Meet Our 2024 KOEF Partners Championing Their Indigenous Languages, Knowledge Systems, and Cultures

The Keepers of the Earth Fund is an Indigenous-led fund at Cultural Survival created to enhance Native Peoples’ advocacy and neighborhood advancement projects worldwide. Grants go directly to Indigenous neighborhoods, collectives, companies, and conventional governments to sustain tasks created by them and in accordance with their Native values. Asserted on the United Nations Statement on the Legal Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Survival uses a rights-based method in our grantmaking strategies to support grassroots Aboriginal options via the fair distribution of resources to Native neighborhoods.

Grants go directly to Aboriginal communities, collectives, companies, and conventional federal governments to support tasks made by them and in accordance with their Native worths. Asserted on the United Nations Affirmation on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Survival makes use of a rights-based technique in our grantmaking approaches to sustain grassroots Indigenous services via the fair circulation of resources to Aboriginal neighborhoods.

Budi Anumka Environmental Organization, Mapuche-Lafkenche (Chile).
The Budi Anumka Environmental Organization formerly obtained funding from KOEF to develop a woodland laboratory that incorporates conventional Mapuche medication. The extension of this task will share this knowledge with more youthful generations via the production of a memory card library to educate trainees regarding unique plants of medicinal and cultural passion. Improvements will certainly additionally be made to school nurseries to make sure that youths can discover and aid take care of the environment and their traditions.

Okienani Waorani Organization, Waorani (Ecuador).
The Okienani Waorani Association was developed by a team of ladies artisans from the neighborhoods of Tobeta, Miwaguno, Dikaro, and Bameno in Orellana due to the demand to develop work opportunities for females who are heads of family. In this task, they will certainly concentrate on enhancing their company and freedom via self-management of areas and earnings generation while continuing to exercise social resistance and treatment for their area.

The following listing sums up the projects sustained by KOEF in the 2024 cycle and covers topics connected to the transmission of Indigenous societies intimidated by globalization. The jobs include programs to strengthen Native languages and institutions that send knowledge, art, practices, political company, and the way of livings of each Aboriginal Peoples. The supreme goal is to respect Native expertise systems.

San Jose del Cabitu Community, Multiethnic Indigenous Territory, Moxeño-Trinitario (Bolivia).
Significantly, children and young people in the region of San José del Cabitu, department of Beni, do not speak or comprehend the languages of their parents and grandparents– Moxeño-Trinitario and Ignatian. Given that getting main acknowledgment of their territorial freedom, the neighborhood has considered it important to address this language loss. Youngsters and young people will find out by doing while speaking with the wisdom-holders and grandparents of the neighborhoods for the production of a multimedia community archive. Additionally, booklets will certainly be developed for the school curriculum. The neighborhood archive will promote the understanding of the Moxeño-Trinitario language with 3 systems of their genealogical worldview: Uchuviare (god of the skies and the stars), Smenokuna (caretaker of the mountain and pets), and O’ekuna (caretaker of the water). Finding out about these systems will certainly include the background, misconceptions, legends, routines, dances, and tunes, in addition to methods connected to life.

The tasks consist of programs to strengthen Native languages and colleges that send expertise, art, practices, political organization, and the methods of life of each Aboriginal Peoples. KOEF sustained one of their primary tasks, the organization of the Amoxilhuitl tonemillis in tonanyoltlahtol in Xoxogulan (Publication Fair in Our Mommy Tongue) in three communities of the Native municipality of Xoxocotla, Morelos.

Santa Cruz Mixtepec Indigenous Area, Ñuu Savi (Mexico).
To fulfill this requirement, the typical authority, in collaboration with the area high college, is recommending the construction of the Ñuu Savi Cultural Movie Theater. Construction will certainly begin with monetary support from KOEF, timber from the community, and tequio from area participants.

Women’s Organization for the Advancement of Sacatepéquez, Maya Kaqchikel (Guatemala).
The Women’s Organization for the Development of Sacatepéquez was started in Santiago, Sacatepéquez in the 1980s by Maya females from the Kaqchikel community that arranged in response to the troubles of malnutrition and food instability. In addition, they will certainly execute an agroecological employment institution, which is component of the right of women and Native Peoples to safeguard their Typical Understanding and practices for a healthy diet.

Organization of Kichwa de Loreto Communities, Kichwa Amazonica (Ecuador).
Regardless of the acknowledgment of Ecuador as a plurinational State, the Amazonian Kichwa language is ignored. For this reason, the Organization of Kichwa de Loreto areas, based in the district of Orellana, plans to carry out standard language courses for the young people. The Organization has a life plan and understands the primary issues of the participant areas concerning freedom, language, and territory, recognizing that it is needed to maintain the Kichwa language in education and learning in order to maintain their identification.

The Keepers of the Earth Fund (KOEF) is honored to announce our 2024 partnerships with Aboriginal neighborhoods. At Cultural Survival, we value cultivating lasting relationships with our partners by sustaining Aboriginal tasks connected to area empowerment for the defense of land and autonomy; conditioning of Aboriginal languages, societies, and understanding systems; preservation of Indigenous land and livelihoods despite environment adjustment; and resistance to unfavorable effects from mining for the “environment-friendly” energy transition.

Raramuri Community Education And Learning of Kuechi, Raramuri (Mexico).
The college in Kuechi/Chihuahua recently lost its financial support, leading the parents to arrange to maintain the college open so they can continue enlightening their youngsters according to their very own culture. This year, they are obtaining support from KOEF to fund programs that will certainly strengthen Raramuri expertise in planting, crafts, preserves, medicine, political company, games, dance, sports, and various other social practices.

In 2024, in our eighth year of procedures, we supported 83 Indigenous projects and collectives for an overall amount of $614,222. The funds were sent directly to Native communities, collectives, and grassroots companies in 25 nations.

Yankuik Kuikamatilistli Cultural Facility, Nahua (Mexico).
The Yankuik Kuikamatilistli Cultural Center (formerly the Sentlalistli In Tlakehualistli Tonemillis Xoxocoltekayotl/Cultural Promotion Facility), engages in social and radio acitvities with the goal of rebuilding their cultural territories. They carry out 7 programs focused on promoting their native tongue, food protection, area communication, and the promo of Aboriginal legal rights. KOEF supported one of their main activities, the company of the Amoxilhuitl tonemillis in tonanyoltlahtol in Xoxogulan (Publication Fair in Our Native Tongue) in 3 communities of the Indigenous community of Xoxocotla, Morelos.

Viypereku Integral Education Professional, Mojeño Trinitario (Bolivia).
The common authorities, teachers, and parents in the educational districts of Trinidad and San Ignacio de Mojos, division of Beni, revealed the need for more educational materials in the Mojeño Trinitario language to teach pupils in their own language in order to reinforce their social identification. To fill this demand, the working as a consultant is carrying out a task to carry out the Mojeño Trinitario language and society in a brand-new academic curriculum. Language booklets will be generated for different education and learning degrees in coordination with the Elders and the Indigenous authorities. After the booklets are published, a workshop will certainly be held to educate teachers on their usage.

Peguche Community, Otavaleño (Ecuador).
In Otavalo, the weaving neighborhood is dealing with the intrusion of poor quality Chinese products, which, with their affordable, have impacted the sale of authentic, regional, handmade items. Otavalo artists are at the same time dealing with high costs of basic materials for their work. With this job, the weavers wish to enhance their work by seeing different workshops and developing closer relationships with raw material suppliers to ensure that they can obtain far better prices and mutual benefit in the long term.

Indian River Rama Indigenous community, Rama (Nicaragua).
In the town of Bluefields in the South Caribbean Coastline Autonomous Region, the social leaders of the Rama Peoples are concerned regarding the difficulties presented by the new financial, social, and cultural procedures of globalization, which are intimidating local identification and society. To advertise cultural and etymological identification from an intercultural education design, workshops will certainly be held for mentor and finding out the Rama language, in addition to a created and audiovisual linguistic compilation that will consist of aspects of the Rama identity such as tales, outfits, recipes, and video games. The tasks are led by the communal governments.

Pluriversidad Indígena, Mapuche-Tehuelche (Argentina).
In Corcovado/Chubut, this team of females is arranged in the independent and plurinational educational room, Pluriversidad Indígena. With the assistance of KOEF, this year they are working on adjusting their headquarters in Pillañ Mawiza to increase educational activities. New facilities will certainly be developed and intrusive plant varieties will be eliminated due to the danger of wildfires and various other negative influences they carry the area.