To New Beginnings: Putting Our Family First and Embracing Change
- aeagleshield
- Apr 28
- 4 min read
Disclaimer:
We’re just restarting or re-beginning our journey of sharing our lives, or what we feel is appropriate to share, and so our format will be a little different from time to time.
I’ve co-written a few articles with some badass scholars and I always loved the dialogic format used by past and present scholars. And since Red Rock and I spend the most time together, Ima give it a try in our blogs and other communications when you can’t directly hear our voices (*hint hint, our podcast will be making a comeback too*).
This blog will be a dialogue-style format between the two of us so you can feel the realness of our conversations, our jokes, our sacred moments, and our growth as a family. Sometimes you’ll hear more from one of us, sometimes it’ll flow like we're sitting with you at our kitchen table. That’s exactly how we want it to feel.
These reflections are an offering — to honor our journey, our kinship, and the teachings we’re walking through in real time. We’ll continue using this format in future posts so you can hear both of our voices as we share stories, lessons, and updates.
We hope you feel invited into the circle with us.
Wophila tanka for being here.
— Alayna & Red Rock
A New Chapter Begins
Alayna:
We've been holding this close for a while. So much has shifted — in beautiful, life-changing, slightly terrifying ways — and MAN! We’re finally ready to share. This past year has been full of big decisions, sacred arrivals, and leaps of faith.
Red Rock:
And lots of snacks. Don’t forget the snacks.(laughs) But for real, it’s been one of those years where you look back and go, “Wow, we really did that.”
Alayna:
We really are doing it — for our babies, for our ancestors, and for the ones who’ll come after us.
PhinisheD!
Alayna:
First of all, in June 2024, I graduated with my PhD in Culturally Sustaining Education from the University of Washington, in our dream city, SEATTLE. There were so many moments I thought I wouldn't make it — writing papers while being pregnant half the time (laughs), tandem nursing TWO BABIES, leaning on prayer and family and chosen family when I needed support, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS needing my person, Red Rock.
Red Rock:
I watched her work with so much heart. That degree is more than paper — it's ceremony, kinship, resistance, and hope. I’d like to believe I to hold that PhD as well. lol I’m a learned doctor to. Hahaha
Alayna:
It’s all of us. We did it together. Red Rock and my kids are honorary doctors, shit. (laughs)
PhinisheD. For our ancestors, our babies, our communities. I could not have done with without my babies, my kinship circles, and my biggest supporter and uplifter, Red Rock
Welcoming Our Last Baby
Red Rock:
In August, we welcomed our fifth baby — our last one. He completes our family more than we knew.
Alayna:
(laughs) We are DONE done! Red Rock got a vasectomy in December 2024. That’s another story for another time. Join us when we discuss family planning. Just kidding (laughs) Anyway!
This baby brought a deep love and peace to our family. Every birth has changed us, but this one? It grounded us and began a new era for our family.
Red Rock:
And of course, we started a new cradleboard. But time is different now (laughs) so we didn’t finish it. He uses his siblings’ cradleboards, but we hope to finish it in the future.
Building Owothanla Igluha
Alayna:
By September 2024, we officially stepped into Owothanla Igluha full-time. Our DBA (do business as name is Iyotanla). This business has been in motion since 2021, but this year we decided to go all in on ourselves, and began dreaming up Iyotanla.
Red Rock:
We’re not just making things — we’re being intentional about our future. Cradleboards, language advocacy and reclamation, workshops, baby essentials... it’s all rooted in love.
Alayna:
And rooted in community. Every family we work with becomes part of this growing circle.
New Career Path, Same Deep Purpose
Alayna:
So… Red Rock and I made some huge shifts in our careers too. (We’ll share more soon!) After years of community work, we knew it was time to align our energy with where I’m most called — supporting healing, lifeways, and creation in new ways.
Red Rock:
And making sure our babies are always safe and taken care of is what drives me.
Alayna:
We’re both stepping into spaces that give us the most joy and offer the most abundance of love and kinship.
Seattle, We’re Here
Red Rock:
We packed up our lives and headed towards our chosen fam in Seattle! (Yes, we moved across the country with five kids… We’re still catching our breath.)
Alayna:
Leaving our homelands was emotional, but also exactly what we needed at this time in our lives. We’re not leaving who we are — we’re planting it in new soil. The energy here feels alive, and we are so loved here.
Red Rock:
We’re reconnecting with our chosen family and chosen community, grounding our family, and making room for joy.
What's Next
Alayna:
We’re dreaming in motion. More workshops. More creative offerings. More community building. Everything from birthwork to education to art — we’re walking in it.
Red Rock:
We’ve got plans. Big ones. But we’re making sure our babies are top priority and also making space for rest.
