Growing up, butchering was more than just a skill — it was an essential part of my family’s well-being and way of life. From a young age, my stepfamily, members of the Navajo Nation, welcomed me as one of their own and taught me the sacred balance between life and death. I learned early on that to take a life means to honor it — to give an animal the best life possible so that it, in turn, can give life to us.