News

A new episode of “Sound Rivers: Riverkeeping Tales from the Neuse & Tar-Pamlico” celebrates Indigenous Peoples Month and their stewardship of the natural world.

Sound Rivers’ seventh podcast, “Indigen-US,” features Gray Parsons, a descendant of the Mattamuskeet and Machapunga people of what is today Hyde County. Parsons is the president/founder of Secotan Alliance, and has dedicated his life and artistry to advocating for living sustainably and in balance with Mother Earth.

Born and raised in Washington, North Carolina, his relationship with the natural world, and the Pamlico River, was established at an early age. A published author, poet, singer and drummer, Parsons’ compositions reflect a deep belief in the fact that all humans have indigenous origins: “All of our ancestries include people who at some point in their development understood and practiced a deep reverence for that which sustained their lives.”

In “Indigen-US,” Parsons shares his story, his artistry and his views on what prevents the collective “US” from reestablishing a “righteous relationship with Mother Earth.”

“It was such a pleasure to meet Gray and get to sit there across the table from so much wisdom,” said Sound Rivers’ Communications Director Vail Stewart Rumley. “While I have certainly enjoyed every interview I’ve done for ‘Riverkeeping Tales from the Neuse & Tar-Pamlico,’ I felt like Gray just exudes a core knowledge that we should all have, yet have somehow lost.”

You can find all episodes of “Sound Rivers: Riverkeeping Tales from the Neuse & Tar-Pamlico” here at soundrivers.org or search “riverkeeping” on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Amazon Music.