Kalliopeia Foundation

"Through endless seasons and life cycles, they have persevered, passed down with the fragrance and memory of so many mothers’ prayers throughout the ages." Sierra Seeds is home to the work of Rowen White, a Mohawk farmer, seedkeeper, author and storyteller, and offers virtual and in-person courses, community-based facilitation, and immersion learning retreats that support the growing movement of seed sovereignty. Through the collective and personal transformative power of "rehydrating relationships" to land, seed, ancestral memory and stories, Sierra Seeds is cultivating resilience that supports thriving in the seasons to come. In her Emergence Magazine photo essay "Three Seeds," Rowen White shares corn, beans, and squash from her ancestral seed bundle. These "three sisters" are considered by the Haudenosaunee people to be special gifts from the daughter of Original Woman. Read the essay: https://lnkd.in/dpmBJQgn Learn more about grantee partner Sierra Seed Cooperative: https://lnkd.in/d-u9nid4 #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartner #FoodSovereignty #LandCare

This film beautifully articulates the work that the Winnemem Wintu Tribe is doing to restore the endangered Chinook salmon to their ancestral waters in Northern California by blending spiritual tradition with environmental activism. Another installment in the Faith and Philanthropy Pooled Fund series by Make Beautiful, the film documents the way that this Tribe's spiritual heritage underpins their environmental efforts: "For the Winnemem Wintu, their belief that humans are deeply interconnected with the natural world guides their work to protect the waters and wildlife they hold sacred. The tribe's spiritual practices, including prayers and dances, are integral to their advocacy, grounding their fight in a profound sense of responsibility to the land and their ancestors. Their vision is not just to restore the environment but to bring spiritual balance and healing to the world." Watch: https://lnkd.in/g9GThhqm Learn more about the Winnemem Wintu: https://lnkd.in/deMiRbS7 #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerMedia #LandCare

The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy (TTPC) is an Indigenous-led nonprofit created to steward lands in Tovaangar, the traditional Tongva region which encompasses the greater Los Angeles basin. TTPC received an acre of their ancestral land in Altadena, CA through donation in 2022, representing the first land return to Indigenous peoples in the region. Called Huhuunga, “the place of the bears,” TTPC’s land is a place for community, rematriation, traditional ceremony, land healing and more. TTPC hopes to build a community center at Huhuunga and to provide affordable housing to community members. Their work is supported in part through kuuy nahwá’a (“guest exchange”), which invites funders into a new relationship with the land and goes beyond just transferring resources. Learn more about this grantee partner: https://lnkd.in/dXUyVDQ2 #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartner #AncestralWisdom #LandCare

Learn more about the mission of grantee partner Earth Law Center in this new film that beautifully highlights their work in aligning our laws with Nature’s laws and advocating for the rights of Nature. "Covering our work on the rights of Nature, rights of future generations, Nature-conscious governance, and legal guardianship of Nature, amongst others, as well as our global education program, we hope you become inspired to join us in giving a voice to the planet itself. Together, we can overcome the climate & biodiversity crises and live in harmony with Nature." Watch: https://lnkd.in/dkyQyZak Learn more about this grantee partner: https://lnkd.in/dkUMfgCN #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerMedia #LandCare

"This project is our love song to Mother Earth." Premiering Spring 2025, "Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth" is a new film by grantee partner The Loka Initiative documenting the Indigenous communities of the Great Lakes and their relationship with the land and waters, highlighting the importance of the revitalization of Indigenous lifeways. "Our Sacred Wisdom Sacred Earth project embodies the Land Back ethos at every level and stage of design, filming, post-production, launch and distribution, all of which are led at different stages by our Native Creative Committee." Watch the trailer here: https://lnkd.in/gGkYsF-T Learn more about this grantee partner: https://lnkd.in/gYxfyvPa #SpiritualEcology #LandCare #WomensLeadership

Congratulations to grantee partner Dr. Suzanne Simard, who has been honored by College of Forestry at Oregon State University as a 2024 Alumni Fellow at their Black & Orange Awards. Dr. Simard has also been honored with the Canadian Institute of Forestry / Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC)'s Canadian Forestry Scientific Award for her groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of forests. "In addition to scientific and public engagement, Dr. Simard’s advocacy for Indigenous communities, gender equity, and dedication to mentoring future Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) further underscores her career contributions." Read more about her well-deserved accolades: https://lnkd.in/dq-NcMu9 Learn more about Dr. Suzanne Simard: https://lnkd.in/gE5ZJRc6 Photograph by Bill Heath. #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerNews #LandCare

"I could see and feel with my own eyes how it feels to live with the land and somehow that reawakened those memories again. The memories of our ancestors. And now I feel it. I feel it in my bones. I feel it in my blood. I feel it circling through my body." —Kalyanee Mam "Taste of the Land" Emergence Magazine presents "Shifting Landscapes"—a four-part documentary series, directed by Emmy- and Peabody-nominated filmmakers Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, exploring the power of art and story to orient us amid the darkness of our time. The series’ fourth and final film shares the story of award-winning Cambodian-American filmmaker Kalyanee Mam’s search for an embodied spiritual relationship with her homeland. “Since fleeing Cambodia with her family during the Khmer Rouge regime, and a genocide which devastated an entire culture and displaced millions of people from their homes, Kalyanee Mam has spent much of her life searching for a rooted connection to place. This film follows her to the landscapes of her homeland—changing through deforestation, industrialization, urbanization and development—where she has spent years tenderly documenting the disappearing, relational ways of life held within them. As she comes to know these places not only through the lens of her camera, but through the intimate relationships she forms with the landscapes and people whose stories she shares, Kalyanee awakens an ancestral memory of the taste of the land that lies within.” Watch “Taste of the Land” and experience this series (link in stories): https://lnkd.in/dtRnpe5N Learn more about Emergence Magazine: https://lnkd.in/d3BKtwXD #SpiritualEcology #EmergenceMagazine

"The message was loud and clear: return land. Land is the most important piece of the puzzle for healing and solving many of the issues the Tribe and community face. There is a need and desire to reconnect to their homelands, especially when they’re often made to feel like it isn’t theirs to call home." Grantee partner Oregon Land Justice Project (24 Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts staff and board members) recently visited The Klamath Tribes at their Chiloquin homelands to spend time both in the field and in meetings, and to understand the work and challenges to serve the Tribes better. Read more about what they learned about the Klamath River dam removal, "It was incredibly exciting to see the river almost flowing freely again," during meetings in the Tribal council chambers, and about new programs and initiatives like The Stronghold and Honoring the Treaty of 1864. This article also features a number of invaluable resources and further reading: https://lnkd.in/duJrV_zD Learn more about Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts: https://lnkd.in/dnePvwAa #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerNews #LandCare #Klamath

"The planet has taught me to look at justice in a different way because land is so important to our freedom and liberation." —Sheryll Durrant This Earth In Color community spotlight feature with grantee partner Kelly Street Garden Bronx's Sheryll Durrant focuses on her work in community gardening and urban agriculture. She reflects on her Jamaican upbringing, her connection with agriculture and activism and highlights the importance of connecting with the land in urban spaces. Earth In Color's Community Spotlight series highlights Black individuals and entities who are creating healthy, sustainable, and just futures. Read this article by Sasha Dubose, with photography by Courtney Yates: https://lnkd.in/dkebk9mj #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerMedia #FoodSovereignty #LandCare #WomensLeadership

This beautiful film featuring grantee partner Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund explores how spirituality and cultural reclamation are fueling a movement to preserve Black ancestral land and history. A multidisciplinary, cooperative nonprofit ecosystem rooted in Black ecocultural traditions and textile arts, Acres of Ancestry's work includes community organizing, outreach and education, and the curation of eco-cultural art to raise awareness about African American land loss, support retention and return of land, and preserve an ancestral value paradigm anchored in spirit-culture, collective land stewardship, and ecological harmony. Watch the film by Make Beautiful for the Faith and Philanthropy Pooled Fund here: https://lnkd.in/dHJTaDh3 #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerMedia #FoodSovereignty #LandCare