Rooted In The Land

Empowering Indigenous Women In Ranching

According to the Native Land Information System (NLIS),

“Data shows that women comprise over 50% of the Native American Farmers and Ranchers operating on Native American Reservations and nearly 46% of the Native American operators nationwide. This is compared to only 33.37% women participation for non-native farm operators.”

Overview

WIR’s Rooted in the Land centers Indigenous Women in Ranching, celebrating their knowledge and expertise. The program aims to empower Indigenous women through knowledge transfer, cultivating skills for leadership and growth, and honoring cultural traditions through a series of engaging in-person and virtual events tailored to the unique needs of each community.

Women in Ranching aims to support indigenous communities in perpetuating Traditional Ecological Knowledge through shared understanding of our kinship roles, relatedness and languages. We seek to articulate a sacred + sophisticated perspective of our relationship to the land that values creativity, innovation and resilience ultimately rooted in Indigenous knowledge.

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Team

Our team is composed of Indigenous women living and ranching on the Blackfeet Nation, Navajo Nation, and Northern Cheyenne Nation. They celebrate culture and language, continuing education in practical ranch skills, leadership tools & resources, and ongoing support for producers and their communities.

  • Erin Thomas is from White Cone, Navajo Nation (Arizona), and is the daughter of countless generations of conservationists and ranchers. Erin owns White Shell Resource Consultants, a natural resources consulting firm based on the Navajo Nation, and is a managing member of 4 Canyons Land & Cattle Co, a ranching operation also based on the Navajo Nation. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Arizona, worked for over a decade for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Rangeland Management Specialist, and is experienced in nonprofit management.

    Erin’s most significant accomplishment to date was deciding to build a business at home on the Navajo Nation after years of working off the reservation. She focuses on the continued development of a culturally relevant conservation consulting business, building a profitable ranching business with her family, and empowering land users through knowledge and awareness of conservation issues.

  • On their family ranch at the base of the Rocky Mountains bordering Glacier National Park, Tiffany, her husband and two children raise cattle and horses. With 10 years experience as a school district Business Manager, Tiffany now enjoys her role of a full time ranch/rodeo wife, sports Mother and part time consultant. Her family also owns and operates Deep Creek Feeds, a small family owned livestock mineral business. She enjoys colt starting, breakaway roping, barrels and her peaceful hours spent at the barn. With her values in the ranching lifestyle, Blackfeet culture, and love for horses, Tiffany finds fulfillment in raising her children in the lifestyle. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and associates in equine management. Tiffany loves to serve as an ambassador for her AG Community, Women in Ranching and people of the Blackfeet Nation.

  • As a Northern Cheyenne rancher and director/effector of the Wild Rose Center, a retreat and community resource center, I believe that Land has the power to heal us. I also believe that Food is medicine and I subscribe to the Native American philosophy that we are all related. I love meeting people who are making change- small ones and big ones and supporting their journey.

Programming

Our programs are centered in healing and nurturing the wholeness of the women we serve. Through the lens of “Whole Woman Care” we intend to nurture all aspects of a woman’s life, including physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions to promote overall well-being. Through whole woman care, storytelling and elevating the culture particular to each of the three tribal nations identified above, we are increasing equity, elevating community, sharing power, and building the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Gallery Archive

Event Archive

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