Through a variety of collaborative and multicultural projects, we strive to alleviate conditions of poverty, honor Indigenous wisdom, reconcile our shared history with the Peoples of the First Nations and empower youth with the leadership skills needed to affect social change in their communities.
The Four Pillars of Our Mission:
Alleviating Conditions of Poverty:
The roots of the socioeconomic challenges faced by the communities we serve are complex: Ongoing injustices and inequities stemming from a history of colonization, genocide, dispossession and discrimination underlie the conditions of poverty on many reservations throughout the country. At the Tipi Raisers, we collaborate with our Indigenous partners towards the alleviation of these conditions through a variety of initiatives. While there are no simple solutions, we are committed to addressing the immediate needs of the families we serve and to advancing reconciliation through service. Our initiatives for alleviating poverty in the communities we work with include providing jobs, internships and skills training as well as operating a year round firewood bank, regular distribution of needed food and hygiene supplies and responding to requests for unique requests such as wheelchairs, funeral support, housing repairs, mattresses and provisions of warmth.
Reconciliation:
Education, shared experiences and courageous conversations create authentic community between Natives and non-Natives. This is complex work with no agreed upon definitions. It is wrought with generations of trauma from broken treaties, attempted genocide, overt racism and white guilt. We approach it with humility, curiosity and a deeply held conviction to get it right over time. Mistakes are made, misunderstandings happen. For our volunteers, where is their white privilege showing? For our Indigenous friends, where are assumptions of prejudice or racism? A Lakota elder who speaks to our groups, teaches us that reconciliation is "moving toward our own divinity" and that is where you will find forgiveness. This is the work of reconciliation that we seek to integrate throughout all of our activities.
Indigenous Wisdom:
At the core of our mission is a commitment to honor and take guidance from sacred Indigenous wisdom. We learn of Hózhó, the concept of the Beauty Way- a way of living in balance with the beauty, harmony and well-being of all life from our Navajo friends, and of Mitakuye Oasin(we are all related) from the Lakota People.
Indigenous wisdom from all corners of the earth teaches us that water is life, that there is power in the circle, that respecting and learning from ones elders is a sacred duty and that we must tend to the land today so that those who will live on it in seven generations will have a beautiful and thriving Unci Maca (Grandmother Earth). As best we can, we seek to integrate this ancient wisdom through all of our activities, operations and relations.
Gen7 Youth:
Inspired by Crazy Horse's vision, we engage Native and non-Native youth throughout all of our activities and programs, facilitating opportunities for them to bridge cultural gaps, be in service, participate in paid internships and gain the experience necessary to understand - and bring forth - their inherent gifts.
“UPON SUFFERING BEYOND SUFFERING; THE RED NATION SHALL RISE AGAIN AND IT SHALL BE A BLESSING FOR A SICK WORLD. A WORLD FILLED WITH BROKEN PROMISES, SELFISHNESS AND SEPARATIONS. A WORLD LONGING FOR LIGHT AGAIN. I SEE A TIME OF SEVEN GENERATIONS WHEN ALL THE COLORS OF MANKIND WILL GATHER UNDER THE SACRED TREE OF LIFE AND THE WHOLE EARTH WILL BECOME ONE CIRCLE AGAIN. IN THAT DAY THERE WILL BE THOSE AMONG THE LAKOTA WHO WILL CARRY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF UNITY AMONG ALL LIVING THINGS, AND THE YOUNG WHITE ONES WILL COME TO THOSE OF MY PEOPLE AND ASK FOR THIS WISDOM. I SALUTE THE LIGHT WITHIN YOUR EYES WHERE THE WHOLE UNIVERSE DWELLS. FOR WHEN YOU ARE AT THAT CENTER WITHIN YOU AND I AM THAT PLACE WITHIN ME, WE SHALL BE AS ONE" - Crazy Horse
"When a society loses the sacred - when everything has a monetary value, the commoditization of human life cannibalizes itself." Basil Brave Heart
In alignment with this Indigenous wisdom shared by our dear friend - and former Board President - Basil Brave Heart, all Tipi Raiser's events and programs - are FREE.We believe that those who join us in community receive the gift that is inherent in that experience and that they will give back to the best of their ability - in this way, we can all stay in balance.
The generosity of our partners, through donations and grants, funds our humanitarian aid, service trips, events and Gen7 youth leadership and development program.
