Awi’nakola Foundation

Maya’xa̱la x̱a̱n’s a̱wi’nakola (‘a way of life that respects the air, land, sea and spirit’).

Our mission is dedicated to shapeshifting power, mobilizing funds, transforming resource equity, and building meaningful partnerships. First and foremost, we amplify Indigenous leadership and support the self-determination and rights of Indigenous peoples.

As a Kwakwa̱ ka̱ʼwakw-led organization carrying out work across a number of Territories, we self-identify as Ha’mała̱ l lilḵwatłe’: ‘those who live by our laws and follow the Gukwdzi (Bighouse)’.

Our programming is informed by values, laws, protocols and teachings of the land, centering respectful relationships with the non-human world and sustainable reciprocity with biodiversity. Our board of Indigenous matriarchs exemplifies our foundational commitment to dismantling colonial legacies: re-centering Indigenous sovereignty, matriarchal leadership, Title and Rights, and healing.

We generate impact by:

1. Building opportunities for access to Territory via land and water.
2. Awakening ancient village sites through storytelling, observing natural laws, harvest, ceremony and honouring protocols.
3. Assessing cumulative impacts of landscape-level disturbances, working alongside community and qualified professionals to develop restoration objectives that can be married, merged and complement Indigenous processes.
4. Community-supported mapping of cultural resources, including culturally-modified trees (CMTs), archeological features, and ethnobotanical inventorying, demonstrating continuous use and occupation.
5. Facilitating spaces for intergenerational knowledge-transfer.

Awi’nakola Foundation desires is to find and seeks partners that wish to elevate and support Indigenous leadership and advocating for direct funding to Indigenous led initiatives.

We invite you to be a part of in this journey! We’d love to have your voice and your strength with us.