Rooted in the Land: Empowering Indigenous Women in Ranching
Organization: Women in Ranching
Mission: We hold brave space, support courageous action and champion rural women’s leadership on the land.
Location: Browning, Montana, USA; Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada; Tuba City, Arizona, USA and Ethete, Wyoming, USA.
Communities that will directly benefit from the project: Blackfeet Tribe, Navajo Nation and Wind River Reservation.
Country: Canada, United States
Other Organizations Involved: We are working closely with White Shell Resources LLC for curation and delivery of this programming, alongside local women from each respective community we serve. We work with regional partners to accomplish work particular to each region and community.
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Background
Indigenous Women in Ranching (WIR) represents women who have unique roles as land stewards, agriculturalists and community leaders to promote Indigenous knowledge and help their people to adapt to the effects of climate change. According to the UN, “climate change exacerbates the difficulties already faced by indigenous communities including political and economic marginalization, loss of land and resources, human rights violations, discrimination and unemployment.” In tribal nations across the US and Canada, women will be at the forefront of the climate-change response and adaptation. Our work is foundational to the well-being of rural, Indigenous women and serves as a catalyst for developing prosperous communities and local food and agricultural systems, leading to the balanced care of land, people and rural communities, even in the face of climate change.
Goals
Objective 1: Ensure increased climate resilience and adaptability, through education.
Rooted in the Land Cohort: Improve access to community-specific, climate-smart land stewardship practices, education and skill-building and cross-cultural learning experiences for broader network-building and support.
Objective 2: Strengthen community support networks by centering and prioritizing whole-woman wellbeing.
Whole-Person Wellbeing: We pass on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), as our ancestors have passed their traditional values and teachings down to us through ceremony, song and storytelling. Using cross-generational mentorship to transfer TEK, cultural beliefs, ceremony, song, language and values that strengthen women’s connection to land and animals and our ability to stand as communities with unique culture, belief and knowledge systems.
Main activities
Our team is composed of Indigenous women ranching in the communities where our programs will take place. We have developed a community-rooted initiative that prioritizes whole-woman care and understands that trauma is woven into the bodies and communities of Indigenous people. To enhance women’s ability to lead, we ensure access to technical knowledge on climate-smart agricultural practices, community-strengthening activities, and leadership education. Our holistic approach allows for traction to create sustained change in women’s work on the land. We will be hosting regional in-person gatherings and virtual opportunities to learn and grow together across tribal nations.
Expected outcomes
Our desired results with this work are to increase women’s agency and self-perceived empowerment, increase sense of confidence to step into leadership roles, support skill-acquisition related to climate-specific management in agriculture, and grow women’s peer network and a system of support for change and transition that would be sustained over time.