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Who We Are
Our Kayaaní Sisters Council is a group of Alaska Native leaders united in our passion for and commitment to upholding cultural practices, caring for the land, and healing community.
Kayaaní Sisters formed to help restore Indigenous systems and ceremonies, grow and heal together, and help build up our communities to recognize and support traditional protective factors, ultimately, aiding in the healing of ourselves and Mother Earth.
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About Kayaaní Sisters
As a group, we share indigenous wisdom and promote environmental stewardship and respectful harvesting practices. We foster leadership skills and community healing through hands-on learning, mentorship, and ceremony.
Indigenous Foods and Medicines
Create Healing Spaces
Connection and building a sense of belonging
Healing trauma, both in people and on the land
Empowerment
Mentoring
Lift up plant knowledge keepers from each region of Alaska
Ceremony and life transitions
Developing reciprocal relationships with people and the land
Mission
Our mission is to uphold and restore Indigenous systems and traditions, grow and heal together, and revitalize our communities.
Vision
We envision a future where Indigenous wisdom is recognized, practiced, and integrated into broader approaches to wellness, land stewardship, sustainability, healing, and building strong resilient communities.
Allyship Commitment
Ensuring the Land's Legacy for Future Generations
Kayaaní Sisters are made up of Indigenous leaders and their allies.
Our Kayaaní Sisters Council is a group of Indigenous leaders from different regions of Alaska who share a passion for protecting our lands, waters, and cultural traditions.
We are committed to revitalizing Indigenous sovereignty: the inherent autonomy and self-determination of our Ancestors who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. Indigenous sovereignty requires an end to settler domination of life, lands, and peoples. Decision making around how humans interact with this land and the life here is rightfully that of Indigenous People.
We invite allies to support and uphold this movement's work. This invitation is an honor and a responsibility to show up with empathy, humility, and dedication.
We respectfully ask our allies to adopt these guiding principles:
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We will address the problems of colonialism as our own work and take action ourselves, rather than putting the burden on Indigenous Peoples.
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We acknowledge that there are many ways of understanding the world and many ways to solve problems. We will strive to maintain a sense of curiosity and openness as we work with people who think and act differently than us.
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We do not self-identify as allies; rather; our allyship is defined by those we aim to support.
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We will not leverage our allyship for personal or professional benefit. Our allyship is not a commodity to be traded. Our work, energy, and respect is brought to this space with no expectation of a transaction.
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If we receive knowledge or stories from Indigenous People, we will make sure to have their permission before sharing this with others. We will always acknowledge who the knowledge or stories come from.
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As people within communities that benefit from colonization, we will transfer the benefits of our privilege to those who lack it.
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We will actively work to prevent any kind of oppression, such as racism, sexism, transphobia, and ableism.
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If we are honored to be adopted by any Indigenous groups, it does not come with any special rights, it comes with responsibilities. We will not use our gifted name or kinship relationships without permission or outside of ceremony. We will not represent or speak for any group, Indigenous or otherwise.
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We will hold each other accountable so that Indigenous communities don't have to do so; our education and healing is up to us. We will engage not only in social justice education but will also learn to uphold and celebrate Indigenous communities and practices.
Ahlʼlidaaw Gitnackʼangeak
Ketchikan / Tsimshian
Louise Brady
Kʼasheechtlaa
Sitka / Tlingit
Eva Dawn Burk
Fairbanks / Denaakk’e and Benhti Athabascan
Trixie Bennett
Kayaaní Shaawát
Ketchikan / Tlingit
Tia Holley
Aisena
Soldotna / Inupiaq
Kolene James
Dáx̱ Kilatch
Juneau / Tlingit & Tsimshian
Naomi Michalsen
Kaasei
Ketchikan / Tlingit
Gloria Simeon
Bethel / Dene’ and Yupik
Disney Williams-Breen
Ne'etsga Ggaggoadm
Juneau / Tsimshian & Tlingit
Meet The Kayaaní Sisters
Healing through Culture & Connection
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We are committed to preserving Indigenous culture and fostering a connection to our traditional practices. Through language revitalization, storytelling, song, and ceremonies, participants gain a profound sense of belonging and identity.
Plants are teachers, leading us in restoring reciprocal relationships and building strong and resilient communities. Getting people on the land can be healing in itself. We lead plant walks, harvest trips, and outdoor healing retreats where people can connect with their surroundings and the seasons.
Empowerment through Education
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We develop educational resources about native plants and food traditions that include Indigenous language, stories, harvest guidelines, recipes, hands-on activities, and social-emotional skills. Our resources are adaptable to various Alaska Native cultures, ages, abilities, and learning environments.
Our workshops, teacher trainings, and mentorships are designed to cultivate knowledge, leadership skills, wellness, and a sense of belonging.
Protecting the Land and Water
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When we develop relationships with the land, we are more likely to honor and protect it.
Our work encourages people to become advocates for their communities and the environment. We share respectful harvesting guidelines at events, conferences, and trainings.
We also hold space for community sharing and are continually learning from each other and the communities we serve.
What Kayaaní Sisters Do
Honoring Our Teachers
We are free to be who we are;
to create our own life out of the past and out of the present.
We are our Ancestors.
When we can heal ourselves, we also heal our Ancestors,
our Grandmothers, our Grandfathers, and our Children.
When we heal ourselves, we heal Mother Earth.
– Grandmother Rita Pitka Blumenstein, Pamyuran
Respectful Harvesting Guidelines
The Respectful Harvesting Guidelines were prepared by the Kayaaní Sisters Council to help educate and inform people who want to gather Alaskan plants and learn about Indigenous cultures. Much thought and care went into addressing concerns of Elders and individuals about overharvesting, ignorance of local practices, the need for sustainability, and the need for healing in our Indigenous communities. We hope that by following these guidelines we can care for the lands and waters that sustain us. How might we be good Ancestors for future generations?