IndigenousWays (IW) promotes living in balance for diverse communities through music, arts, outreach and events. The communities are in desperate need to connect after the extended Covid separation. Indigenous Music in the Park (IMITP) is the perfect project to do that -honoring NAI presenters, artists, musicians and doing it safely – outdoors in parks around O’ga P’ogeh Owingeh.
As Indigenous women founders, their identities are embedded in the communities they serve. They are Indigenous to two separate hemispheres, and retain important ties to their homelands and people – Navajo, Maori and Samoan. They are part of the 2 Spirit (2S) community in Santa Fe.
Tash Terry is a nationally certified ASL interpreter and has honed IW’s awareness and outreach to the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) communities. Their programs and projects seek communication and understanding among those communities.
IndigenousWays represents the variety of cultures and ‘grass roots’ voices of people living near and far. IW is a NAI/2S organization and their collective experiences as educators, artists, and women all contribute to the diversity and success of their co-created events in remote areas: Santa Fe, Northern New Mexico, Arizona and throughout Indian Country.
IW serves, represents and presents to a broad community: Indigenous peoples in both hemispheres, intersecting with 2S members of those communities as well as D/HH. As a small grass roots non-profit, they are part of a ripple effect to raise the bar to support NAI, 2S and D/HH presenters, providing access to all.
There are several platforms to reach beyond the small neighborhood of Santa Fe, in diverse languages and to other cultures. IW will continue to preserve and grow the community they represent and serve. Plans are in place to continue to strengthen and improve their virtual presence to enlarge the sharing and communication among NAI,2S and D/HH communities. Voices of Indigenous community members convey much more than cold data about reality back home – and IW is committed to amplifying those voices. IW’s networks serve to bridge the geographic divide that otherwise separate peoples spread across two hemispheres.
