About
Our Focus
Our work is about action, restoration, and strengthening our communities. From cultural resurgence and mutual aid to advocacy and education, we create spaces where Indigenous ways of knowing are honored, and success is defined by our values-not colonial systems.
Indigenous Rights
We focus on upholding sovereignty, protecting land and biodiversity, and fostering cultural survival. Key causes include securing land tenure, ensuring free, prior, and informed consent regarding resources, promoting self-determination, defending water rights, and preserving Indigenous languages and traditional knowledge, which are critical for climate change resilience.
Environmental Justice
We strive to ensure all people, regardless of race or income, have equal protection from environmental hazards and access to a healthy, sustainable environment. We support causes addressing systemic inequities where marginalized communities are disproportionately exposed to pollution, industrial hazards, and climate change, which contribute to, among other issues, asthma, cancer, and developmental disabilities.
Social Justice
We work towards dismantling systemic inequities to ensure fairness, equality, and human rights for marginalized groups. Key areas include racial justice, gender equality, economic opportunity, LGBTQ+ rights, MMIR, environmental justice, and accessible healthcare. These efforts aim to eliminate discrimination in housing, employment, and education.
Our Work
Colonization disrupted the natural balance of our people and the land. Our work is about undoing that harm and rebuilding what was never meant to be lost. Through decolonization and resurgence, we ensure that future generations inherit a world where Indigeneity is not just respected, but thriving.
Earth
Indigeneity
Cultures
Movements
Business
Politics
Our Matriarchs
We are rooted in our connection to the earth, our people, and our responsibilities. Through decolonization and resurgence, we work to restore balance, reclaim our power, and move in alignment with the natural order.
Tina Austin
Collective Member
Tina Austin (she/her) is Yavapai and Apache woman, from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. She is a co-organizer with Matriarch Ways, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to decolonization, resurgence, and community care. As a matriarch of three daughters, she carries forward her peoples’ strength and values through both her family and community work.
Laura Medina
Collective Member
Laura Medina (she/her) is an Ojibwe woman, mother, and community organizer who was raised on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. She holds a Master’s degree from ASU. Her work focuses on reclaiming Indigenous knowledge systems, strengthening community relationships, and supporting collective pathways rooted in cultural connection and balance with the land.
RaeTana Mannie
Collective Member
RaeTana Mannie (she/her) is a Diné and Mexica woman, and a mother of two daughters. She brings her lived experience and cultural grounding into her work as a co-founder of Matriarch Ways, where she uplifts community through collective care.