Tribal Knowledge Ambassadors

Indigenous peoples have been systematically disenfranchised and our traditional food systems have been disrupted by colonialism, forced relocation, and other injustices. This history has put our communities at higher risk for diabetes, substance abuse, depression, and other mental illnesses. According to the American Diabetes Association, Indigenous people have the highest diabetes prevalence rate of any ethnicity in the US; 16% of all Natives have been diagnosed. Similarly, 18.7% of Natives are diagnosed with mental illness, and Indigenous people are 2.5% more likely to deal with serious psychological distress than the rest of the population, according to Mental Health America.By empowering our people to reconnect with traditional food ways, nature, and food sovereignty, we are empowering Indigenous communities to reclaim our cultural heritage and be in control of our futures, bodies, and health.

Moreover, though Indigenous people only make up 5% of the world’s population, we protect over 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. Indigenous people hold the keys to the future of a healthy planet Earth. Empowering us to lead will allow us to revert to a healthy, reciprocal relationship with “Our Mother, the Earth.” Indigenous knowledge keepers truly hold the keys to solutions for climate change and habitat loss. By creating a network of Tribal Ambassadors, we are ensuring that this knowledge is being disseminated to the next generation of TEK conservation leaders throughout the nation.

The impact of our Tribal Ambassadors program would be felt across Indian Country, both on reservations and in urban Native communities across the USA. Our program would be most felt by Native communities who have long been disconnected from the land, from ancestral food harvesting traditions, and from food sovereignty.

The Hunters of Color “Tribal Ambassadors” program will recruit, hire, and empower Indigenous conservationists and knowledge keepers to foster the expansion and revitalization of Indigenous culture. Although the Tribal Ambassador program looks to the past for wisdom, it is an innovative approach; through the use of a Customer Relationship Database (CRM), we are able to train our Ambassadors and monitor their community members’ participation, growth, and feedback. This tool has not yet been applied to the training/dispersal of Traditional Ecological Knowledge or food sovereignty, particularly as it relates to specific tribal nations and communities. We understand that we are just a handful of Indigenous-leaders in a sea of cultures, customs, and food harvesting mechanisms. For that reason, we are specifically empowering community leaders to reach and teach their own communities– no one can reach a unique community like a member of that community can!

We will train these Ambassadors who live within tribal nations to teach others how to connect with ancestral traditions through conservation, bowmaking, and traditional food harvesting. While we are recruiting culture-keepers who already hold traditional knowledge, we have developed a curriculum to train them through pedagogical leadership courses, trauma-informed leadership, and wilderness first aid training. We will use our CRM database to be able to reach multiple communities at a time, and gauge both the progress of the Ambassadors, and the communities once the Ambassadors are greenlighted to begin training others. This is a long-term solution in that it is self-replicating. By establishing multiple tribal Ambassadors, we are ensuring that our participants (or mentees) learn these life skills in such a way that they too, someday, can become Ambassadors of this knowledge for the next generation, and seven generations to come.

The Tribal Ambassadors program is a transformative, early-stage project that addresses critical needs in the fields of environment, cultural enrichment, and social change. By promoting food sovereignty, environmental conservation, and social justice, the program has the potential to create a more sustainable and just future for Indigenous communities across Turtle Island.

Please see our program timeline:

-Summer 2023: Recruitment of Tribal Ambassadors begins. Hunters of Color will reach out to tribal nations in the targeted states to identify potential ambassadors and invite them to apply for the program. Applications will be open to Indigenous individuals with a passion for TEK and a desire to promote culture and food sovereignty in their communities.

-Fall 2023: Selection and training of Tribal Ambassadors. After reviewing the applications, Hunters of Color will select a group of ambassadors to participate in the program. The training will take place in November 2023 and will cover a range of topics including safety, traditional harvest practices, community engagement, and event planning.

-Winter 2024: Ambassadors begin hosting events. Starting in the first quarter of 2024, the Tribal Ambassadors will begin hosting events in their respective communities. These events will aim to promote Indigenous culture and food sovereignty, and may include activities such as workshops, community feasts, and educational seminars.

The impact of our Tribal Ambassadors program would be felt across Indian Country, both on reservations and in urban Native communities across the USA. Our program would be most felt by Native communities who have long been disconnected from the land, from ancestral traditions, and from food sovereignty. All Indigenous people have felt the impact of these injustices. For the time being, our solution has a regional scope, so that we can hone in our programming and develop a sure proof of concept. Currently, Hunters of Color has state Ambassadors who are impacting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities who are wishing to learn the old ways. However, Tribal Ambassadors are necessary to reach some of the most overlooked, under-resourced communities in our society– Indian reservations. 

As aforementioned, according to the World Wildlife Fund, Indigenous people protect over 80% of the planet’s biodiversity, yet Indigenous-led nonprofits receive less than .5% of all foundation funding every year. We hope that MIT will take this into consideration when considering equity in funding these projects. As already under-resourced communities, it is overwhelming to feel that we have to meet non-Indigenous standards to be considered for funding. However, we are grateful for opportunities like this, because we understand that time is running out. We are at a critical juncture for both our people and the planet. As Indigenous people, our teachers hold the knowledge necessary to save the planet. However, unless that knowledge is easily accessible, we will lose it. The Tribal Ambassador program provides a solution for both Indigenous people and conservation, so that we may continue to live in harmony with the land in the traditional way. Although the Tribal Ambassador program looks to the past for wisdom, it is truly innovative in our proof of concept– by encouraging and empowering traditional teachings, we are connecting our people to the health benefits of nature to combat depression and substance abuse. It is also a connection to culture, which is of critical importance, especially for our youth, so that they know who they are and where they come from.

Lastly, a matter of social justice. Indigenous peoples have been systematically disenfranchised and our traditional food systems disrupted by colonialism, forced relocation, and other injustices. By empowering people to reconnect with traditional food ways and promoting food sovereignty, we are empowering Indigenous communities to reclaim our cultural heritage and be in control of our futures.

The initial focus of the Tribal Ambassador program will be 1-2 Indigenous nations in the western coastal states, including California, Oregon, and Washington. The program will begin with the Klamath-Modoc Tribes of Oregon, the Round Valley Indian Tribe of California, the Grand Ronde Indian Tribe of Oregon, and will expand next to the Colville tribe of Washington, and the Modoc Nation of Oklahoma. These nations were chosen as they represent a diverse range of tribal nations with varying needs and challenges related to food sovereignty, and our leadership team is directly connected to these nations, either as members or community leaders. As the program expands, it will reach more tribal nations across the United States.

We understand our communities needs, in part, because we are Indigenous-led, and members of these communities that we serve. However, we are quick to understand that our individual experiences cannot be applied to our communities as a whole. For that reason, Hunters of Color has implemented a comprehensive evaluation process to measure the effectiveness of our programming based on our program's goals and objectives. We use a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) approach to track changes in participants' attitudes and behavior before and after participating in our programs. We collect data on various metrics, including demographics, purchases of licenses, participation in the outdoors, success rates, and changes in behavior, such as increased participation in other outdoor activities, conservation, and political involvement in conservation efforts as well as efforts to ensure our ability to connect to culture for posterity.

Our surveys are administered through our membership platform and tracked via our CRM software to capture participation, success, growth, and other important metrics. Additionally, our mentored learning program, led by our Ambassadors, is 3-tiered, which makes it easy for us to track participation and monitor the growth of our mentees as they progress through the program with the ultimate goal of becoming mentors themselves.

Hunters of Color’s key employees (Josh Hood, Lydia Parker, and Jimmy Flatt) are uniquely qualified to tackle the issue of promoting Indigenous culture and food sovereignty through the Tribal Ambassadors program: Lydia Parker is the CEO of Hunters of Color, and a member of the Walker-Mohawk band of Six Nations of the Grand River; As an enrolled member of the Klamath-Modoc Indian Nation and the first tribal ambassador for Hunters of Color, Josh Hood has already demonstrated success in building and hosting community events within reservations to reconnect Indigenous people to their traditions and culture; Jimmy Flatt is the founder and COO of Hunters of Color, who comes from a long line of Venezuelan and Pacific Islander hunters, gatherers, and conservationists.

As an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-serving organization with a robust State-based Ambassador program in place, Hunters of Color is well-positioned to expand their reach to tribal nations across the United States. Given the unique challenges of tribal nations' and states' game laws and management, the development of a specific program dedicated to tribal nations is essential, and the Hunters of Color team is uniquely positioned to carry out this vision.

Hunters of Color is dedicated to promoting TEK among underrepresented communities and increasing diversity and inclusion in the outdoor community. Our focus on Indigenous culture and food sovereignty aligns with the MIT Solve Grant areas of interest, and our unique approach to promoting culture and conservation through community-based education and outreach is well-suited to the needs of tribal nations. By building partnerships with Indigenous communities and providing training and support for Indigenous hunters, Hunters of Color is working to create a more sustainable, just, and equitable future for all.

Overall, Lydia Parker and Josh Hood, the Hunters of Color co-leads on this project, are uniquely qualified to tackle the issue of promoting Indigenous culture and food sovereignty through the Tribal Ambassadors program. Not only are they tribal members themselves, they are also deeply involved in community, teaching, and culture-keeping here on the West Coast where we are located. Further, our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and community-based education, combined with their experience working with underrepresented communities and navigating the unique challenges of working with tribal nations, makes us the ideal candidate for the MIT Solve Grant.

According to Keecha Harris and Associates’ research, there is a $2.7 billion dollar funding gap between white-led conservation organizations, and BIPOC-led conservation organizations annually. As a completely BIPOC, Indigenous-led Organization, it is no surprise that we are underfunded, understaffed, and under-resourced. For that reason, everyone in our organization wears many hats. This makes our chances of burn out much higher than large, well supported organizations. It also limits our ability to expand our reach to care for our communities as best we can, since we have very limited capacity.

One of the things we are most excited about potentially being able to access is MIT/Solve’s support team for leadership coaching and strategic advice. We feel that we have a very successful proof of concept from our State Ambassador program, and we are leaning into more ways to compute our results, but technology is a new tool for us in this arena. We are very hopeful that with your support, we will be able to use our findings and results to adapt and better serve our communities.

From a cultural standpoint, As already under-resourced communities, it is overwhelming to feel that we have to meet non-Indigenous standards to be considered for funding. However, we are grateful for opportunities like this, because we understand that time is running out. We are at a critical juncture for both our people and the planet. As Indigenous people, our teachers hold the knowledge necessary to save the planet. However, unless that knowledge is easily accessible, we will lose it. The Tribal Ambassador program provides a solution for both Indigenous people and conservation, so that we may continue to live in harmony with the land in the traditional way.

Again, from a cultural perspective, many “big green” foundations and potential funders turn up their noses at the mention of TEK as true science. We are constantly facing this discrimination when we apply for support and funding. On the other side of things, when we talk to foundations or potential partners who support TEK and racial equity, we often find that this support only goes so far as it meets their standards for what modern, “civilized” TEK looks like. Meaning, when we mention the need for re-establishing traditional foodways, many organizations refuse to work with us because of our traditional harvesting methods like hunting and fishing. Not only is this environmental racism, it is also limiting Indigenous food-sovereignty, and our ability to choose healthy, sustainable food that doesn’t come from factory farms, which are bad for our bodies and the planet.

We are hopeful that MIT’s commitment to equity and Indigenous leadership will help be a catalyst to more capacity, more understanding, and more growth for our Tribal Ambassador Program and beyond.

Lydia Parker (Mohawk), is one of the co-founders, and current CEO of Hunters of Color. She has been an integral part of serving our communities though the mentorship services she developed in 2019, and that HOC now provides to communities in 12 states throughout the nation.

Though Lydia’s family is from Six Nations, Lydia grew up participating in ceremony with her Grand Ronde adopted family, and continues to value this connection to her west coast relatives. These experiences and connections have instilled passion in her to fight for Sovereignty, treaty rights, and beyond alongside West Coast tribal nations.

Lydia is an awarded writer and orator, and leads seminars on Indigenous history and antiracism. She is also currently serving on the Department of the Interior's Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council.

Although the Tribal Ambassador program looks to the past for wisdom, it is truly innovative in our proof of concept. By encouraging and empowering traditional teachings through the use of technology (CRMs and surveys), we are ensuring that our outreach is actually successful in changing Indigenous lives for the better.

To be honest, we are less concerned about the market and more concerned about our people. Perhaps this is an area of cultural difference? We are connecting our people to the health benefits of nature to combat depression and substance abuse. It is also a connection to culture, which is of critical importance, especially for our youth, so that they know who they are and where they come from.

Maybe this can be a prototype for the delivery of other Indigenous-led knowledge in the future, beyond conservation and food sovereignty. We could see a platform like this being used to train healers and medicine people to then allow them to teach their communities using technology as a means of standardization and evaluation.

Our goal for this year into next year can be seen in our program outline:

Summer 2023: Recruitment of Tribal Ambassadors begins. Hunters of Color will reach out to tribal nations in the targeted states to identify potential ambassadors and invite them to apply for the program. Applications will be open to Indigenous individuals with a passion for TEK and a desire to promote culture and food sovereignty in their communities.

Fall 2023: Selection and training of Tribal Ambassadors. After reviewing the applications, Hunters of Color will select a group of ambassadors to participate in the program. The training will take place in November 2023 and will cover a range of topics including safety, traditional harvest practices, community engagement, and event planning.

Winter 2024: Ambassadors begin hosting events. Starting in the first quarter of 2024, the Tribal Ambassadors will begin hosting events in their respective communities. These events will aim to promote Indigenous culture and food sovereignty, and may include activities such as workshops, community feasts, and educational seminars.

Over the next five years, we hope to bring the Indigenous Ambassador Program to a place where it is an accessible method for any tribal community member who wishes to become an ambassador. For the 574+ recognized tribes, urban communities, and beyond, our goal is that, by use of technology, we can successfully train all culture keepers who come to us.

Hunters of Color has implemented a comprehensive evaluation process to measure the effectiveness of our programming based on our program's goals and objectives. We use a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) approach to track changes in participants' attitudes and behavior before and after participating in our programs. Theory of Change- HOC will support Tribal Ambassadors with gear, knowledge, and land access to increase the number of people in Indigenous communities who fully realize their connection to the outdoors, and the importance of connection to culture, to increase BIPOC participation in conservation efforts and leadership, and lastly, to cultivate support networks between Ambassadors and participants so that we can create self-perpetuating TEK communities with familial knowledge to pass down for generations to come.

Our surveys are administered through our membership platform and tracked via our CRM software to capture participation, success, growth, and other important metrics. Additionally, our mentor program is 3-tiered, which makes it easy for us to track participation and monitor the growth of our mentees as they progress through the program with the ultimate goal of becoming mentors themselves.

We believe that evaluation should be an integral component of our programming, not an afterthought. As such, we consider evaluation in the initial planning stages of all our programs to ensure that we are measuring what matters and that our evaluation is as comprehensive and effective as possible.

By developing these evaluation considerations, we aim to implement an evaluation framework that captures the intended impacts of the program, provides valuable insights into program outcomes and learning, and supports evidence-based decision-making and program refinement.

Theory of Change- HOC will support Tribal Ambassadors with gear, knowledge, and land access to increase the number of people in Indigenous communities who fully realize their connection to the outdoors, and the importance of connection to culture, to increase BIPOC participation in conservation efforts and leadership, and lastly, to cultivate support networks between Ambassadors and participants so that we can create self-perpetuating TEK communities with familial knowledge to pass down for generations to come.

TEK (traditional ecological knowledge) and CRM (customer relations manager) are the driving forces behind our innovation. Through the combination of ancient wisdom and new technology, we believe our program bridges the gap between our healthy past, and a bright future for Indigenous people.

We are a part of the communities we are fighting for; it’s intensely personal to make sure that our families have equity in the outdoors in a way we haven’t. Our team has experienced the barriers that we are addressing- racism, poverty, lack of land access/resources, etc- that our Ambassadors and participants experience. We are tackling environmental racism for all of us. Our diversity provides unique perspectives and innovative ideas. We aren’t a DEI branch of a large corporation; we are DEI! Therefore, what we bring to the outdoors is so unique and necessary because it is organic. We are run by BIPOC, for BIPOC, and all key employees are Indigenous, as well as 50% of our staff.

But as we know, BIPOC is an acronym, not a monolith. For that reason, we collect demographic data of our participants through a google form survey for our mentorship program. We have optional questions regarding race, ethnicity, and gender. 99% of survey takers respond to these questions. The results of these surveys are used to create demographic graphs so we can better understand the needs of the communities we are serving.

Hunters of Color does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Hunters of Color prohibits any such discrimination or harassment. Though we are Indigenous-serving, we are grateful for the support and friendship of our white allies, partners, and volunteers, and welcome all to join us in the diverse conservation community we are building.

We have been in operation for three years, but these are terms that our community doesn't use. Again, there are cultural differences at play. However, we will gladly enroll in the online course to learn more and hopefully bridge this gap.

However, we can tell you that we provide free mentorship and education for BIPOC wishing to experience the outdoors through a decolonized lens of hunting, fishing, and conservation, so that all of our communities may experience the mental health benefits of nature, access to sustainable food, and an understanding that we are all stakeholders in our planet's future.

Our motto is, "The outdoors are for everyone," but current USFWS show that hunting is 97% white and fishing is 86% white. This shameful bastardization of our traditional foodways has turned hunting into a colonized dominion over nature, rather than a loving, reciprocal part of culture that it is meant to be. Our solution to this form of colonization and environmental injustice includes education and outreach programs, free access to archery equipment and training, mentorship, providing hunting and conservation opportunities, advocacy for policies that support hunting and conservation, and research to evaluate the impact of our efforts.

Our mentorship program involves three tiers to entry, from little-to-no outdoor experience to empowerment of fledgling BIPOC outdoors-people. We have developed this program based on tried and true mentorship efforts alongside experts in our partnerships with state agencies and conservation organizations coupled with our DEI knowledge to reach BIPOC communities. Our mentorship program is community based and integrates next-step options for participants to increase likelihood of real behavior change, and thus, the longevity of HOC’s effectiveness. This season, mentees that attended last year will be serving as mentors, proving the sustainability of this model based on community.

While we are financially stable in that we can pay our bills and keep the lights on, our current financial strategy to support the expansion of our work, including the Tribal Ambassador Program, includes diversifying our funding streams. We currently rely almost entirely upon grant support. However, our corporate partnerships are growing, and we are in the process of rolling out our membership program to increase direct individual giving, as well as signing onto cooperative agreements with states and tribes.

We have begun to receive steady support from large foundations such as The Richard King Mellon Foundation ($125,000 last year, with hopes of $250,000 this year) and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation ($40,000 last year, and $200,000 this year), as well as other smaller foundations.

We have also begun receiving corporate support from Patagonia ($15,000 a year), REI (in kind worth $10,000 in camping gear), and OnX Maps ($30,000 a year plus in kind membership donations).

Our individual giving is currently stalled at around $1000/month, but with the new membership platform unveiling next month, we hope to see that increase to $10,000 a month at least.

We are also in the process of signing onto our first cooperative agreements with the state of Oregon and California, which will provide funding and support over the long term. We are excited by this model and hope that it serves as a solution for many state/tribal-based relationships in the future.