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Between the River and the Land
By N’nako Kande’
The moss stretched like a mat to invite my comfort, as the roots of a beech tree reached out
to extend their hospitality.
The tree stood proud—
an elder,
a knowledge keeper,
patient, attentive, observing.
I sat facing southeast,
kissed by the afternoon sun,
while birds in the distance
sang a chorus the land remembers.
I sat between sun and shade,
between land and water,
between past and present—
and the river cane whispered:
the land remembers.
To this land I was no stranger.
Through walks, runs,
and my own trials,
we had grown familiar—
because the land remembers.
Maybe it was the silence of my heavy heart, too often torn,
that taught us to understand each other.
Maybe it was in the tears I cried
when I didn’t understand our destiny that we became listeners
and interlocutors.
It was clear the land remembers.
So I sat 147° southeast,
between land and river,
between sun and shadow,
and the river cane told me again: the land remembers.
I sat as a devoted daughter,
ready to let the tree be my elder, my teacher,
my knowledge keeper.
I sat like the river cane—
bridging past, present, and future— and here began the lesson,
or maybe the initiation.
The beech tree, our elder,
leaning toward the river,
stood like a guard expecting visitors—as if waiting for a loved one to return. No one was returning.
Still, the land remembers
that river cane was once a vital giver—offering baskets,
filtering water,
preventing erosion,
sheltering wildlife,
supporting the ecosystem.
At the feet of the elder,
the land taught me to remember.
I sat between memories I never lived and a future that had been stolen,
yet I was to understand
that the land remembers.
The river collected the tears
of thousands removed unjustly from this land. The earth stored the footprints
of men, women, mothers, daughters— no longer shielded by their protectors.
The river cane sat with me
between land and river,
between past and what future.
It has witnessed it all.
The cruelty.
The sorrow.
The river remembers too.
Its story would have been lost
without Sequoyah—
more than a trail’s name.
His syllabary carried the stories
the land remembers,
fighting with literacy
what the land could not prevent.
I sat between land and river until the river cane smiled with a message of hope—
because the Cherokee
and the Muscogee
are tending intentionally to restore its dignity.
Removal, greed,
and agricultural practices endangered my river cane, but like a survivor
with a message to pass on, it spoke louder than memory.
To all listeners and readers, as I serve as interpreter and translator:
The land remembers
that like river cane,
a cane brake is stronger— the way humanity is stronger when we work together.
The land remembers
that when we tend the soil, the soil tends back to us.
The land remembers
that children, mothers, daughters deserve protectors—
they are the seeds of the future.
The land remembers
that if you protect the earth today, you will be the ancestor
your grandchildren are proud of.
The land remembers
that greed is costly,
that honoring our histories
and diverse communities
is power,
and that preserving the earth is our greatest honor.
So I sat at the feet of the tree, where the elder quietly observed me.
With tears on my face,
I pulled my notebook
and wrote:
“The forest is so good to us. I wish more people
would benefit from her.”
And I cried, wondering—
Will you become listeners and stewards
we can entrust
our lands, families, and nations to?
Are you one.
Would you be one.
Meet the Poet – N’nako Kande’
N’nako Kandé is an award‐winning author, multidisciplinary artist, educator, and poetic voice whose work bridges bilingual storytelling, visual narrative, and cultural memory. Born in Côte d’Ivoire and shaped across three continents, she brings a global perspective to her practice, weaving poetry, illustration, and creative expression into offerings that center grounding and connection. She is the creator of The Art of RootingTM, her award‐winning series available on Amazon, and the founder of Kande Kulture, a creative house where fashion and storytelling meet through culturally rooted, narrative‐driven designs. She is also the creator of NaKbookTM, a journal collection featuring her original artwork designed to support reflection and creative practice.
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