Restoring Balance Collaborative

Reading Theory of Water, I am reminded that water is a teacher in all its forms—ice, snow, rain, and breath. It is a living force that defies boundaries and constantly shifts and cycles. Betasamosake is beautiful story, weaving stories of water, resistance and restorative justice.

Join us virtually at World Water Week for our Power of Indigenous Leadership and Water Wisdom Seminar Series in Stockholm! The Restoring Balance Collaborative will be convening 12 Indigenous leaders for three sessions alongside our partners. 𝙑𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚.

We hope to see you at our sessions.
👉https://worldwaterweek.org/2026/tickets

California will transfer 136 acres of Blues Beach and Mendocino County bluffs to Kai Poma, a non-profit founded by representatives of the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

Read more here...
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-02/california-returns-stretch-of-coast-to-indigenous-tribes-who-consider-it-sacred

Collective learning takes many forms. One of our favorite invitations from this season is to sit in the sun with a good book. As part of a new series, our team will be sharing what we're reading every month. Add to the comments the books on your reading list!

Honored to share the OP-ED written for Green Fire Times, Water is Source: Remembering our Relationship with Sacred Waters. The article like Sacred Waters, moves through the water cycle highlights initial reflections from our gathering last month. We invite you to read the full article below.

𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑺𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 200 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 60 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈.

Article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Upsy8hGDaqyOUSxeBqLosiBMQVsIoJqj/view?usp=sharing

Emerging Indigenous leaders carry the vision, responsibility, and courage needed to steward the future. We are pleased to announce our Emerging Leaders for Restoring Balance (EL4RB) Fellows and their projects.

We are still riding the waves created at A Meeting of Sacred Waters. We have so much to share from our gathering! For now, we are taking this moment to celebrate the voices, stories and waters that came together.

The Matariki Season is a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future. The three principles of Matariki:

Matariki Hunga Nui - Remembrance
Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki.

Matariki Ahunga Nui - Celebrating the Present
Gathering together to give thanks for what we have.

Matariki Manako Nui- Looking to the Future
Looking forward to the promise of a new year.

Learn more: https://www.matariki.com/

🌿 Good news for the land.

More than 45,000 acres of Arizona land are moving into federal trust for the Hopi Tribe, marking another significant step in one of the largest Tribal land consolidation efforts currently underway in the United States.

This latest transfer follows more than 20,000 acres transferred in 2024, bringing the total to over 65,000 acres as the Hopi Tribe moves closer to reconnecting more than 270,000 acres of culturally, agriculturally, and economically significant lands.

For the Hopi Tribe, this is about more than acreage. It's another step toward strengthening Tribal sovereignty, restoring stewardship, and caring for lands that have sustained communities for generations.

📸 Adapted from reporting by .
📰 https://tribalbusinessnews.com/sections/real-estate/15651-rare-friendly-condemnation-would-transfer-45-000-acres-to-hopi-tribeIndigenousPeoples

GOOD NEWS FOR THE LAND 🌿

In Costa Rica’s Talamanca region, Indigenous Bribri women are protecting forests, biodiversity, and cultural knowledge through regenerative agroforestry practices rooted in generations of stewardship and reciprocity.

Their farming systems mimic the diversity of the forest itself — creating space for food sovereignty, medicinal plants, climate resilience, and community independence. Stories like this remind us that Indigenous communities have long carried solutions for living in relationship with the land. 🖤

Read more via Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/for-costa-ricas-indigenous-bribri-women-agroforestry-is-an-act-of-resistance-and-resilience/