Contact
Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Inc.
Mailing address: P.O. Box 5248, Eureka, California 95502
Phone: 707-825-7640
Fax: 707-825-7639
In Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2017
Since its inception in 1992, Seventh Generation has been in support of the vision and purpose of the Peace and Dignity Journeys (PDJ). These journeys started as an effort to bring Indigenous Peoples together from the North and South. At its core this ceremonial run, which takes place every four years that preserves and revitalizes spiritual and cultural tradition while fostering intertribal relationships.
Many SGF staff in years past have helped organize the run, and some have also run themselves. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, runs were postponed until this year. As a grassroots organization, our steadfast commitment to the People has consistently guided our actions and priorities. Hosting the PDJ runners during their seven-month prayer run from Fairbanks, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina the first year the run has happened since the pandemic was an honor.
Making sure runners were fed, hydrated, and had a place to rest comes from a place of love and understanding — an understanding that values the threads that bind us together as human beings, and Indigenous Peoples. It is important to always remember that the threads that bind us in the global North, also bind us in the global South; from the northernmost regions of Alaska, down to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in Argentina. The Indigenous Peoples movement is a global one, and thus requires us to come together to defend our sacred sites, defend our cultures, defend Mother Earth, and support our People on prayer runs like PDJ. We are honored that the runners accepted our hospitality, and blessed us with the prayer staffs that they carried.
We pray for their continued protection and safety of all the runners who will participate in the Peace and Dignity Journeys as they weave the prayers of Turtle Island together.
At Seventh Generation Fund, we recognize Indigenous women and girls’ inherent strength and capacity for healing, leadership, and regenerating positive futures. It is in this spirit that we designed the Eagle Feather Fellowship under the banner of our Thriving Women program. We are honored and excited to announce our 2024-2025 Eagle Feather Fellow Cohort of the Thriving Women Program. Thank you to all those who applied. We received the highest volume of applicants this year, many who had important aspects of their lives and work to share. We look forward to building community with the contributions of the young Native women who will participate in this year’s fellowship.
The Eagle Feather Fellows for Thriving Women provides unique mentorship opportunities for young Native women to build ties within the community, expand their knowledge, skills, and capacity, as well as empower them as future leaders. Those selected will engage in peer-centered conversations and gatherings (both virtual and in-person) that identify key priorities for Native young women and girls’ lives, dreams, and needs for healthy and safe futures.
Please join us in celebrating the Eagle Feather Fellows for Thriving Women and the Native communities they serve and represent. We are fortunate to support these wonderful leaders in their work.
- Angelina Serna, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
- Naya Anllo-Valdo, Acoma Pueblo
- Chase Baird-Iron Cloud, Lakota and Diné
- Kylie Cayedito, Diné
- Jada McCovey, Hupa Yurok and Karuk
Learn more about each of Fellow and follow along on their journey by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter.
“We’re expected to grow an economy, but reservation land is much too small for an economy to grow. We can’t support ourselves. And I think that was done, not by accident, but on purpose.” — Chris Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk)
Recognizing our collective responsibility of Decolonization, Self-determination, and Re-Indigenization, Seventh Generation Fund supports culturally-rooted and community-generated movement building that fortifies the inherent knowledge, power, and rights of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and nations. Our President, Chris Peters (Puhlik-lah/Karuk) recently joined fellow panelists Dr. Timothy Begaye (Diné) and Robert Odawi Porter (Seneca) for a webinar and panel discussion titled, “Towards Indigenous Sovereignty: Exploring Rights and Solidarity in Self-Governing Territories.”
The panel, which SGF co-sponsored alongside the G20 Interfaith Forum, G20 Social, International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation and United Religions Initiative, focused on different perspectives on what can and must be done to support Indigenous Peoples’ Self-Determination and Sovereignty. During the discussion, Chris shared how many federal programs and laws were created without input from Native Peoples and were ultimately designed with the goal of acculturation and assimilation of Indigenous Peoples into dominant society. You can hear Chris’ full remarks here and tune in for the full panel in the video below.
As people around the globe mark this “earth day” with awareness of our shared planet and the many climate change-induced challenges to its preservation, we at SGF are reflecting on Indigenous Peoples’ unwavering commitment and connection to our Mother Earth. While many credit this white colonial day of observance, which only began in 1960, with advancing environmental activism, we know that Indigenous Peoples have been stewarding and protecting our Sacred Lands since time immemorial—in spite of the obstacles put in our way by our colonizers. SGF president Chris Peters recently joined Indigenous activists on KMUD’s Monday Morning Magazine show for a conversation on Indigenous efforts to protect our Mother Earth and how modern land development is threatening Native ways of life and culture. A summary of their conversation is included below.
For generations our native ancestors have been pushing back as the unrestricted forces of “manifest destiny” have stolen and desecrated our lands. Governments and corporations continue to believe that they know best while ignoring or even reversing centuries of Indigenous efforts on climate mitigation, water security, cultural preservation and countless other issues in the name of commerce. A recently unveiled proposal for the ‘Great Redwood Trail’ highlights these issues as a proposed 307-mile railway threatens countless ecological systems and ancestral village sites. Whether it be logging, road or railway construction or any other work which impacts our lands, tribal leaders and our communities demand a seat at the table when such projects are greenlit at our expense and without our consultation. It is evident by the way in which industry has treated our lands across the globe that profit is the only motivator, even when it comes at the expense of our culture and our planet’s future.
Some of these issues have been ongoing since before the time of our grandparents, and will likely continue past our grandchildren’s generation, however it does not have to be this way. Thankfully cultural momentum is not set in stone, and the power to change the course of history rests in our hands. We can shape a better future for the generations yet to come. Small acts like having these hard conversations with our neighbors or local representatives can be the catalyst for action. We are also seeing promising advancements, such as tribal co-management of Lands, pledge drives that supply funding for resistance efforts and the creation of land trust organizations for long term protections.
You can learn more about our work supporting Indigenous Peoples’ traditional relationships and responsibilities to land, community, and spirit on our Land, Water, and Climate page.
Listen to Chris’ full interview here:
Thriving Women Eagle Feather Fellows 2024-2025
We are proud to announce that Seventh Generation Fund is now accepting Eagle Feather Fellow applications for our Thriving Women program!
The Eagle Feather Fellows for Thriving Women provides unique mentorship opportunities for young Native women to build ties within the community, expand their knowledge, skills, and capacity, as well as empower them as future leaders. Selected individuals will engage in peer-centered conversations and gatherings (both virtual and in-person) that identify key priorities of Native young women and girls’ lives, dreams, and needs for healthy and safe futures. Eligible applicants are Indigenous-identified young women aged 18-24 and enrolled in post-secondary education or a traditional learning system. All participants will have the option to plan and organize their own Thriving Women projects within their communities with grant support from the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples. Stipends will be provided additionally for participation and engagement.
Expectations and Deliverables:
- Participate in bi-weekly group discussions every Friday; beginning August 9th, 2024, and ending May 16th, 2025
- Identify and discuss key priorities and issues impacting Indigenous women and girls, to inform Thriving Women grantmaking
- Attend team-building events in July 2024 and June 2025, as well as collaborate and participate the Heart of Her Nation gathering in Fall of 2025
- Imagine, implement, or explore a Thriving Women community project; planned with guidance from, and in collaboration with, the Seventh Generation Fund Program Team
- Contribute to a Red Paper publication by either writing, editing, or creating artwork upon completion of project or fellowship
To apply, please send a letter describing your intention and why you are a good candidate for this opportunity to sgreensky97@gmail.com with “Application” in the subject line. All application letters are due by April 1, 2024.
For any and all inquiries, please contact Starr GreenSky, Fellowship Coordinator, at sgreensky97@gmail.com.
Members of our Seventh Generation Fund team recently visited our long time community partner and SGF affiliate, Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) during their 13th annual Two Spirit Powwow.
The week was filled with meaningful and intentional conversations amongst Two Spirit organizers who traveled from various parts of the so-called United States. The State of the Two Spirit Movement panel was especially powerful, featuring panelists Auntie Steven Barrios with the Montana Two Spirit Society, Muffie Mousseaux and Felipa De Leon with Uniting Resilience, Alma Rosa with the Southwest Two Spirit Society, Trudie Jackson with the Southwest Two Spirit Society, Paulette Poitras with Two Spirits In Motion, John R. Syllyboy with Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance and Angel/Tlahuizpapalotl Fabian with BAAITS as facilitator. You can listen to the panel here:
While attending a week’s worth of side events and panel discussions, our team was also able to strengthen community ties with Thriving Women grantee, Uniting Resilience, who focus on advocacy work for anti-discriminatory laws that protect Native Two Spirit & LGBTQ relatives within the state of South Dakota. Through their advocacy, founders Monique “Muffie” Mousseau and Felipa De Leon were able to pass hate crime protection laws and marriage equality laws within their own Tribe, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
We are pleased and honored to support our long term partner BAAITS, and even more excited to have been able to participate in celebrating the beauty and vibrancy of the Two Spirit community at the 13th annual powwow.