People's Canoe Intern

People's Canoe Intern (Hai kinest'e ku-nus)

Organization: Native Health in Native Hands (NHNH)

Geographic Scope: Eel River (Xa-Cho) in Kinest'e/Wailaki ancestral homelands - Northern Mendocino, Southern Humboldt, and Southwestern Trinity counties, California

Focus Areas:

Overview:
Hai kinest'e ku-nus (The People's Canoe Project) connects people with the river and the life in and around it - weaving and integrating language, cultural activities, mentorship and sharing of traditional knowledge and practices. The Wailaki ka-nus project is reviving a cultural tradition that nourished the people and gave them important life skills and relationship with Mother Earth. Carving redwood canoes and paddling them on the Eel River (Xa-Cho) are Wailaki traditions undergoing an intergenerational revival after over 150 years of interruption. The Wailaki relationship with Xa-cho (Eel River) has been damaged since at least the 1850s; there are no Federally owned reservation lands along Xa-cho within traditional Wailaki homelands. With help from other Tribes, NHNH is re-establishing traditions and language hand-in-hand. This intertribal mentorship partnership and project is bringing healing to all involved.

Organization Background:
Native Health in Native Hands is a native-led, native-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, created by Kinest'e people. NHNH promotes culturally responsive pathways for intergenerational wellness.

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