Board Profile: First Nations Chair Thomas Vigil

Posted on May 18, 2016 by rblauvelt

Chairman Thomas Vigil

Beyond the grants, past the technical assistance, and before becoming a nonprofit organization, First Nations was formed to be a voice and advocate for Indian people. “It’s why we started, and it’s what we still do,” says B. Thomas Vigil (Jicarilla Apache/Jemez Pueblo), longtime Chairman of the Board and one of the first board members of First Nations Development Institute.

Reflecting on the world he was born into in the 1940s, and the world we live in now, he says the need for this voice continues today.

“The rest of the country has had a 250-yard head start on us, and we have a long way to catch up,” he says.

Indians in a “Desperate State”

Vigil was born on a reservation and raised in a tent behind a shed made from waste lumber.

“This was my life. We were poor. But I wasn’t unique,” he says. “People either grew up and left the reservation, or they stayed, and many died drunk.”

Tom addresses the gathering at First Nations' 35th Anniversary celebration in 2015

Tom addresses the audience at First Nations’ 35th Anniversary celebration in 2015

When state schools were made available, Vigil and many of his classmates were tested and determined to be “illiterate.” Vigil himself didn’t learn to read or write until high school. And because Indians “did not pay taxes” they were not even given the right to serve on the school board.

Vigil called together school leaders, rallied students and parents, and sought a voice for Indian people. By the time he graduated, New Mexico changed the laws, and Indians were on the board and voting for their schools.

From there, Vigil went on to New Mexico Highlands University, where he earned a degree in economics/accounting in 1968. After graduation, he began his first job as a staff accountant for the University of New Mexico. Part of his job was to help tribes set up the accounting processes needed to become community action agencies – an essential component for them to receive federal grants under the War on Poverty.

Again, he saw a world that echoed his experience on the reservation. Indians either had no resources, or they weren’t allowed to manage them, Vigil explains.

“We had no freedom. We were wards of the government,” he says. “We were completely in bondage. Government had all the control.”

A Time for Change

A young Tom Vigil

A lot would happen over the next decades that would have an impact socially and politically on the life of Indians, and Vigil’s career intersected with these changes at several points.

He left his job at the University of New Mexico to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, thinking that the environment for Indians could be changed by working within a government agency. Yet, there he didn’t see people working to make lives better for Indian people. “They were just sitting around being bureaucrats,” he says.

From there he was recruited to be a contracts officer for the Department of Labor in Los Angeles. At that time, President Nixon introduced revenue sharing, opening up federal funding to the states. Vigil was assigned several California counties and cities of over 400,000 people to help them access and manage the funding, teaching them how to use it and what it could be used for. This experience led to a position as coordinator of strategic planning in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Los Angeles, and concurrently to an official appointment by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Commission. Work in Los Angeles also provided the opportunity to receive a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

The Chairman celebrating his 70th birthday in December 2014 with staff and other Board members

Around that time, President Nixon also announced his Indian Policy and the concept of self-determination. This would lead to the creation of the Indian Self-Determination Act, which established a government-to-government relationship between Indian people and the United States of America. When the Ford administration carried the act on, Vigil was brought to Washington to help conceptualize and implement the policy through the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Health and Human Services.

While the legislation was a long time coming, he says, many Indians were not ready for it, and some were actually opposed to it. They feared that the Bureau of Indian Affairs would no longer be providing the services Indians had been accustomed to. They were used to just accepting whatever the Bureau of Indian Affairs said as gospel, and they did not know how important self-government was.

“One of my jobs was to go around the country and talk to Indians,” he says. “Over time, we won them over.”

The Start of First Nations

Vigil could see that more had to be done to align tribes and help them fully understand what sovereignty and self-determination meant. In 1978, Vigil worked with Rebecca Adamson and David Lester to conceptualize an organization that would continue the battle. That organization ultimately became First Nations Development Institute.

Early on, First Nations also gave birth to the notion of a specialized arm to address the lack of capital and financial infrastructure holding back economic development in Native communities. This notion became First Nations Oweesta Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary that supports economic growth in Native American communities through the creation, development and capitalization of Native Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs.

First Nations President and CEO Michael Roberts says Vigil’s background was essential to First Nations back then and going forward. “It is Tom’s perspective having come from and being part of his community – along with his broader perspective of Indian Country history and self-determination – that has provided much of the grounding First Nations enjoys today.”

Indeed, Vigil says an essential tenet of First Nations is that it would be funded by private donors and not the government. “That’s why other organizations failed. We had to be sure we were not run by something that had controlled us, or could try to control us in the future.”

A second tenet is that the organization would not take a political position. This neutrality would keep First Nations focused on helping Indians and ensure the organization was not swayed by any political parties or agendas. Finally, a third tenet is that the organization would not become public relations focused. Instead it would let its work speak for itself, with the accomplishments of Indians being its key message.

In the early 1980s, First Nations was formally organized and Vigil became chairman in 1982.

“We’re one of the longest existing Indian organizations. But you can’t think about First Nations without thinking about the history of Native American people in this country,” he says. “It’s not about what we’ve done or what we’re doing. It’s about who we are as Indian people, where we came from, and who we are today. That’s what First Nations is really about.”

Roberts agrees. “Whenever we get a little too big-headed around here, it is Tom’s counsel that keeps coming back – we don’t do things in Indian Country, we invest in the genius of Indian people and Indian communities. Our job is to provide a little capital, a little technical assistance, and a heaping scoop of peer networking – and then get the heck out of the way so the real work can happen.”

Returning to His Roots

Since his work in Washington, Vigil has returned to Dulce, New Mexico, where he launched a successful career in hospitality and in the Indian gaming business. And here he continues serving on multiple boards, including the Board of First Nations.

He reflects on his childhood and a time he escorted a high-level political figure on a trip to a nearby reservation. The visitor pointed out with wonder at the makeshift structures on a distant hillside. “You think they’re shacks,” Vigil told the visitor. “But people live there. Those are homes.”

Vigil explains that this is where his people came from and what they were up against. And while Indians have come a long way in catching up on the 250-yard head start the rest of the country has had, what will always be needed is the voice for Indian people.

“It will take some time to grow out of that,” he says. “But we will. We will keep speaking out.”

By Amy Jakober

Impact! Cultivating Food & Culture at Nambé Pueblo

Posted on March 18, 2016 by rblauvelt

All food grown by the Nambé Community Gardens is given freely to the tribal community, including to after-school programs, instilling an appreciation for the sacredness of food and improving the health of the entire Pueblo.

“If we didn’t have our culture, we wouldn’t be a pueblo. We would just be another town.” This is why the Pueblo of Nambé in New Mexico is ingraining its rich heritage in every crop, and growing pride with every harvest.

“It’s an investment in not only food sovereignty, but in the future of our people,” said Nambé Farm Manager George Toya.

It’s all happening thanks to the Nambé Community Gardens, which began in 2012 with initial funding from First Nations Development Institute (First Nations). In just four years, the gardens have grown from one acre to six, and have infused life into family farms and public lands that were “drying up” along with the opportunities for young people to learn about their culture and heritage.

Returning to farming, returning to roots

“There was no one left to do the farming, and little for young people to come home to,” Toya said.

Recognizing the need to not only grow food but also reconnect with their culture, the Pueblo of Nambé sought funding for the Community Farm Project. With a $25,000 grant from First Nations, the pueblo was able to clear and harvest land and begin providing locally-grown food to the whole tribal community. They were also able to construct a hoop house to grow food year-round, create a plan for surplus and distribution, and develop a food database.

They did it by involving the community, and by seeking — in the Pueblo way — the input of their elders. “There is a sacredness to food and water. It’s the most important thing in your life. It affects everything you do. The elders knew that, and now we’re just relearning it,” Toya said.

In learning about Native agriculture practices, Nambé youth also discover their identity. “People who don’t have the pleasure of saying ‘This is who I am, this is where I am from’ are kind of lost,” Toya said, “And when that happens, they tend to be vulnerable.”

Through the Nambé Community Gardens, young people learn the practices and customs of their people. This lets them know they have a history, and instills in them a sense of pride.

In addition, the agriculture experience provides another tool in what Toya refers to as a “toolbox” of life skills. “It gives them more things to learn and be exposed to. And if they have an interest in what they learn, they now have a community to stay with and build from, so they don’t have to seek a life elsewhere,” he said.

Growing for the future

Where there’s a need, the crew of Nambé Community Gardens responds. Every year they bring together people to clear and cultivate the lands and restore farming in the Pueblo.

As part of the Pueblo way, the Pueblo of Nambé does the most with what it has, said Toya. And every year since 2012, it’s been able to do more and more.

Since the initial grant, the Pueblo of Nambé has received additional funding through First Nations to build on the success of the Community Farm Project and to launch additional efforts toward food sovereignty and cultural enrichment. The organization has been granted a total of $162,250 through First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative, its Native Youth and Culture Fund, and its partnership in the Seeds of Native Health campaign.

“This whole project would have never been started without the support of First Nations,” Toya said. “They saw that there was a need here, and we’ve been very fortunate. The entire community is thankful.”

Today, the Community Gardens cover six acres and include a small herd of bison and a cross-trained staff of three farm technicians, who also act as cultural mentors. The Pueblo of Nambé has developed a new drip-irrigation system and cultivated a 1,000-vine vineyard. In addition, the pueblo is leading a five-year food and health assessment, which will establish a baseline of the community’s health knowledge and provide hoop houses to select assessment participants. It is hoped that at the end of the five-year assessment, the community will have 20 new hoop houses in operation, and a growing number of people will be more focused on health, exercise, nutrition and risk factors.

“Our future is bright and we keep moving forward. We keep doing what we can do, and as much as we can do,” Toya said.

To learn more about the Pueblo of Nambé, visit http://nambepueblo.org/.

By Amy Jakober

Hawaii Organization Farms Farmers and Drives Change

Posted on March 18, 2016 by rblauvelt

Something amazing is happening in Waimea, Hawaii. Native Hawaiians are returning to farming, and driving long-term change for society. Families are coming together, and children are being raised in a culture people take pride in.

It’s all part of a vision of Mike Hodson, president of the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders’ Association. He and his wife, Tricia, wanted to bring farming back to the community. But they wanted to teach it in a way their people best learned: Not from a manual, but through hands-on practice, on their own soil.

Mike Hodson

First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) was the first funder of the “Farming for the Working Class” project, investing in the potential that other funders couldn’t yet recognize.

“We approached the State of Hawaii and the Native Hawaiian community, but we had no traction, and everyone looked at our project as just a theory,” Hodson said. “But First Nations saw what we wanted to do, and they believed in us.”

First Nations provided initial seed money of $45,000 through a grant from the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative.

Tricia Hodson

“First Nations sees the power of projects that intersect food systems and economic development,” said First Nations President & CEO Michael Roberts. “What Waimea wanted to do was strategic and community-minded, and the impact it would have on Indigenous people is exactly what we look for.”

With funding from First Nations, the project was up and running, and true to Hodson’s vision, the impact on the Hawaiian people has been three-fold. By giving Native Hawaiians a way to work their land while keeping their current jobs, the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders’ Association is benefiting farming, families and the future.

Return to Farming and Sustainable Food

Hodson explained that Native Hawaiians come from a culture of farming, where they have fostered sustainability and a true sense of community. But through the years, they had begun to lose this heritage. Their population in Hawaii declined, and they looked off the island for their livelihood and future. Further, many Native Hawaiians were not farming their land, and were forced to return their allotments to the U.S. government pursuant to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

Through the Farming for the Working Class project, families learn to farm again. They start with a hands-on, 17-week training course, where they study farming from “A to Z” and reconnect with their purpose and responsibility for the land.

From there, Waimea helps families build a greenhouse on their property, laying irrigation systems and providing education and tools. The greenhouse model is an imperative part of the program because it decreases the labor involved in typical outdoor farming ventures by as much of 85%. This makes it possible for families to run a sustainable farm in just a few hours a day and not have to quit their “day jobs” to do it.

Through the project, families grow food to feed their families. They generate extra income, and they trade food with other families, thus reducing their own expenses. In addition, Hawaii gets a source of locally grown food, which has become rare in the state, as 90% of food is shipped in from the mainland or Japan.

A Strengthening of Families

Through farming, the project also brings families together. In the recent past in Hawaii, there’s been a weakening of family units. The divorce rate among Native Hawaiians is 60%, and reports show that children from single-parent homes have been more likely to end up in Hawaii’s jails. Further, the stress of money and bills has contributed to high rates of domestic violence, with nine out of 10 domestic violence cases stemming from financial issues.

The Farming for the Working Class project brings families together to work, and adds as much as $20,000 a year to the family budget, reducing the strain of making ends meet.

“People may just see a greenhouse on a piece of land,” Hodson said. “But they don’t see the social impact that greenhouse has. It lets people invest in themselves, and it keeps families together. To me, that’s the number one thing that is occurring.”

New Vision for the Future

Where once there were only two, now there are 45 out of 115 lots being farmed since Hodson began. The project has increased the amount of farmed land by 50% with hopes to increase it 75% in the next 10 years.

Families are generating additional revenue. Income levels are rising, and Hawaii is able to reap locally grown food. Kids growing up in Hawaii have options for staying on the island and building a life. People are returning to their culture of self-sufficiency and self-determination. Families are seeing the therapeutic effect of farming, reconnecting with the earth and working with the soil. And the concept of community – extended beyond the family environment – is being embraced.

“It’s bringing us back full circle,” said Hodson. “Being a whole community is in our DNA. It’s the way our culture is supposed to be.”

In future plans, more greenhouses are in the works, along with a 35-acre community greenhouse, which will be open for use by Native Hawaiians, those on the waiting list for government lands, as well as all residents of Hawaii.

And now more funding is coming in from state and local sources, as other funders see all that’s possible based on Hodson’s vision.

“They didn’t want to fund us before because our theory wasn’t tested. But now we have that credibility, thanks to First Nations,” Hodson said.

Since 2012, First Nations has provided an additional $76,000 to strengthen the Farming for the Working Class project. With funding from the latest grant, Waimea will have the equipment and tools to develop a Farmers’ Market, a concept they’ve piloted through a three-month trial. Through the new market, farmers will have greater control over marketing and distribution, and be able to get more food directly to Hawaii’s chefs, stores and restaurants.

As an organization that has provided grants to more than 50 organizations in Indian Country in the last year alone, First Nations is proud to stand behind this project. “We invest in communities where others often aren’t. We see what they can do. And how it gives people hope,” Roberts said. “Things like Waimea give us incredible return.”

For more information about the Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders’ Association, go to http://hstrial-wwaimeahomestead.homestead.com/.

By Amy Jakober

Thunder Valley CDC is Helping Transform Pine Ridge

Posted on January 19, 2016 by rblauvelt

Lakota youth exploring the Food Sovereignty Initiative’s Community Garden

The people of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate are undergoing a revolution. After surviving generations of colonization, the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people are rising up from the weight of colonial legacies and building upon the work of their Indigenous ancestors to create a brighter future.

On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home to the Oglala Lakota, the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC) is helping to lead this transformation by creating models of change that will overpower the inter-generational poverty that has spawned from colonization. One of the first grant recipients of First Nations Development Institute, Thunder Valley CDC is actively working to address systemic inequity by bridging Lakota culture with the rapid pace of change in contemporary society.

“We’re taught to meet the Creator half way,” said Executive Director Nick Tilsen. “There has been a disconnect between Lakota culture and the way the Lakota People are actually living.”

High suicide rates, poor health outcomes, poverty and unemployment are rampant throughout the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. To address these issues, a group of young Lakota people, including Tilsen, decided to take action. Starting more than 10 years ago with a “budget of nothing,” they set out to combat the root causes of poverty and lack of progress on Pine Ridge, and from these efforts Thunder Valley CDC was established.

Creating a Community

Nick Tilsen speaks to the crowd about what to expect from the Regenerative Community Development

According to Tilsen, at the time Thunder Valley CDC was founded, there were no community development corporations on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and only a handful in Indian Country. Thunder Valley CDC needed resources to get started and realize the vision of making systemic change, which for them entailed building a regenerative, sustainable community.

“We knew we had a responsibility to improve the quality of life for the Lakota people,” said Tilsen.

By building a regenerative community, Thunder Valley CDC is creating an ecosystem of opportunity as a point for leveraging regional equity. First Nations Development Institute helped Thunder Valley with this vision by providing a series of grants through the Native Youth and Culture Fund. Early objectives included acquiring a facility, and devising a development plan to create jobs, provide housing, and build the economy. Further goals included establishing a Youth Leadership Development Program to help young people connect with their Lakota culture, and engage them in finding ways to make the community stronger.

“It’s been a movement of people returning to their culture and spirituality,” Tilsen said. “They have started seeing themselves as stakeholders in the community, who want something better for us all.”

Providing Hope and Inspiration

Workforce Development crew unloads lumber for one of their construction projects

Ongoing support from First Nations has helped the organization grow in size and capacity, and position itself for additional funding opportunities. The organization has been able to not only break ground on the regenerative community development, but also continually seek new ways to improve the resilience, health and prosperity of the Oglala Lakota people.

Thunder Valley CDC’s first Youth Leadership Development Program cohort has organized several healthy living events for peers and community members, using Thunder Valley CDC as a resource for making their visions into reality. Events have included a basketball tournament, a color run, a mud volleyball tournament, and a glow run, all completely organized by the youth cohort.

“We’ve created a space for youth to make decisions about their own future, without us dictating what that future would be,” Tilsen said.

Creating a Model to Build From

Today, Thunder Valley CDC has grown from a $50,000-a-year organization to over $2 million, and from having no facility and a few volunteers to over 24 employees in two locations. Through the years, they have served more than 1,000 people of Pine Ridge, engaging an additional 2,500 people in various programs and activities. They have established several initiatives and programs, including a Workforce Development Through Sustainable Construction programs (in its first cohort), Youth Leadership Development Program (also in its first cohort), Food Sovereignty Initiative, Lakota Language Initiative, Social Enterprise Initiative, Sustainable Home Ownership Program, and Self-Help Program. And where once there were no blueprints to follow for this type of impact, there are now nine community development centers on Pine Ridge, all benefiting from the model of Thunder Valley CDC.

“It’s our goal that what we’re doing here not only serves our community, but is an inspiration throughout Indian Country,” Tilsen said.

A little learner at the Lakota Language Initiative’s Immersion Childcare Program learns the Lakota alphabet.

Tilsen said Thunder Valley CDC is grateful to First Nations for the ongoing partnership, citing funding from both the Native Youth and Culture Fund and the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative. In addition to providing funding, he said First Nations brought Thunder Valley CDC together, helping them learn best practices of other grantees, providing technical assistance for communications and fundraising, and opening the door to additional opportunities and funders.

“First Nations made it possible for us to build our capacity and establish a track record,” he said. “No matter how big we’ve grown, First Nations’ continued support shows an investment in what we’re doing, and that means a lot coming from an organization whose mission is clearly aligned with ours.”

For more information on the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, visit http://www.thundervalley.org/.

By Amy Jakober

Cochiti’s Return to Native Foods Brings Better Health & Economy

Posted on January 19, 2016 by rblauvelt

In Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, young people are returning to farming and reigniting a passion for their Pueblo ancestry. Thanks to the Cochiti Youth Experience, they are embracing quality food and what it means to their culture, sustainability and future.

A-dae Romero-Briones

“We take a big-picture approach to health,” said A-dae Romero-Briones, co-founder of the Pueblo de Cochiti-based nonprofit organization. “In our equation, food equals health, but food encompasses community, economics, land and spirituality. If you improve food, you improve all those things.”

It is a belief that immediately resonated with First Nations Development Institute (First Nations).

“First Nations believed in us,” she said. “We were a small group, concerned about supporting our community. We wanted to start a program that focused on culture and on potential. We came up with ideas to get people focused on what we were eating – foods that our grandparents ate – and the importance of food to our ancestors.”

First Nations provided initial funding in 2012, then an additional grant in 2013, to support the Cochiti Youth Experience and promote the power of farming in core Pueblo values and healthy living. Immediate objectives were to create a localized food system – supporting existing farmers, teaching Cochiti youth traditional farming techniques, and reinvigorating the tradition of farming to strengthen the social institutions of the Cochiti people.

Starting with a few cooking classes, the Cochiti Youth Experience grew every year, creating opportunities for youth to establish food networks, such as farm-to-table programs, and programs that provide food to tribal elders and the local school district. The group also established the Cochiti Farmers Mentorship Program that develops mentoring partnerships between youth and older farmers in order to pass traditional Cochiti agricultural knowledge to the next generation.

Ken Romero

“We continually evolved our program to help as many people as possible,” said Executive Director Ken Romero. “That’s how everything needs to be done – from the bottom up. It’s not about how big we can get, it’s about how can we help: What’s the best way for us to minimize concerns or health problems and do the most good?”

In creating this food system, the Cochiti Youth Experience has stayed focused on investing in today’s youth, learning from and respecting elders, and creating a sustainable economy in Pueblo de Cochiti.

Youth Focused

First and foremost, the Cochiti Youth Experience starts with youth, said Romero. The organization reaches children and teens at an age when they may be at risk for truancy or alcohol use, and reconnects them back to the land and their legacy. “We are here to enable all youth to make better lifestyle choices – nutrition, exercise, diet – and empower them to make good decisions for their future.”

Elder Inspired

The Cochiti Youth Experience also prioritizes the role of farming for the Cochiti people. “You can hear about our language, traditions and ceremony, but what’s essential is that we are farmers. If we overlook that, what’s next?” asked Romero. To embrace the farming tradition, the organization focuses on the input of elders in the community, and helps young people learn directly from grandparents working in the field.

“Long ago, food and agriculture was both a community and individual choice,” Romero-Briones added. “But the food industry now is national, and the food we eat is all manufactured. With food tied into both economics and land access, it’s important to get back to our heritage, and advocate for tribal communities to define, maintain and perpetuate our customs – through the food we grow and value.”

Future Ready

Finally, the Cochiti Youth Experience has built an economy, a place where youth can begin careers in education, administration, conservancy, public service and a host of other industries. The organization aims to show young people that they can return to Pueblo de Cochiti to make a difference, and that they don’t have to move away to create a life elsewhere.

Another aspect of building that economy and fostering the Cochiti food system is making farming and agriculture a viable career option. To that end, the Cochiti Youth Experience makes a conscious decision to pay its farmers. “Young people need to know that farming is a valued profession. This instills pride and confidence, as we recognize that their knowledge and time is worth money,” said Romero-Briones.

Ongoing Impact

Today, the Cochiti Youth Experience recognizes that it can’t sit back and be happy with the status quo – they have to keep working to make things better, said Romero. The organization continually seeks new opportunities for producing quality food. “There is so much of the Pueblo life that’s involved throughout the whole circle – planting, harvest, storage and preparation. We want what’s best to empower everyone, everywhere.”

Since 2012, the Cochiti Youth Experience has served more than 2,311 meals to the community. The number of farm mentors has almost doubled, and the number of youth participating in the food programs has grown from 6 to 26.

But Romero underscores the ripple effect of these numbers. “If we reach 25 teens, we’re also reaching 50 parents, and their grandparents, and their brothers and sisters. It increases exponentially. These programs benefit the whole community,” he said.

Another benefit is that the Cochiti Youth Experience model is fully replicable, and Romero welcomes organizations throughout Indian Country to implement it in full or in part. “We want to share this with everybody. Come visit, take the time, try it out. It can make a huge difference,” he said.

Romero-Briones again thanks First Nations for believing in the Cochiti Youth Experience. “It’s allowed programming like ours to happen,” she said. “When you feel supported in communities that historically are least supported, it allows this renaissance to happen. First Nations focuses on potential.”

Learn more about the Cochiti Youth Experience and watch a First Nations Development Institute video about “The Changing Landscape of Native American Food Sources” featuring Ken Romero and the Cochiti Youth Experience, along with the pueblos of Nambé and Santo Domingo.

By Amy Jakober