Resource Library

This Steward Success Story highlights the work of Regional Roundtable Grant Recipient and RBC Core Steward Organization, Huliauapa'a. Huliauapa'a is an Indigenous-led nonprofit whose mission is to grow Hawai'i’s communities through culturally based innovative learning, leadership development, and collaborative networking in wahi kūpuna stewardship. Their roundtable provided dedicated space for critical dialogue around shared ideas, resources, and strategies to mobilize the Kūlana Kahu'āina.

Regional Roundtable grants support our Core Stewards who are leading land and water stewardship solutions and initiatives in their homelands. They explore what we have in common in terms of the systems change we are leading, the sectors they are engaging, the barriers and resiliency factors, and recommendations for reinforcing Indigenous-led solutions going forward. In 2025-26, four RBC Core Stewards received the Regional Roundtable Grants.

The Collaborative's Principles and Values guide our efforts and our partnerships.

A Meeting of Sacred Waters (Sacred Waters) is a biennial meeting that creates space for stewards to share worldviews, values, and knowledge in the collective effort to restore and protect the health of traditional waterways. Gathering in the Pueblo of Isleta, Sacred Waters 2026 brought together more than 200 participants representing more than 40 Tribes, Nations, and Iwi. In this video, we share highlights from our time together. We move forward with good hearts into action and continue our efforts to transform systems.

This video was produced by No Reservations Productions.

Fulfilling our Sacred Responsibilities to Creation: Revitalizing the Indigenous Mind, Body and Spirit

A Meeting of Sacred Waters Keynote Speaker

Dr. Dan Longboat - Roronhiakewen (He Clears the Sky)Turtle Clan, member of the Mohawk Nation and Citizen of the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy (Canada)Dr. Longboat reminds us that Indigenous laws and values born from Creation guide how we carry ourselves in the world and how we relate to one another and our natural world. He talks about the wampum belt and the parallel journey of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples along the river of life. The relationship between us is eternal, guided by the principles of peace, respect, and friendship to be upheld by us both. The wampum belt is also a symbol of the two knowledge systems and worldviews, how they can work together, and the principles that guide how knowledge is shared as established by our ancestors. Today, we need to apply these principles to create true collaboration and cooperation across knowledge systems for positive change in the world so that all life will continue.

This promotional toolkit is intended for our community partners, allies, sponsors, donors, keynote speakers, presenters, and facilitators.

Thank you for helping share A Meeting of Sacred Waters 2026 with your networks. This gathering relies on relationships, shared responsibility, and collective care for water. Everything in this toolkit is designed to make it easy to share in ways that feel aligned with your voice and your audience.

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Whether you’ve been part of our community for years, attended Sacred Waters, or followed and supported our work, this is a chance to reconnect and reflect on our progress together. Learn about what we’ve accomplished, what’s in store for the journey ahead and how you can get involved with the Restoring Balance Collaborative.

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To access the recording, please enter: .LR6j.EW

The Restoring Balance Collaborative (Collaborative) is dedicated to advancing Indigenous-led systems transformation to meaningfully address critical responses to climate challenges and their health impacts.

Ā Mua, i Muri ō Kōrero—walking backwards into the future.

We reflect on the past and look ahead with the Restoring Balance Collaborative. What impact have we made, what lessons shaped us, and where do we grow next? This three-year impact report highlights the progress, achievements, and impact of our growing practice community.

Inspired by the desert water cycle, the summary guides us through a transformational process by highlighting our interconnectedness with the natural world. Each section begins with a guiding question and then summarizes examples of Indigenous-led guardianship, stewardship, and management practices that were shared. We invite readers to use the summary to guide future efforts and support Indigenous-led initiatives.

Nearly 200 people representing Indigenous Communities from Turtle Island and across the Pacific traveled to the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico for A Meeting of Sacred Waters held March 12-13, 2024. From this gathering place, one could see the Rio Grande River, or as it is known in Isleta, the Mother Blue River. Sadly, the river is no longer safe for drinking or cultural purposes due to pollution caused by the City of Albuquerque. Twenty-three sovereign Pueblos and Tribal Nations have fought for decades to protect the Rio Grande River Basin. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has left more than 90 percent of the state’s surface waters without environmental protections, making them the most threatened waterways in the U.S. This story is just one of many shared at the gathering. Indigenous-led solutions are needed to address today’s water challenges and shift power dynamics in a way that respects sovereignty and Indigenous knowledge systems.

The impact of climate change and ecosystem collapse can no longer be ignored. We have reached a critical moment, a tipping point that calls for informed and effective climate action. “Engaging Indigenous communities” as suggested by the United Nations, national governments, researchers, and others is not enough. Indigenous-led systems transformation is needed to inform legal, regulatory, policy, and practical approaches to ensure an abundant future. Now is the time to deconstruct the systems and practices that reinforce colonialism and perpetuate inequities. In 2021, Red Star International, Inc. (Red Star), an Indigenous-led non-profit organization based in the U.S., explored the potential role a global, multi-sector Indigenous collaborative could have in advancing systems transformation for the well-being of humanity and the environment. This practice brief summarizes the participatory process utilized and Red Star’s future directions based on project outcomes.

Indigenous wellbeing is based on interconnected social and ecological systems that are being disrupted by the changing climate. Ken Paul will explore traditional Wolastoqey teachings for balancing spiritual, emotional, physical and mental health in the individual, and then expand on these teachings to a societal level. During this interactive webinar, we will discuss some of the priorities necessary to have healthy nations and societies, while examining modern pressures that push us out of balance. The framework that will be shared is based on a traditional 4 directions model and can be applied to many other aspects of our daily lives.

In 2020, concerns for the threatened Colorado River Basin drove Indigenous Leaders from Arizona on a remarkable journey to meet the Māori peoples of the Whanganui River. After winning a 175-year battle, the Whanganui River Tribes inspired the world when New Zealand law recognized their river as a living entity. Indigenous Leaders from tribes in Arizona and the Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand participated in an Indigenous knowledge exchange about the health and healing of our rivers. Selection: American Indian Film Festival 2021 Best Documentary Hepwesa Award Winner: Indie Film Fest 2023 Director: Anna Marbrook