Creating Wellness Through Uplifting Native Culture

By Marisol Inzunza, Program Officer

Photo by artist Cara Romero.

Culture is medicine for wellness.

I brought that wisdom with me to The California Wellness Foundation, a lesson learned through my 17 years working to support Tribes that are among the First Peoples of this nation. Some of the most impactful moments of my life have been spent with Native people, witnessing their spiritual relationship to the land and hearing the ancient languages that have sustained them for generations.

These experiences were even more meaningful knowing the strength it took for Native Americans to hold on to their languages and culture while enduring forced assimilation, violence and displacement from ancestral lands at the hands of Spanish colonizers and the American government.

Through our foundation’s grantmaking focused on Leading for Power and Change, I saw a clear opportunity for Cal Wellness to support the wellness of Native communities by reclaiming culture and language. And I recognized that a different approach to grantmaking would be needed. That’s because what has been taught to me as important to Tribes — language, revitalization of culture, traditional ceremonies, having access to land where you can pray — doesn’t fit neatly into foundation strategy boxes and outcomes.

The first step in developing a relationship with Native communities is not to request a proposal and then make a site visit. In Indian Country, reciprocity is what matters and that begins with a trusting relationship grounded in listening and being in community. You take in the creation stories, hear the sacred songs, acknowledge the ancestors and break bread together. Then, you can begin talking about possibilities for collaboration.

It was through these conversations that opportunities emerged for Cal Wellness to support the So’Oh-Shinali Sister Project, created by three Native women driven to create culturally-rooted community opportunities for wellness and education. We also support Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival, working to revitalize Native languages through programs and events, and the California Indian Basketweavers Association to preserve and promote basketry traditions. There is also a deep connection between civic engagement and health, and we support the California Native Vote Project, an organization that builds political power through an integrated voter engagement strategy.

As a health funder, we believe the recovery of Tribal cultural practices advances individual wellness, community health and power-building. And as a funder committed to racial equity, we believe we have an opportunity and responsibility to do more to support Native communities. Research from Native Americans in Philanthropy found that Native people make of 2.9% of the U.S. population but receive only 0.4% of grant dollars from large foundations.

Philanthropy has made some progress in elevating the importance of supporting Native people, but there is much more we can do to be stronger allies and advocates. We can step up and stand in solidarity through:

Investing the time to become true allies and partners of Tribal leaders and Native-led nonprofits. Don’t just read reports and news stories. Build relationships with Native leaders, ask what they need and provide support.
Seeking grantmaking guidance from respected organizations such as Native Americans in Philanthropy and the First Nations Development Institute.
Expanding Native representation among foundation staff, board members and contractors. Cal Wellness is honored to have the leadership of Virginia Hedrick, an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe of California who is of Karuk descent, on our board of directors.
Going beyond land acknowledgements to embrace wealth acknowledgements that are open about the sources of philanthropic endowments and how exploitation of natural resources once held by Native people may have contributed to wealth accumulation. With this acknowledgment comes a responsibility to repair this harm through actions such as supporting Tribal efforts to regain control of land and water and advancing the priorities of local Tribes and Native-led nonprofits.

On Sept. 27, we celebrate the rich history of our state’s Tribes on the annual California Native American Day. California is home to more people of Native descent than any other state, with 109 federally recognized Tribes and dozens more that were stripped of their federal status and are seeking restoration.

In supporting cultural revitalization and the vision of Tribal communities for a just future, we are uplifting Native people as rightful leaders in movements for wellness and racial justice.

Photo by artist Cara Romero.

Program Officer Marisol Inzunza

Marisol Inzunza is program officer for the Leading for Power and Change portfolio. As a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, Inzunza has a personal commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. She has chosen to serve marginalized communities because she knows firsthand the struggles low-income communities have with language, achieving equitable education and access to healthcare.

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Creating Wellness Through Uplifting Native Culture

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