Organization: THE TRIBAL TRUST FOUNDATION INC
Mission: Supporting the preservation of indigenous cultures and wisdom through philanthropy and education to promote living in harmony with nature and each other.
Activities: The Tribal Trust Foundations (TTF) mission is to support the preservation of indigenous cultures around the world, including their living arts and traditional wisdom. The non-profit does this through philanthropy, education, and collaborative projects. The TTF annually organizes programs in the Santa Barbara area that have local and global impact. These include public presentations honoring indigenous wisdom-keepers and travel opportunities. Donations raised through trips to Bhutan and Namibia support indigenous grass roots cultural preservation projects. For example, TTF funded the first Monpa Day in December 2019. The festival revived ancient culture and traditions while showcasing them to the global community in attendance. We also funded a Laya (Nomadic People of the Himalayas) youth directed preservation initiative. The TTF continues to work with photographers and filmmakers in documenting indigenous people. We are also collaborating with the Tarayana Foundation to record the knowledge of the Monpa Natural Healer, Ap Tawla, in a book and on film. All TTF documentation (photos and footage) of the San was accepted in the Human Studies Film Archive at the Smithsonian this year.
NTEE category: International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
Secondary category: Arts, Culture & Humanities