OUR URGENT NEED
WATER IS LIFE. One is never so acutely aware of this truth until we are faced with its total absence. Kunsi Keya Tamakoce's spring fed well has been at risk over the past two years. We have prayed for our sacred waters to recover, but with decreasing snow packs and summertime draught, our creeks and underground springs are either gone or reduced to trickles. Thinking that this would be temporary, we have been hauling in 3000 gallons at a time to serve our needs. But with no use for over a month, the water level in our spring fed well has not recovered. If we don't drill a true artesian well before the first freeze in late October, we will be entirely without water on our sacred land. Please contribute funds for this urgent project.
ABOUT US
KUNSI KEYA TAMAKOCE (Grandmother Turtle Land) is a Lakota-led 501(c)3 non-profit recognized by the United Nations as an Indigenous People’s Organization.
A TWO SPIRIT, LGBTQIA, MATRIARCHAL COMMUNITY, we are dedicated to sharing the traditional teachings and sacred ceremonies of the Lakota people with women, children and men in order to support the health and well-being of the earth and all who live here. Kunsi Keya utilizes the Lakota model of community-building to cultivate a deep connection to the earth, empowers women to reclaim their role as wise leaders, and creates a framework for future generations to realize the importance of living in harmony with the natural world. Over the last 31 years we've transformed thousands of lives, connecting people across lines of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, and culture.
OUR FOUNDER
BEVERLY LITTLETHUNDER is a respected grandmother of the Standing Rock band of the Lakota and SunDance leader of Kunsi Keya Tamakoce. A Two Spirit matriarch and a lifelong activist, Beverly was in the American Indian Movement and the Standing Rock Water Protector non-violent action. After being turned away from her people when she first came out in 1986, Beverly became an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA2S+ visibility and respect. For the last 31 years she has led an all women's ceremony in the sacred Lakota tradition of SunDance.
OUR CIRCUMSTANCES
WE PURCHASED AND BEGAN CULTIVATING THE PROPERTY for ceremonial use in 2004. We have operated since then as a small, off-grid, non-profit on a shoestring budget. Completing our infrastructure upgrade with an artesian well will strengthen our sustainable infrastructure and developing new programs.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
HELP ENSURE THE FUTURE OF GRANDMOTHER TURTLE by contributing to the installation of an artesian well. For more information, visit us on the web at http://kunsikeya.org/, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Kunsi-Keya-Tamakoce-397709763688602/, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kunsikeya.
"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children." - Crazy Horse
In deepest gratitude,
Mitakuye Oyasin - To All Our Relations
