Indigenous East

03/04/2025

Join Us for a Historic Moment! We’re unveiling the Yesáh Art Monument—a powerful tribute to our ancestors, culture, and community resilience. This landmark represents reclamation, visibility, and the strength of our people.

📅 March 22, 2025 (Rain date: March 23)
📍 Saponi Town Representation Site | Lawrenceville, VA
🕚 Private Unveiling (Yesáh Community & Family ONLY): 11:00 AM
🕛 Public Unveiling (All Are Welcome!): 12:15 PM

Come witness history, celebrate with us, and learn about our cultural preservation efforts.

🔗 RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/yc6rh6z2
✋🏽Want to volunteer? Sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/5ekrhb6t

02/28/2025

Big Changes at Indigenous East

As Indigenous East continues to grow and evolve, Alexa is now stepping into a dual role as Executive Director and Program Manager, leading client calls, managing projects, and ensuring the continued success of our initiatives!

Meanwhile, Dominique has begun transitioning out of her role, scaling back in February and March to finalize projects and strengthen connections. This April, she’ll be stepping away for an indefinite hiatus to focus on her storytelling and consulting work—excitingly, this includes beginning a Creative Writing MFA program this summer! This next chapter will allow her to deepen her work at the intersection of storytelling, advocacy, and community building.

This isn’t goodbye—just a shift in the journey. If you’d like to stay connected with Dominique, you can follow her storytelling and consulting work and her artwork and fashion at .

Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to this work. We look forward to crossing paths in new and exciting ways!

02/28/2025

02/28/2025

We’re honored to be part of the groundbreaking Southeastern Indigenous Environmental Conference, hosted by !

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Join us for the Land Sovereignty and Indigenous Foodways panel on March 7, 2025, from 12:30–1:30 PM. Register and use the app to learn more about our inspiring speakers, including Indigenous East founder Alexa, Dominique from IE, and an incredible lineup of knowledge keepers:
✨ Dr. Alexandra Sutton
✨ Dominique Daye Hunter
✨ Ramona Big Eagle
✨ Angela Ferguson

11/15/2024

🌽 Today, on National Philanthropy Day, we take a moment to honor the power of giving and the transformative impact that philanthropy has on our communities.

🌽 At Indigenous East, we believe that true philanthropy is rooted in mutual respect, reciprocity, and the preservation of our cultural heritage. Through supporting land rematriation, advocating for Black and Indigenous communities, and empowering our ancestors' teachings, we continue to build a legacy of healing and justice for future generations.

🌽 We are grateful for every individual, organization, and community member whose generosity and commitment to our shared vision drive positive change. Whether through time, resources, or advocacy, your support is helping to reclaim ancestral lands, uplift voices, and create spaces where healing and justice can thrive.

🌽 You can support our work by donating here: https://tinyurl.com/5n6hbryb

🌽 Bila:huk. Thank you for being a part of this important work. Together, we honor the land, our ancestors, and the communities we serve. 🌱

Photo of our ED, Convening Circle, Network Members, and Program Manager courtesy of the

10/09/2024

🌻💧Saturday was a highlight for us at Rally 2024 as we facilitated the Indigenous Land Rematriation in the East Panel. Our Program Manager, Dominique Daye Hunter, introduced attendees to Indigenous East before the panel began, setting the stage for a powerful discussion on land rematriation.

🌻💧We were honored to hear from an incredible lineup of speakers:

• Dr. Crystal Cavalier Keck (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), CEO of 7 Directions of Service and CEO of the MMIW NC Coalition.
• Acting Chief Cheryl Cail (Waccamaw Indian People)
• Talia Landry (Mashpee Wampanoag), President of the Tribal Chartered Corporation and representative of the 12 Acres Project.
• Bianca Collins (Shinnecock Nation), Councilwoman for the Shinnecock Nation.

🌻💧Their insights on the critical issue of rematriating land to Indigenous hands were both moving and inspiring. The discussions reinforced our strength and resilience as Indigenous communities reclaim our relationship with the land. We felt so empowered and at home surrounded by fellow Indigenous people who share our values and passions.

🌻💧Stay tuned—we’ll be uploading the video of the panel soon, so you can experience this powerful conversation!

🌻💧Let’s keep this conversation going and build on this momentum as we advocate for our land and communities!

10/09/2024

🍽️ On Friday during Rally 2024, Indigenous East hosted the Indigenous Land Conservation Lunch, a much-needed follow-up to the Indigenous Land Conservation Summit. This gathering provided a safe affinity space for Native folks to connect and share amidst a predominantly non-BIPOC conference.

🍽️ It was a vital moment of solidarity, allowing us to continue meaningful conversations from the Summit.

🍽️ We are proud of the strides we are making together in our land rematriation efforts and are grateful for the connections we fostered during this event.

🍽️ Bíse:huk! Thank you to everyone who joined us and to PiANTA Vegan Restaurant for the amazing vegan and gluten free options including your delectable corn on the cob ribs 🌽🍖🤤 and pumpkin pie pudding 🎃🥧😍

10/09/2024

🌾 We at Indigenous East are feeling deeply grateful for the transformative experience at the Land Trust Alliance’s Rally 2024 conference! It was an honor for us to contribute to several powerful events centered around Indigenous land conservation and rematriation. A heartfelt thank you to the Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples for hosting us on their traditional homelands—the hospitality at the Sly Fox Den, especially from Chef Sherry Pocknett, the First Indigenous Woman to win a James Beard Award, was amazing!

🌾 Our Program Manager, Dominique Daye Hunter, had the privilege of serving on the planning committee for the Indigenous Land Conservation Summit for the second year. She also hosted a Storytelling Reflection Grounding workshop at the beautiful Rhode Island Audubon Nature Center, where participants shared their earliest memories of connecting with the land. The stories exchanged in that intimate space were both beautiful and healing.

🌾 We were especially proud to see our Founder, Dr. Alexa Sutton Lawrence, take the stage on the Funding and Resources Panel. Her expertise in securing resources for Indigenous land conservation is invaluable, and she shared critical insights on how funding can empower our communities in their rematriation efforts. Her passion for advocating for Indigenous rights and sustainable land stewardship was truly inspiring and resonated with many attendees.

🌾 Let’s keep the momentum going in our collective work for Indigenous land conservation!

09/19/2024

🌿 Join us for an impactful discussion on Indigenous Land Rematriation in the Eastern U.S. at the Land Trust Alliance Rally 2024!

🗓 Date: Saturday, September 28
🕥 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
📍 Area of Focus: Stewarding & Restoring Land D18

Hosted by Dr. Alexa Sutton Lawrence (Saponi Nation of Ohio), Executive Director of the Landberry Foundation, and Dominique Daye Hunter (Saponi of Granville Co., NC), Program Manager at Indigenous East, this panel features remarkable voices:

✨ Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation), CEO of 7 Directions of Service and CEO of MMIW NC Coalition
✨ Chief Cheryl Cail (Waccamaw Indian People), Chief of the Waccamaw Indian People
✨ Talia Landry (Mashpee Wampanoag), President of the Tribal Chartered Corporation
✨ Bianca Collins (Shinnecock Nation), Councilwoman for the Shinnecock Nation

This powerful discussion will explore the meaning of land rematriation, the challenges and barriers to access, and a call to action for Indigenous-led rematriation projects in the East. We invite non-Indigenous supporters to learn more about the Indigenous communities around them and how they can contribute to these vital initiatives.

🚨 Important: You must register at alliancerally.org to attend, and we are almost at capacity!

🌍 Let's come together to steward and restore our lands!

04/17/2024

04/16/2024

🌻🗣️ We are excited to announce that registration for the 2024 Yesa Language & Lifeways Gathering is now LIVE!

🌻🗣️The deadline to register is June 15th. However, space is limited and registration may close sooner if capacity is reached. We are already at 2/3 capacity. So please register ASAP! Yesa community members given priority.

➡️🌻🗣️Register here: https://forms.gle/z4TrgVUtsFRgsRbo9

🌻🗣️Be sure to check back on our site for the conference agenda: www.yesasahin.org/events. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

04/10/2024

7 Directions of Service Otapʰaíx i ISTEAM PROGRAM SUMMER

7DS Collaborative will implement and share land-based educational materials developed in collaboration with families, communities, educators, and research.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdChD_3xP3wYF2bUOPgqE8HZxpPxhIVxI86K5r9K51uT1tUDQ/viewform