Support Three Indigenous Aunties

The Three Aunties Fundraiser is meant to assist three Indigenous Women who upkeep and maintain their culture.

Auntie Juanita is a Kʼicheʼ Mayan single mother who inherited her father's tiny farm in the Toledo Mayan Village of Southern Belize. Her father was one of the village bush healers and he worked with plants to cure the ailments of the villagers. Auntie Juanita's farm is located extremely rurally beneath the Nim li Punit, an ancient Mayan ruin. There aren't any stores or markets for miles and Auntie Juanita and her daughter Rainey are left to grow most of their own food, trade & sell handmade crafts, sell their Cacao, and live within the modest means of the local village. This year they are hoping to raise $2,000.00 USD to rebuild their thatch roof kitchen and living area. Given their remote location and the Indigenous normalcy of trading and producing your own goods, as well the reliance on a waning tourist economy it's been difficult for Auntie Juanita's family to procure the resources to get their thatch roof maintained. The roof lasts for 5-10 years depending on how well it's done and on the weather.

Auntie Akom is the village healer for a small Fanti village near Cape Coast Ghana. She practices the ancient Indigenous way of curing and healing ailments for the villagers. She uses herbs, minerals, and resources found directly from nature to cure an array of various sicknesses. She is loved, honored, and respected. Her village doesn't have a water source of their own. They have to often travel to neighboring villages walking close to a mile to bring water back to the village. Their village is comprised of close to 100 different families. Each family living in very small earthen, concrete, or bamboo structures. Some of the villagers live with up to 5 people in these tiny structures often relying on the outdoor areas for cooking, sleeping during the dry season, and basic living. Auntie Akom's healing shrine and traditional healing hut is well made and well loved because the people in the village go out of their way to take care of the village healer. The men might trade her by working on her hut, the villagers trade her in fish, vegetables, chicken, and maybe even goat on a prosperous day. The local economy would be considered deeply impoverished if compared to Western standards. Our academy is raising funds on behalf of Auntie Akom to bring water to her village. We were given a quote of $1,000.00 USD for the digging of a well for the entire village. Most single residences in rural parts of the Western world have their own well for one family! This village is only asking for one well in order to sustain the entire village of dozens of families.

Our third Auntie in need of regular support is inter tribal activist Gina Marie of the Native American White Mountain Apache Nation. Tracker or Buffalo Woman is what we call her given her deep ties to the Lakota Buffalo rescue missions. She's a weaver, herbalist, Peace & Dignity spirit runner, Aztec danza dancer, a journalist, and a woman who is 24/7 on the frontlines gathering footage & stories, supporting families on various Native Reservations, and protecting sacred sites and Native Indigenous landscapes. Tracker helped to establish our Academy's mission and has since prioritized our platform's need for knowledge and insight from local Tribal & Native Peoples. Today Gina Marie is regularly on the road traveling to gather these stories, risking and sacrificing her wellbeing and time in order to support the local Native Indigenous communities she belongs to and is affiliated with. Native Indigenous peoples face grave disparities on their own ancestral lands. On Native reservations there is often a lack of healthy food, a lack of proper resources like heat and water, and a lack of opportunities and means to generate income. Collecting these stories, traveling, advocating for the people, and helping to facilitate annual ceremonies and observances often leaves Gina Marie with little time to tend to her own needs and familial needs.

Your support in uplifting these Aunties means the world!!!!!!

All proceeds raised will be distributed evenly until the goals for each individual are met.