Indigenous Participation

Why are indigenous people involved at Woodbine, and why should you consider joining us? Because this project represents one of the most innovative, creative, and respectful opportunities for indigenous peoples near any urban metropolitan center in the United States. Indigenous people have been partners in the design, planning, and orientation of the project from its inception.

Woodbine is not a run-of-the-mill environmental and social justice organization, which simply has included an indigenous component as window dressing. Woodbine is firmly and sincerely dedicated to the full integration of indigenous wisdom, values, and principles in the operation and programming of the facility. In addition, the point of Woodbine is to provide a base from which indigenous peoples can join with other communities of goodwill to forge a more just and sustainable future for all future generations.

The opportunities for indigenous communities at Woodbine are difficult to overstate. Like the environment around us, our families and our communities are in disarray. We have indigenous children who are third- or fourth-generation urban dwellers, many of whom have lost any connection with their histories, values, and culture, with their songs and ceremonies, and with their elders and the wisdom, their ancestors have passed to them about living in their homeland.

Woodbine is a viable and exciting project for indigenous people, organizations, communities, and nations because it is an opportunity to reverse the centuries-old processes that have attempted to destroy our people. We promise to host programs and options that will help to restore dignity, self-respect, cultural knowledge, historical integrity, and political vision for current and future generations of indigenous peoples. We invite all indigenous peoples to join this project—to work with various indigenous peoples and in alliance with other communities in a spirit of mutual respect, honesty, and integrity. For more information please contact us.