Our work
Responsibility
carried into action.
Our strategic pillars connect spiritual life, culture, knowledge, environment, food, community, education, and economic sustainability.
2026–2031 Strategic Plan
Eight interconnected pillars.
Together, these priorities form a comprehensive framework for restoring relationships, advancing self-determination, protecting cultural heritage, stewarding our traditional homeland, and building a sustainable future.
01
Spiritual Sovereignty
Ceremony, prayer, sacred places, traditional teachings, and opportunities for cultural and spiritual renewal.
02
Cultural Sovereignty
Language, oral histories, arts, songs, dances, ceremonies, Traditional Indigenous Knowledge, and intergenerational learning.
03
Knowledge Sovereignty
Elder knowledge, respectful research, archives, educational resources, and partnerships guided by community priorities.
04
Environmental Sovereignty
Native habitat restoration, watershed and cultural landscape protection, cultural resources, and long-term land stewardship.
05
Food Sovereignty
Traditional harvesting and food practices that sustain the land and community, including gathering, hunting, fishing, cultivation, gardens, preparation, and community health.
06
Community Sovereignty
Ongoing wellness meetings, teaching and learning truthful history, recovery from historic trauma, housing, health partnerships, social assistance, scholarships, leadership, and Elder support.
07
Educational Sovereignty
Curriculum, school and university partnerships, museums, publications, exhibits, presentations, and digital media.
08
Economic Sovereignty
Grants, aligned donations, stewardship and cultural resource contracts, strategic partnerships, and financial sustainability.
Our priorities
Restoring relationships and building a sustainable future.
MASF centers the cultural, spiritual, environmental, educational, community, and economic responsibilities that strengthen Mutsun-Awaswas sovereignty.
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Culture, language & ceremony
- Restore language and traditional knowledge
- Expand ceremonies and cultural revitalization
- Protect sacred places and cultural resources
- Strengthen intergenerational learning
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Land, water & food
- Establish a community garden
- Develop a community tree program and seek contributions
- Restore habitats and traditional food systems
- Pursue land stewardship and acquisition
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Community well-being
- Hold ongoing wellness meetings
- Teach and learn truthful history
- Support recovery from historic trauma
- Advance housing, health, social assistance, and scholarships
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Partnerships & sustainability
- Pursue a formal MOU with California State Parks
- Strengthen relationships throughout Santa Cruz County
- Develop grants, donations, and fundraising capacity
- Build respectful long-term partnerships
Growing with care: These initiatives will develop through community guidance, formal agreements, responsible fundraising, and partnerships aligned with Mutsun-Awaswas priorities.
Our promise
The work continues until the last sunrise.
We inherit responsibilities that began long before us and will continue long after us. MASF exists to ensure that our culture, language, spirituality, traditional knowledge, stewardship, food systems, and relationships with our human and non-human relatives continue to thrive.
Stand with MASF