsinger

"This tasty recipe was inspired by a similar dish on the White Earth Wild Rice website. You can use whatever dried fruits or nuts that you have on hand. Only use the stock if the pan is dry-the rice should be moist, separate grains-though not soggy with liquid. Add the nuts last as they will get soggy and not remain crisp if they sit in the rice for too long.

Serves 8 as a side, 4 as a main course.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (generous 1 cup)
1 large or 2 smaller stalks celery, finely chopped (generous 1/2 cup)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Handful fresh sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (generous tablespoon)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, rough chopped
4 cups cooked White Earth Wild Rice, drained of excess liquid (follow directions on package)
About 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground sumac
About 1 cup vegetable or mushroom stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Generous tablespoon fresh snipped chives

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cover for 2 minutes. Add the sage and cranberries and cook for another minute or two.

Stir in the wild rice, salt, sumac, and 1/2 cup stock; if the rice is wet, you may not need the stock. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat until the rice is heated through. Taste for salt and adjust if need be and season lightly with black pepper. Toss in half of the nuts and chives and reserve the other half for garnish. Serve hot garnished with reserved nuts and snipped chives."

Source: https://www.finegardening.com/article/wild-rice-with-cranberries-and-hazelnuts

Original recipe that this was based on:
https://realwildrice.com/wild-rice-with-cranberries-and-pecans/

#SolarPunkSunday #WildRiceRecipes #HazelnutRecipes #Sumac #Sage #VeganRecipes

Wild Rice with Cranberries and Hazelnuts

By Susan Belsinger

"This tasty recipe was inspired by a similar dish on the White Earth Wild Rice website. You can use whatever dried fruits or nuts that you have on hand. Only use the stock if the pan is dry-the rice should be moist, separate grains-though not soggy with liquid. Add the nuts last as they will get soggy and not remain crisp if they sit in the rice for too long.

Serves 8 as a side, 4 as a main course.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (generous 1 cup)
1 large or 2 smaller stalks celery, finely chopped (generous 1/2 cup)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Handful fresh sage leaves, cut into chiffonade (generous tablespoon)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, rough chopped
4 cups cooked White Earth Wild Rice, drained of excess liquid (follow directions on package)
About 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground sumac
About 1 cup vegetable or mushroom stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Generous 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Generous tablespoon fresh snipped chives

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cover for 2 minutes. Add the sage and cranberries and cook for another minute or two.

Stir in the wild rice, salt, sumac, and 1/2 cup stock; if the rice is wet, you may not need the stock. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat until the rice is heated through. Taste for salt and adjust if need be and season lightly with black pepper. Toss in half of the nuts and chives and reserve the other half for garnish. Serve hot garnished with reserved nuts and snipped chives."

Source: https://www.finegardening.com/article/wild-rice-with-cranberries-and-hazelnuts

Original recipe that this was based on:
https://realwildrice.com/wild-rice-with-cranberries-and-pecans/

#SolarPunkSunday #WildRiceRecipes #HazelnutRecipes #Sumac #Sage #VeganRecipes

Sumac trees along the edge of my lawn the Deer have been rubbing...

#Sumac #DeerRub #WhiteTailedDeer

Sumac trees along the edge of my lawn the Deer have been rubbing...

#Sumac #DeerRub #WhiteTailedDeer

Upside of being injured: I have time to listen to a full album, uninterrupted, sitting in the dark with zero distractions. This album deserves such a listen. I had forgotten this was coming out this year and it turned out to be the most intense listen of 2025. Difficult to say the least, but a piece of art, complete with cathartic last track that made me bawl.

SUMAC and Moor Mother - The Film (2025)

https://sumac.bandcamp.com/album/the-film

#Sumac #MoorMother #experimental #metal #SpokenWord

Upside of being injured: I have time to listen to a full album, uninterrupted, sitting in the dark with zero distractions. This album deserves such a listen. I had forgotten this was coming out this year and it turned out to be the most intense listen of 2025. Difficult to say the least, but a piece of art, complete with cathartic last track that made me bawl.

SUMAC and Moor Mother - The Film (2025)

https://sumac.bandcamp.com/album/the-film

#Sumac #MoorMother #experimental #metal #SpokenWord

#Sumac #AutumnLeaves #FallColors #SilentSunday

#Sumac #AutumnLeaves #FallColors #SilentSunday

Edit: Solved. We have achieved Blackberries of Unusual Growth and not the Vine of OhGodNo!

Hey dumb question but I’m sleep deprived and image search is giving contradictory information. Is this spiked vine with three leaves poison ivy? The leaves are a little different than the type you normally see around here, and the stem is literally covered with pointy bits. It took over my catio overnight it seems.
I’m highly allergic to poison ivy, so do I need a hazmat suit, or is this just some creeper vine of doom, but not death?

#poisonivy #sumac #vine

Edit: Solved. We have achieved Blackberries of Unusual Growth and not the Vine of OhGodNo!

Hey dumb question but I’m sleep deprived and image search is giving contradictory information. Is this spiked vine with three leaves poison ivy? The leaves are a little different than the type you normally see around here, and the stem is literally covered with pointy bits. It took over my catio overnight it seems.
I’m highly allergic to poison ivy, so do I need a hazmat suit, or is this just some creeper vine of doom, but not death?

#poisonivy #sumac #vine

#Sumac #BloomScrolling #SilentSunday

#Sumac #BloomScrolling #SilentSunday

#BostonWeekend 6/x
Thu-Sat #HEAVY $22+ "Somergloom is an underground heavy music and arts festival based in Somerville, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. Unencumbered by genre, Somergloom showcases and celebrates the richness of today’s heavy music scene, centered around music that is introspective, creatively ambitious, evoking a melancholic quality that we like to call “gloom”.

Since its inception in 2021, Somergloom has grown into a multi-day event featuring a diverse range of artists from both New England and beyond. In 2025, we celebrate our fifth year at #DeepCuts in #MedfordMA and #CrystalBallroom in #SomervilleMA, with performances by #SUMAC, #BodyVoid, #TheKeening, #Morne, #Chepang, and many more from #GreaterBoston, #NewEngland and the #Northeast US.” https://somergloom.com
#SomervilleMA #Heavy #Gloom #Boston #BostonMusic #Festivals #massachusetts

#BostonWeekend 6/x
Thu-Sat #HEAVY $22+ "Somergloom is an underground heavy music and arts festival based in Somerville, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. Unencumbered by genre, Somergloom showcases and celebrates the richness of today’s heavy music scene, centered around music that is introspective, creatively ambitious, evoking a melancholic quality that we like to call “gloom”.

Since its inception in 2021, Somergloom has grown into a multi-day event featuring a diverse range of artists from both New England and beyond. In 2025, we celebrate our fifth year at #DeepCuts in #MedfordMA and #CrystalBallroom in #SomervilleMA, with performances by #SUMAC, #BodyVoid, #TheKeening, #Morne, #Chepang, and many more from #GreaterBoston, #NewEngland and the #Northeast US.” https://somergloom.com
#SomervilleMA #Heavy #Gloom #Boston #BostonMusic #Festivals #massachusetts

These past few days have been perfect for sun brewing sumac-ade, a sour-lemony, refreshing drink.

The individual berries (or blossoms?) of the staghorn sumac look like tiny tribbles from Star Trek.

#foraging #sumac #StaghornSumac #SummerBeverages

These past few days have been perfect for sun brewing sumac-ade, a sour-lemony, refreshing drink.

The individual berries (or blossoms?) of the staghorn sumac look like tiny tribbles from Star Trek.

#foraging #sumac #StaghornSumac #SummerBeverages

Went to a new-to-us market that focuses on Middle Eastern and Indian items. Have been specifically looking for #sumac but found some other blends I decided to try. (Caraway seeds are just backup because I'm running low.)

Discovered some years ago that I don't dislike #baklava - I just dislike Greek baklava because it's too sweet with all the extra honey. Other versions, I love way too much.

A Western Grey #Squirrel amidst dry grass and #Oregon Sunshine near the summit of Spencer's Butte, #Eugene. These guys are so used to humans they will brush up against you, sniffing you to see if you carry nuts or seeds. This common #Rodent does not seem to be affected by the #PoisonOak! #Hiking #Wildflower #Yarrow #OregonSunshine #Aster #Sumac

A Western Grey #Squirrel amidst dry grass and #Oregon Sunshine near the summit of Spencer's Butte, #Eugene. These guys are so used to humans they will brush up against you, sniffing you to see if you carry nuts or seeds. This common #Rodent does not seem to be affected by the #PoisonOak! #Hiking #Wildflower #Yarrow #OregonSunshine #Aster #Sumac

Entheomorphosis – Pyhä Kuilu Review

By Dear Hollow

If I’ve learned anything from Dark Buddha Rising, it’s that drone metal goes hand-in-hand with spiritual awakening. The blinding light of transcendence and the shadows of the occult are parts of the same jagged landscape of existence, and the abyss rules beneath, embodying both creation and destruction. Gentle and ruthless in equal measure, drone metal’s tides of mountainous riffs and thunderous tones offer the secrets of the universe and the nonexistence that perpetually threatens every fiber. Dark Buddha Rising exemplified this in its Buddhism-influenced aesthetic tied to hypnotic and ritualist drone, pulsing percussion, and a flurry of vocal attacks to conjure and invoke a dark trance. With their ongoing hiatus, Entheomorphosis takes up the mantle.

Appropriately, Entheomorphosis is the spiritual successor of Dark Buddha Rising, taking its namesake after its 2009 album of the same name, its primary architect being former guitarist/vocalist Vesa Ajomo. A quartet, other members include Mr. Peter Hayden/PH/Enphin alum Lauri Kivelä (also of Alitila) on bass and JP Koivisto (also of Vallihauta) on guitar, as well as Lassi Männikkö of Gangrened and Ludalloy behind the kit. While Dark Buddha Rising offered a surprisingly nimble and balanced approach to drone in energetic percussion and obscure vocal approaches, Entheomorphosis embraces the sprawl and a more predictable vocal dimension, alongside a much more erratic percussion presence. Debut Pyhä Kuilu (“holy abyss” in Finnish) embraces the spiritual awakening of shedding old skin with shuddering tone abuse and glacial crawls in its favor, even if it pales in comparison to its mother act.

Entheomorphosis does a great job of compacting drone metal’s most trademark features in a tidy thirty-five-minute runtime, thanks to concise songwriting. It features four tracks, with the bookends comprising the main movements (“Alkiema,” “Iätön”). These are the transcended Arhats in a drone metal fan’s nirvana: droning riffs, tortured vocals, and breathless patience. Conjuring the Sabbath-worshipping likes more of Earth than Sunn O))) in its slightly orange and hazy tone (perhaps Bongripper), it drawls on while Ajomo’s vocals take the stage in tortured shouts and Männikkö’s slightly off-kilter rhythms add a dimension of intrigue to the proceeds. Contrary to Dark Buddha Rising’s winning formula of drums carrying the drone, Entheomorphosis finds the drums carrying on a manic ritualistic energy almost despite the droning riffs, reminding me of early Sumac’s work. This clash is a bit jarring but intriguing, as longer passages avoid stagnation thanks to these odd collisions. The moods invoked are vast, settling upon anticipation’s startling brightness (“Alkiema”) and dread’s heavy weight (“Iätön”).

Getting away from the traditional drone template, the meat of Pyhä Kuilu offers respite in unexpected ways for Entheomorphosis. From the minimalist creeping of blackened shrieks atop chaotic drumming, thunderous bass, and synthesizer (“Sikinä”) to a crystalline and pulsing synth foray (“Huntu”), the centerpieces recall a more liturgical and shamanistic Primitive Man in its unforgiving noise and injection of chaos among the more regal movements of straightforward drone. They nonetheless beg the question as to why two comparatively brief respites are tied together as such when they are just different enough to be confusing and just similar enough to sound the same. The vocals are likewise a bit of a conundrum with Entheomorphosis, especially in comparison to its parent project. Dark Buddha Rising benefited from the choir of insanity of its three voices, but Ajomo’s nasally shouts seem to clash with the surrounding bleak obscurity, working most effectively with the blackened shrieks in “Sikinä.” The vocals are not the main focus, but they do distract at best, derail at worst, when they appear.

Entheomorphosis soars in being a worthy spiritual successor to Dark Buddha Rising, even if its pedigree cannot hold up. It’s a dark drone sound that you’ve come to know and love, but simultaneously more accessible and more experimental. Pyhä Kuilu feels more liturgical and less hypnotic, and its chemistry between drums and riff is endlessly intriguing. It may not achieve transcendence of its actors’ other projects, but for fans of drone, Entheomorphosis is a tour de force of holiness and devastation. While a nice bit of escapism, I’m banking on a more complete spiritual awakening next time.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Svart Records
Websites: entheomorphosis.bandcamp.com | entheomorphosis.com
Releases Worldwide: May 23rd, 2025

#2025 #30 #Alitila #AvantGardeMetal #Bongripper #DarkBuddhaRising #DoomMetal #DroneMetal #Earth #Enphin #Entheomorphosis #FinnishMetal #Gangrened #Ludalloy #May25 #MrPeterHayden #PH #PrimitiveMan #PyhäKuilu #Review #Reviews #Sumac #SunnO_ #SvartRecords #Vallihauta

I used to pass a sumac stand on my way to physio. Today, it's all gone. I hate how deforestation-happy Kitchener is. This is the Haldimand tract and all this stuff is supposed to be okayed with the Haudenosaunee. I don't imagine many projects bother. #deforestation #habitat #ecology #sumac @waterlooregion #LandBack

I used to pass a sumac stand on my way to physio. Today, it's all gone. I hate how deforestation-happy Kitchener is. This is the Haldimand tract and all this stuff is supposed to be okayed with the Haudenosaunee. I don't imagine many projects bother. #deforestation #habitat #ecology #sumac @waterlooregion #LandBack

Recensie: Sumac + Moor Mother – The Film ★★★★½
https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/sumac-moor-mother-the-film/

#Music #Metal #MoorMother #Sumac #ThrillJockey #Konkurrent

GardensTale Goes to Roadburn 2025

By GardensTale

The story of Easter, detailing the gruesome death and supernatural resurrection of a cult leader, is pretty fucking metal, all things considered. So it’s fitting that the cream of the crop among underground heavy music festivals, Roadburn, coincides with the religious holiday this year. Not that it makes much difference to me, my partner, or the slew of friends we drag across the Tilburg city centre to enjoy some of the heaviest, strangest, and most envelope-pushing music that music has to offer. We’d murder our feet and livers for this fest any time of the year.

For the last few editions, Roadburn has spread its venues over several locations within a few hundred-meter radius. The 013 is the main venue, hosting the large Main stage with its signature staircase (a brilliant way to rest your feet while watching a show!) and the smaller NEXT. A 5-10 minute walk away, depending on your state of mind and soundness of body, is the old industrial hall known as Koepelhal, split for the occasion into the larger Terminal and smaller Engine Room. Attached is the diminutive Hall of Fame, where the smallest artists get to do their thing, with the ever-popular skate park next door regularly hosting secret shows, which are often announced only a few hours beforehand. Finally, the local jazz club Paradox is the place to be for the more unconventional material, which is saying something in this place.

What follows is a cleaned-up live thread I tapped out in hasty bursts between and during sets, my word-vomit witnessed in real time by my colleagues who gave frequent and often unhelpful commentary. Where applicable, I saw fit to include their remarks and any response I had to their tomfoolery. I can not promise this will result in a sane article, but I hope it can sketch a glimpse of what the greatest festival in the world is like.

Day 1 (Thursday, 17th of April)

2:51 PM — As usual, the larger sizes of the merch sell out lightning fast, and so I walk away with a single patch and disappointment. Let’s hope Glassing can obliterate the letdown.

Cherd of Doom: Surely they restock merch through the festival?

HAHAHA no
Everyone knows merch goes fast so everyone goes to merch first so merch goes fast
And they always underproduce the large sizes

sentynel: You’d think if the merch consistently sold out really quickly they might print more next time

3:12 PM — Yep, Glassing is fucking killing it. Pushing an almost Spartan setup to its limit. The drummer is just bonkers!

4:11 PM — Listening to Oranssi Pazuzu outside the main stage because we could no longer get inside. It sounds impressively oppressive. Wish we could have seen more of it, but I would not have wanted to miss Glassing. Choices choices.

4:24 PM — The electronics and psychedelics of Oranssi Pazuzu are really cool. I should have paid more attention to this band.

4:48 PM — Slowing things down a bit with Toby Driver’s new age project Alora Crucible. It’s pretty enough, but 10 minutes in, I am still waiting for it to develop into something more than a yoga class background music jam.

5:17 PM — It did not.

5:31 PM — Listened most of Alora Crucible from the lounge where they pipe down the music from that stage. Very relaxing, better way to experience it than the venue!

5:33 PM — Then sludge legends Kylesa reformed on the main stage. No second drummer sadly, but what a treat to see this band live again! Last time was at Graspop in 2011.

6:44 PM — Waiting for Faetooth to start. Their first European gig!

Dolphin Whisperer: love Faetooth, they got a new album on the horizon I believe

7:10 PM — Faetooth is decent but not amazing, the vocals are a bit one-note at least on stage. Some nice riffs and I wouldn’t have minded finishing the gig but my feet are too dead to settle for decent right now. At least we can still listen to them for a bit outside the venue.

9:20 PM — After a good big meal we went to the main stage for envy.
And it’s already entrancing just a few minutes in.

9:31 PM — I am in love, this is the greatest thing I discovered today. The intense and concentrated emotion divided between melancholic post-rock and colossal outbursts of post-metal-hardcore is divine.
This is their 2003 album, tomorrow they will play a modern era set.

Dolphin Whisperer: envy good

well WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME

Cherd of Doom: See, bands playing multiple themed sets is exactly why I’d love to go to Roadburn. The Inter Arma sets last year for instance

10:29 PM — Envy was my favorite show of the day easily. So intense, so emotional.

10:39 PM — Black Curse is apparently overrun, so instead we decided to wait for Concrete Winds. Dame Area was still playing in that venue, so we thought we’d check it out. We walked in and walked back out like Grandpa Simpson.

Dolphin Whisperer: CONCRETE WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINDS

11:30 PM — Concrete Winds sounds good for dense death metal but I am honestly too tired for death metal this dense.

12:42 AM — But I stuck it out! It was intense, but pretty cool. Sadly my phone died halfway through.

Day 2 (Friday, 18th of April)

12:49 PM — Heading in for the first performance on the bill today, a collab of Throwing Bricks and Ontaard. They’ve collaborated successfully before on record, but this is a new commissioned piece.

1:19 PM — It’s fucking awesome! 8 musicians on stage, massive sound, but the balance is great and it’s emotionally devastating.
The sound quality is also much better than most Engine Room performances.
Between the two bands you also have a lot of variety. Male and female vocals, synths, violin, two drummers. Gorgeous.

1:49 PM — I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of ‘beautiful serene passage, suddenly interrupted by the most devastating wall of noise.’

2:54 PM — Midwife was very pretty, very demure, and very much not what I was looking for right now. Sort of a shoegaze, dreampop, slowcore thing that feels more appropriate for a summer sunset than a dark crowded hall and foot pain. Will check again later!

3:20 PM — Now for one of my most anticipated shows of the festival: Messa playing their new album The Spin in full!

3:41 PM — Their stage presence is a bit static, but the album and execution thereof are so good it’s easy to forgive.

Dolphin Whisperer: They don’t typically have a big stage presence from what I gather. They didn’t when I saw em in a small club

5:11 PM — After Messa we intended to see CHVE, the solo project of Colin [van Eeckhout] from Amenra. The line was pretty long, so we declined to join it. But it was all speed 0 soundscapes and were even boring when listening from the lounge.

Dolphin Whisperer: why go fast when you can go sloooooooooooooooooooooow

5:13 PM — But now it’s time for round 2 of envy! Loved em so much yesterday, we wanted seconds. Today is the modern set, including all of Eunoia, their 2024 album.

6:36 PM — Envy was once again beautiful and crushing.

6:39 PM — After envy we went to queue for 40 Watt Sun. Patrick Walker is doing a solo show in Paradox, the jazz club, and it’s bound to be jam-packed. Thankfully we got in! Now having another beer and waiting for the man to make us weep.

7:02 PM — Walker surveying the crowd: “That does not look comfortable.”

7:34 PM — Between songs this man is the funniest fucker alive, then he starts playing again and instantly it’s misty eyes and goosebumps. What a character, what a musician.

8:52 PM — Sometimes you gotta stop and smell the Korean fried chicken.

9:22 PM — Now waiting for Genital Shame.

10:20 PM — Genital Shame was decent, but couldn’t hold our attention. Also I was much too close to the speakers and the kick drums were overpowering the guitars. Caught a friend heading out and decided to follow her to Gnod Drop Out with White Hills.

11:04 PM — Gnod was very particular music for a very particular audience under a particularly large amount of drugs. Endlessly spooling 70’s space rock psychedelics. We didn’t stay long. Instead we opted for Thou, playing Umbilical on the main stage.

Dolphin Whisperer: THOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU

11:19 PM
I always kind of skirted around Thou, but they put on a good show. Unforgivingly harsh and unstoppably heavy, with the biggest riffs I’ve heard today. I don’t feel the amount of heart I got from the best performances today, but it’s a fun and filthy way to end the day.

Day 3 (Saturday, 19th of April)

1:54 PM — Scarfed down a fresh stroopwafel, brought my ebook for breaks and waits, and shuffled into the Terminal for Dødheimsgard!

They’re playing Black Medium Current front to back.

2:05 PM — It’s more of a sardine pressure vat than a sardine can in here.

2:11 PM — But the show is great! The big hall works for the expansive spacy black metal and the band is performing with fire

2:38 PM — We escaped the crowd to join a different one and check out Haatdrager, a project from students at the Metal Factory in Eindhoven. Claustrophobic electro-laden sludge. It’s fucking awesome!

2:44 PM — The vocalist is a very talented young woman. Throat ripping screams, but she also focuses on flow and rhythm in a more hip-hop fashion which gives the music an urban fusion flair akin to Backxwash and dälek.

Dolphin Whisperer: Like and subscribe

3:42 PM — We left for ice cream, then headed back to catch the off-kilter hardcore punk of Gillian Carter.

3:49 PM — Instrumentation is cool, sharp riffs with unexpected turns and skronks. Vocals are very one-note though. Will try to get into Grey Aura instead.

3:52 PM — Samantha compared the vocals [of Gillian Carter] to Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit sinking into the Dip and it is 100% accurate.

4:29 PM — Grey Aura was worse though. Embarrassing vocals honestly. Yelling like he wanted the kids to get off his lawn.

Tyme: Boooo! Too bad. I dig Grey Aura.

Dolphin Whisperer: That’s really sad to hear :(

5:09 PM — We grabbed a drink and intended to get in line for Uniform. And so we did, but the Terminal filled to capacity before we got there. Not willing to face another sardine pressure vat, we went with plan B: a collaboration between Sumac and Moor Mother. Now waiting for that while giving our feet a rest on the main stage steps.

Tyme: Sumac?? Hmmmmmm. Interesting

Dolphin Whisperer: Sumac + Moor Mother sounds the kinda collab that is so high art it may be impossible to sniff it. Hope it’s enjoyable

You’re not far off. It doesn’t feel like they managed to glue freeform activist hiphop and sludge doom together cohesively. More like switching between the Moor Mother bits with heavy guitars, then Sumac bits where they play actual riffs.

6:23 PM — We left to see Coilguns instead. That turned out to be the right decision. Frantic hardcore punk with ketamine energy and acidic left field swerves; it’s not always sane but it’s highly entertaining!

6:25 PM — The vocalist is especially all over the place, pulling himself across the stage by the afro and using 5 different styles and inflections in the same song

6:29 PM — Also met one of our Discord users, inkster.

Dolphin Whisperer: inky is very social + nice

She was! We left before the end because it was a long set and our feet are so fucked, but Sammy and I had fun watching Coilguns with her for a bit

8:52 PM — Caught a couple songs from Denisa after dinner. A sort of raw post-punk meets Emma Ruth Rundle from Indonesia. Not extraordinary, but solid, sung and played with heart.

9:38 PM — Also a few songs from Doodseskader’s set. First saw them opening for Alcest, and their stark, raw nu-sludge, with intense visuals synced to the music, hasn’t lost its potency.

9:43 PM — Altın Gün is a big change of pace, though. They play a mixture of psychedelic rock and Turkish traditional music. It’s very danceable, but for me it lacks a little oomph, a bit of grit.

11:21 PM — Bidding the day goodnight with Chat Pile. They play their music well, but I was hoping that’d be enough to make me enjoy their music more, and it isn’t. Still, it’s an effective, brusque brand of spasmodic aggression. The frontman pacing back and forth barefoot in shorts like he’s in the Ministry of Funny Walks is quite the choice.

11:38 PM — Okay, “Why” was a hoot, fair is fair

Tyme: Still sounds like you’re having a blast tho!

I gotta admit it, that was a pretty fucking fun show yeah

Day 4 (Sunday, April 20th)

10:04 AM — Mild hangover. Went to the local metal dive bar last night with some of our festival pals. Partied til 3:30 am. I am getting too old for this shit. Except fuck that, it was a ton of fun and I’ll fucking do it again!

2:01 PM — Dragged my husk to the Terminal to see Vuur & Zijde play Boezem, which I gave a very positive review a few months ago. Curious to see how it plays on stage!

2:53 PM — Though the music was performed perfectly well, a giant industrial hall is probably not the ideal venue for Vuur & Zijde. I think they’d do better in a more intimate setting. But some minor sound issues aside, it was a pretty good show overall.

2:56 PM — Halfway through we decided to move to the smaller Hall of Fame to check out Bacht’n de Vulle Moane, a band that’s only a year old and supposedly plays some intense black metal festuring analog electronics.

3:05 PM — “Good evening Roadburn!” Dude it’s 3 pm.

3:14 PM — This sounds less like black metal with electronics and more like someone yelling over muddy hardstyle.

3:26 PM — It didn’t annoy me, but it did bore me. I didn’t come here for techno.

Dolphin Whisperer: Every time is the evening if you’re playing black metal

That’s great, maybe they should have tried that instead of playing techno haha

4:01 PM — Just watched an animated short movie called The Hunter made by Costin Chioreanu. Quite cool, though the plot was lost on me. Pretty imagery though!

4:32 PM — Frente Abierto plays flamenco, but a dark and heavy variation thereof. Interesting, but not really to my tastes.

6:11 PM — Michael Gira’s set with Kristof Hahn (both from Swans) was an exercise in patience. Slow droning soundscapes, eventually joined by slow droning vocals. At some point I could no longer stand the slow droning.

6:13 PM — Turns out Sumac has quite a lot of slow droning soundscapes as well. I don’t need to like everything Roadburn has to offer, but gee golly, I hope I’ll enjoy at least one thing more than Vuur & Zijde today.

7:37 PM — With a belly full of noodles we plowed on back to the Terminal to catch a slice of Big|Brave. More slow droning soundscapes, but the vocals help give it a slightly better sense of progression. Still, when the song devolves into crash cymbal taps and nothing else for a few minutes, I do get a bit restless.

7:41 PM — When the buildup is more noticeable the music is much more enjoyable, thankfully, and the vocals are powerful.

7:48 PM — All in all a good performance that requires a bit more patience than my exhaustion has left me with.

9:03 PM — Bo Ningen, heavy psych rock from Japan, is a lot of fun and the first thing with this much energy today. Quite diverse, exploring different moods and textures.

9:25 PM — They manage both heartfelt space-outs and extended high-octane jams. Exciting show and excellent musicians!

9:35 PM — “This will be our last song!”
They still had 15 minutes.
They still went over time.

10:58 PM — Closing out the festival for us is Haunted Plasma. The glitzy darkwave with an edge reminds me of that scene in Blade with the vampire nightclub. The woman on the mic has a sweet spectral presence. A bit one-note, but otherwise very enjoyable and a worthy festival finale.

Even though the line-up was a bit frontloaded this year, it still resulted in some of the most hardest-hitting and affecting live music I’ve yet experienced, even from bands I’d never heard of in the first place. Both envy shows and the Throwing Bricks collaboration with Ontaard were the stuff of legends, and this kind of discovery is what makes Roadburn such a joy to return to, year after year. And it’s all the sweeter having a great group of friends to experience it with, as my partner and I attended few shows without at least one other friend by our side. So dear reader… same time next year?

#40WattSun #Alcest #AloraCrucible #AltınGün #Amenra #BachtNDeVulleMoane #Backxwash #BigBrave #BlogPost #BlogPosts #BoNingen #ChatPile #CHVE #Coilguns #ConcreteWinds #Dälek #DameArea #Denisa #Dödheimsgard #Doodseskader #EmmaRuthRundle #Envy #Faetooth #FrenteAbierto #GenitalShame #GillianCarter #Glassing #Gnod #GreyAura #Haatdrager #HauntedPlasma #InterArma #Kylesa #Messa #Midwife #MoorMother #Ontaard #OranssiPazuzu #Sumac #Swans #Thou #ThrowingBricks #Uniform #VuurZijde #WhiteHills

#Arizona - Skoden Coffee & Tea combines traditional #NativeAmericanCuisine with #activism

by Anna Ehrick, April 22, 2025

PHOENIX – "For Indigenous small business owner Natasha John, the road to owning a coffee shop has been long. About 300 miles, in fact.

"John first opened Skoden Coffee & Tea as a pop-up in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, traveling to areas throughout the vast community in northeast Arizona.

"When people suggested she should move the business 300 miles south to Phoenix, John recalled she doubted the idea.

" 'I was really against it because I thought I wanted to be like a food hub on the reservation because it’s such a food desert,' John said. 'But I had the reassurance from my partner and colleagues that were helping me with pop-ups.'

"When an opportunity came in December 2023 to move the enterprise to a vacant spot inside For The People, an uptown #PhoenixAZ furniture store on Central Avenue, she jumped at the chance.

" 'Fortunately, we had a lot of success with that first location,' she said. 'When business owners say location means everything, it really does.'

"Skoden Coffee & Tea has now settled in its most recent home inside #CentralRecords, a record store on Central Avenue south of Roosevelt Street. It’s inspired by Japanese-style coffee shops referred to as 'kissa.'

"That’s a shortened version of 'kissaten,' roughly translated to 'tea drinking shop.' In Japan, a kissa is a spot where people can listen to music, usually jazz, while enjoying their tea.

"At Skoden, a variety of beverages and pastries are inspired by Indigenous cuisine, with ingredients like blue corn and oat milk alongside coffees and espressos. Among the most popular offerings are the Diné Matcha Latte, Honey Lavender Lez Love, Peach and Pecan Latte as well as blue corn donuts and croissants.

"For John and co-owner Jo Manuelito, it’s important to include elements of nostalgia from growing up on the reservation.

"This includes beverages that use Navajo tea, an ancient herbal tea using the dried leaves of Greenthread, also known as Thelesperma. The herb, with its thread-like leaves, contains anti-inflammatory elements, which is why the tea has been used for hundreds of years as tribal medicine.

" 'We do research into trying to restore a lot of things that were lost during #colonization in our diets,' John said.
'One thing that a lot of Navajo people are trying to revive is the use of #sumac. It’s used in a lot of #MiddleEastern communities, but our ancestors used to harvest it as well.'

"The use of ancestral ingredients is what John believes will help the #Navajo community not only nourish themselves but stay connected to their culture.

"Being #Indigenous and #LGBTQ+, John said she recognizes some of the difficulties she has faced as a business owner.

" 'I feel like there’s a lot of judgment and high expectations,' she said. 'People are constantly projecting onto us, always watching us and judging. This whole experience has taught me that we really need to grow thicker skin.'

"John said they want all customers to feel safe and welcomed, and said it helps that the shop is surrounded by other supportive small businesses like Greater Good and Last Laugh Tattoo.

"Skoden has a growing Instagram presence, with more than 15,000 followers. It hosts fundraising events for diverse communities and music festivals featuring small bands.

" 'Everybody does a good job of uplifting each other, and we get a lot of people in the area that come in and support local business owners,' John said. 'The shop can take credit for being a #SafeSpace where people can share the same values and ideas on social issues.'

"Charlie Amáyá Scott, a Native American scholar and transgender advocate, has visited Skoden and said her favorite drink is the Navajo lavender-infused honey tea.

" 'I adore Skoden Coffee,' said Scott, who also works as a social media influencer.

"She has taken to Instagram to support the shop, encouraging others who live near the area to check it out. She also has spoken out about the shop’s role in #activism and support of certain movements like #BearsEars, which involves a coalition of five Indigenous communities who want to protect the #BearsEarsNationalMonument.

"John said she wants customers to leave Skoden feeling supported and renewed.

" 'We have to remind each other what we’re doing this for and go back to those values of why we started this business,' she said. 'For us, it’s not about making money but trying to create change through serving coffee and providing a space where people can just heal.' "

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/04/22/indigenous-coffee-shop-offers-safe-space/

#IndigenousOwnedBusinesses #IndigenousFood #Decolonize #SupportLocalBusinesses #Arizona #NativeAmericanFood #CommunitySpaces #Healing

#Arizona - Skoden Coffee & Tea combines traditional #NativeAmericanCuisine with #activism

by Anna Ehrick, April 22, 2025

PHOENIX – "For Indigenous small business owner Natasha John, the road to owning a coffee shop has been long. About 300 miles, in fact.

"John first opened Skoden Coffee & Tea as a pop-up in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, traveling to areas throughout the vast community in northeast Arizona.

"When people suggested she should move the business 300 miles south to Phoenix, John recalled she doubted the idea.

" 'I was really against it because I thought I wanted to be like a food hub on the reservation because it’s such a food desert,' John said. 'But I had the reassurance from my partner and colleagues that were helping me with pop-ups.'

"When an opportunity came in December 2023 to move the enterprise to a vacant spot inside For The People, an uptown #PhoenixAZ furniture store on Central Avenue, she jumped at the chance.

" 'Fortunately, we had a lot of success with that first location,' she said. 'When business owners say location means everything, it really does.'

"Skoden Coffee & Tea has now settled in its most recent home inside #CentralRecords, a record store on Central Avenue south of Roosevelt Street. It’s inspired by Japanese-style coffee shops referred to as 'kissa.'

"That’s a shortened version of 'kissaten,' roughly translated to 'tea drinking shop.' In Japan, a kissa is a spot where people can listen to music, usually jazz, while enjoying their tea.

"At Skoden, a variety of beverages and pastries are inspired by Indigenous cuisine, with ingredients like blue corn and oat milk alongside coffees and espressos. Among the most popular offerings are the Diné Matcha Latte, Honey Lavender Lez Love, Peach and Pecan Latte as well as blue corn donuts and croissants.

"For John and co-owner Jo Manuelito, it’s important to include elements of nostalgia from growing up on the reservation.

"This includes beverages that use Navajo tea, an ancient herbal tea using the dried leaves of Greenthread, also known as Thelesperma. The herb, with its thread-like leaves, contains anti-inflammatory elements, which is why the tea has been used for hundreds of years as tribal medicine.

" 'We do research into trying to restore a lot of things that were lost during #colonization in our diets,' John said.
'One thing that a lot of Navajo people are trying to revive is the use of #sumac. It’s used in a lot of #MiddleEastern communities, but our ancestors used to harvest it as well.'

"The use of ancestral ingredients is what John believes will help the #Navajo community not only nourish themselves but stay connected to their culture.

"Being #Indigenous and #LGBTQ+, John said she recognizes some of the difficulties she has faced as a business owner.

" 'I feel like there’s a lot of judgment and high expectations,' she said. 'People are constantly projecting onto us, always watching us and judging. This whole experience has taught me that we really need to grow thicker skin.'

"John said they want all customers to feel safe and welcomed, and said it helps that the shop is surrounded by other supportive small businesses like Greater Good and Last Laugh Tattoo.

"Skoden has a growing Instagram presence, with more than 15,000 followers. It hosts fundraising events for diverse communities and music festivals featuring small bands.

" 'Everybody does a good job of uplifting each other, and we get a lot of people in the area that come in and support local business owners,' John said. 'The shop can take credit for being a #SafeSpace where people can share the same values and ideas on social issues.'

"Charlie Amáyá Scott, a Native American scholar and transgender advocate, has visited Skoden and said her favorite drink is the Navajo lavender-infused honey tea.

" 'I adore Skoden Coffee,' said Scott, who also works as a social media influencer.

"She has taken to Instagram to support the shop, encouraging others who live near the area to check it out. She also has spoken out about the shop’s role in #activism and support of certain movements like #BearsEars, which involves a coalition of five Indigenous communities who want to protect the #BearsEarsNationalMonument.

"John said she wants customers to leave Skoden feeling supported and renewed.

" 'We have to remind each other what we’re doing this for and go back to those values of why we started this business,' she said. 'For us, it’s not about making money but trying to create change through serving coffee and providing a space where people can just heal.' "

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/04/22/indigenous-coffee-shop-offers-safe-space/

#IndigenousOwnedBusinesses #IndigenousFood #Decolonize #SupportLocalBusinesses #Arizona #NativeAmericanFood #CommunitySpaces #Healing

SUMAC presenta nova col·laboració: "The Film" #Sumac #AtmosphericSludgeMetal #Abril2025 #NovaCol·laboració #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

SUMAC presenta nova col·laboració: "The Film" #Sumac #AtmosphericSludgeMetal #Abril2025 #NovaCol·laboració #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic