Native Led. Native Controlled.
Forming an Indigenous structure for understanding health and well-being as a form of both individual and collective healing:
To disrupt the lasting effects of historical trauma we look for projects and activities to revitalize and strengthen traditional Cherokee culture, working to reduce the health disparities for Native communities through engagement in the preservation and respectful application of community held knowledge. This statement encompasses all actions that center someone and their relationships in a positive way, including the arts. We are guided by Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), specifically, the following Cherokee principles:
ᎦᏚᎩ Gadugi — “mutual aid” — people coming together as one and working to help one another
ᏚᏴᎾᎧᏔ Duyvktv — “the right way” — to have balance in good and evil, the roles of male and female, life and death, war and peace, and other aspects of life
ᏙᎯ Tohi — “for health” — physically or mentally well, an unstressed or unhurried pace like the rivers or the creeks run, indicating peace or serenity, balance, reciprocity
Our Program Areas
Art, Language & Healing
To reduce health disparities in Native communities through the preservation and application of indigenous knowledge, including language, regional artisan natural resources and methodologies, and community healing through traditional means.
To educate and consult with prospective community health providers, facilities, and other professionals regarding traditional cultural practices regarding health and wellness. To mentor native youth into post-secondary education and careers in STEM based professions, particularly in medical fields.
Education & Training
To work with community members and tribal governments to develop tribally initiated programs and projects designed to safeguard and co-steward land, ecology, and conservation as prioritized by native community members.
Land & Wellness
To support the needs of women, children and families in the local and tribal community. To address health disparities in prenatal care, birthing, mothering, and early childhood education in our community. To work with local and national organizations in their advocacy and awareness work on behalf of MMIR.
Maternal & Child Health
Our Biannual Newsletter serves to update volunteers, donors, and community members twice a year about what we’ve been doing, our work with young people in the community, and hear from our Board and Staff about upcoming projects. Sign up today to receive our Newsletter via email!
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“...Health is more than the absence of disease; it includes a fully confident sense of a smooth life, peaceful existence, unhurried pace, and easy flow of time. The natural state of the world is to be neutral, balanced, with a similarly gently flowing pattern... All aspects—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—figure into the Cherokee concept of good health.”
— Lisa Lefler, PhD