Unkitawa

Mission:   Heal & educate indigenous peoples through culture & education 

Vision: Seven Generations of Ancestral Healing! 

“Unkitawa” is the Lakota word meaning “ours,” “yours,” and “mine.” It embodies the concept that what belongs to each of us individually equally belongs to all living things.

What We Do

Unkitawa uses traditional art, culture, and ceremony to assist and support Indigenous communities in South King County, Washington State, and beyond. Our founders and supporters are dedicated, results-oriented people who came together to support efforts that protect and heal the Earth for the benefit of all.

Unkitawa is a 501c3 non-profit formed and operated by a majority Indigenous staff, senior staff, and board of directors.

Serves: Indigenous communities, Veterans, Elders, youth, Families, LGBTQ+, BIPOC from King County, Pierce County, Yakima County, Oregon, Idaho, Canada, S Dakota. 

PROGRAMS:

Veterans Program 

Our Veterans program removes barriers and provides services that deliver equitable opportunities to empower indigeneous veterans, service members, and their families to achieve their greatest potential. Unkitawa is one of the King County Veterans Program’s (KCVP) key partners providing Native American pathfinding for Native Americans experiencing hardship in King County.

Re-Entry Program 

The Re-Entry program provides cultural services to all the prisons in Washington state. They provide regalia making, pow wow, dance, singing, and sweat lodge service. The re-entry team is passionate about serving the Indigenous inmates and helping the inmates find a cultural connection. These cultural connections are healing to the inmates and can potentially help the inmates find in their lives and heal holistically.

Indigenous Wellness Program 

Our Indigenous Wellness program provides classes and resources for the community that promote whole-person wellness through food, culture, self-help, and traditional medicines.

• Community and Womens Wellness
• Community Night
• Elders Luncheons
• Farmers Market Field Trips
• Wellbriety Wednesdays
• Tradtional Ecological Knowledge: We explore traditional medicines by way of learning the interconnectedness with plants, animals, living systems, traditions, sustainability practices and environmental issues. Living and learning throughout the seasons as our ancestors did will be an integral part of this program. From soil, plant ID, gathering practices, ceremony, cleaning, prep, preservation, we will learn the importance of safety and stewardship based upon ancestral teachings.