HELP POWER CHANGE
CHO-GE XO-ŁA BE’ in our language means the medicine to heal ourselves is in our hands.
Native Health in Native Hands (NHNH) is a native led, native run 501c3 non-profit organization, created by Kinest'e people. NHNH promotes culturally responsive pathways for intergenerational wellness - reconnecting our youth and community to our roles and responsibilities to Mother Earth, all our relations and one another. We emphasize traditional cultural values and practices of the Kinest'e people, cultural connections with community, Revitalization of Our Ancestral Language (Xo-kenesh), cultural arts, native plants, food sovereignty, N-shong konk' good fire /cultural fire), ku-nus (canoe) culture, land and water access, stewardship, self care, leadership, lifeways and practices - ŁEE-NA-KUL-DUŁAI (coming back together).
The Kinest'e, now called Wailaki, are a Tribe whose ancestral homelands are in Northern Mendocino, Southern Humboldt, and Southwestern Trinity counties. NHNH has been building collaborations with state and federal organizations along with local landowners to strengthen working relations and stewardship programs on Kinest'e ancestral homelands.
Join us around the fire - together we can make a difference. Even a small action is a great start. N-shon naa nu-la (thank you) for joining us in this healing movement.
ŁEE-NA-KUL-DUŁAI ~ Coming Back Together Again.
LIFE WAYS
Indigenous ways of knowing and being respect the interconnectedness of all things. Reconnecting with our traditional knowledge and spiritual roles and responsibilities. Whether it be through ecological management, Indigenous foods, nutrition & medicine, ancestral languages and traditional activities and arts, etc. Learn More →
WAILAKI LANGUAGE
Language is a blueprint of the way we see the world, the interconnection of all things and our roles and responsibilities to Mother Earth, all our relations and one another. Xo-kenesh reconnects our people to the land, one another and traditional ways of knowing and being. Learn More →
LAND ACCESS
We have been with working with state park, Six Rivers National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, non-profits, private landowners and allies - stewarding the land with native traditional land practices along with modern land use practices. ŁEE-NA-KUL-DUŁAI ~ Coming Back Together Again. Learn More →
PLANTS THAT NOURISH
Plants that Nourish US gatherings and initiatives promote Indigenous access to traditional lands and land management, traditional food stewardship, mentorship and research to strengthen our sustainable relationship with our home lands and waters and traditional foods. Learn More →
CULTURAL FIRE
NHNH cultural burn crews steward low-intensity fire (N-shong konk’ or good fire) on the forest floor which reduces major fire fuels. The native practice of cultural burning and prescribed burning creates nutrient-rich soils and diverse habitat for plants and animals, also generating sustainable food sources for humans. Kinest'e cultural revitalization helps reconnect people with our environment. Learn More →
PEOPLE’S CANOE
Carving redwood canoes and paddling them on the Eel River (Xa-Cho) are Wailalki traditions undergoing an intergenerational revival after over 150 years of interruption. Hai kinest'e ku-nus 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. Learn More →