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- By Kaili Berg
Yesterday, the Return to the Heart Foundation celebrated Earth Day by honoring 44 Indigenous women leaders and their efforts to protect Mother Earth through its Traditional Helpers and Healers grant program.
Led by Indigenous women, Return to the Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that supports projects that embrace traditional ways of living. It focuses on healing through storytelling, community involvement, and environmental justice, all rooted in a deep connection to the Earth.
The foundation has issued more than 100 grants to Indigenous women leaders through its Traditional Helpers and Healers micro-grants program. The funding supports recipients in revitalizing traditional ways of life through their communities with projects that include farming, language, ancestral knowledge, food, medicine, ceremonies.
This year's recipients include:
Josie Heyano (Tanana Tribal Council)
Antoinette Halvorsen (Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in)
Cheryl Horn (Fort Belknap Assiniboine)`
Christina Castro (Taos Pueblo & Jemez Pueblo)
Dr. Carma Corcoran (Chipewa Cree)
Elise Bill-Gerrish (Muckleshoot)
Joann Horn (Yupik)
LaShon Cate (San Felipe Pueblo)
Nellie Davis (Walker River Paiute)
Sateiokwen Bucktooth (Akwesasne Mohawk)
Shayna Gurtler Rowe (Curyung Tribal Council)
Sierra Buffalohead (Ponca & Omaha)
Susan Albright (Pyramid Lake Paiute)
Amanda Singer (Navajo)
Healing through Hozho
Aspen Mirabal (Taos Pueblo)
Community Healing through Indigenous Childbirth Education
Casandra Stouder (Navajo)
Healing the Spirit, Empowering the Future
Chasity Salvador (Pueblo of Acoma)
Breathing Oceans in the Desert- A Gathering of Pueblo Women & Medicine Plant Relatives
Dawn Manuelito (Navajo)
Understanding Fuel for the Body from the Inside Out
Dusty Nelson (Oglala Sioux)
Lakota Children’s House
Jacqueline Alcantar (Oglala Sioux)
Sewing for Healing
Janelle Hummingbird (Pueblo of Acoma)
Healing Horses Program
Jessica Stago (Navajo)
Elect Nihi’zaahni
Keesha Nanalook (Manokotak Village)
Prevention Grant
Kimberly Smith (Diné)
Love on the Land
Lauren Small Rodriquez (Northern Cheyenne)
Northern Cheyenne Women & Girls Cultural Wellness Workshop
Lorna Martinez (Taos Pueblo)
Aspen Song Kids
Malory Simpson (Tulalip Tribes of Washington)
Together, We’re Better
Marian Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Our Pueblos from Nuclear Colonialism
Marlene Marion (Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone)
Sweat Bath Ceremony
Meek Watchman (Diné)
Diné Aerial Arts
Michelle Scenandoah (Oneida)
Indigenous Auntie & Niece Empowerment Project
Otaka Redhawk (Yuki/Wylacki/Little Lake of the Round Valley Indian Tribes)
Indigenous Women’s Healing Retreats
Rebecca Cesspooch (Uta White River Band, Uintah & Ouray)
Resilience, It Comes in Phases
Theresa Stevens (Menominee)
Healing Thru Tradition
Torah Zamora (Ketchikan)
Adaawx Sessions
Viola Waln (Sicangu Lakota)
Sicangu Strong- Gardening For Health
Misti Toineeta (Crow)
Blessed Beginnings
Marissa Naranjo (Kewa Pueblo)
Traditional Tewa Buwah Making
Lestina Saul-Merdassi (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate)
MMIR Grassroots Formation Omaha Chapter
Veronica Yepez (Shoshone)
YAHAW- Yoga & Healing Arts Wellness
Deanne Morris (Blackfeet)
Traditional Leader Blackfeet Beaver Bundle Holder
Buffie Schmidt (Northern Pomo)
Northern Pomo Language Book
Veronica Yepez (Shoshone)
YAHAW- Yoga & Healing Arts Wellness
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