Indigenous Hemp for carbon sequestration

 Lack of economic opportunities that create jobs for the people and to heal our land

Utilizing our cultural ecological knowledge to grow hemp and to create cultural products using hemp. Creating a culturally based economy utilizing hemp as a cash crop through our cultural process of utilizing our elder as mentors to our future generations and to create opportunities for the elders to guide our future generations creativity to create modern cultural items using hemp. Bring our past traditional knowledge in to our modern times using modern material.

Strong preference will be given to Native-led solutions that directly benefit and are located within the Indigenous communities. Which community(s) does your solution benefit? In what ways will your solution benefit this community? (Required) our initial focus will benefit the Cheyenne river Sioux reservation but it will be shared with the other Oceti Sakowin member tribes

our approach is culturally responsive to the needs of our people and future generations by utilizing hemp in a modern Market context and our old system of trade will be revitalized

We are a tribally chartered organization that is governed by tribal members who are active community members who engage with other community members in community meetings discussing utilizing our cultural knowledge and practices to guide our endeavors to develop a culturally based hemp economy

this is our first grant application and MIT can provide agricultural technical  assistance in the hemp industry and MIT fellowship can us develop our network

our approach is culturally responsive to the needs of our people and future generations by utilizing hemp in a modern Market context and our old system of trade will be revitalized

Year one goal: to determine which hemp seed will grow best in our soils and to deterrmine the infrastructure that is needed to support hemp cultivation

Year Five Goal: The people and future generations will utilize hemp to restore healthy top soils by becoming stewards of the land using our traditional ecological land concept that is based upon mitakuye oyasin ” We are all related”

Utilizing the Lakota Life-stage model to measure the progress of the land acreage devoted to growing hemp, document the number of growers each year  and document the number of cultural artisans and new cultural products developed. Each hemp cultivator will submit a new report to assess the individuals utilizing Lakota ecological knowledge in their work with the land and hemp. This approach complies with the Biden administration intention to incorporate indigenous land management practices in federal agencies.

Utilize the indigenous ecological stewardship model in a land curriculum that can be incorporated into the school system

Utilizing modern applications to build a modern culturally Hemp based reservation economy

Utilizing our indigenous organization, indigenous group members educating our tribal membership through community meetings

Native owned, native controlled nonprofit organization, initial funding will be derived through philanthropy, federal grant sources and possible tribal grant sources, outside revenue generation will come through end user contracts

 Developing a future work force in our tribal land office and BIA land operations who utilize the indigenous ecological stewardship model to guide their practice in managing our tribal lands which will support a sustainable land management 

Community members are donating their time to help us realize our endeavors to develop the culturally based hemp economy on our reservation

outside revenue generation will come through end user contracts

Federal representatives are supporting our endeavors through educating us about their various funding opportunities