OUR PROGRAMS
OUR PROGRAMS
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
BEES
We reignite the spirit of relationship between our bees and the Laguna Pueblo community. The project is closely tied to our agricultural efforts and the restoration of native flora. Our beekeepers are certified by the NM — New Mexico Beekeepers Association. Bringing back the bees to the Laguna Pueblo community is creating a healthy and thriving ecosystem based on relationships among the land, the plants, the pollinators, and humans so we can all benefit.
AGRICULTURE
We cultivate community fields and focus on strengthening our Indigenous and ancestral agriculture techniques. Our work nurtures pollinators and native flora for long-term sustainability and community resilience.
Restoration of healthy, native foods allows our community to become increasingly devoid of processed foods and can provide a sustainable source of income for Indigenous farmers, supporting farm-to-table initiatives.
HORNOS
HORNOS
Traditional cooking methods help nourish our community’s collective memory and relationship to place. The communal adobe complements our Pueblo’s local efforts to revitalize the cultivation of native foods and strengthen our knowledge of earthen architecture. Following cultural protocols, YAKANAL gifted three hornos to Laguna Pueblo for community use.
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
AGRICULTURE
We cultivate community fields and focus on strengthening our Indigenous and ancestral agriculture techniques. Our work nurtures pollinators and native flora for long-term sustainability and community resilience.
Restoration of healthy, native foods allows our community to become increasingly devoid of processed foods and can provide a sustainable source of income for Indigenous farmers, supporting farm-to-table initiatives.
BEES
We reignite the spirit of relationship between our bees and the Laguna Pueblo community. The project is closely tied to our agricultural efforts and the restoration of native flora. Our beekeepers are certified by the NM — New Mexico Beekeepers Association. Bringing back the bees to the Laguna Pueblo community is creating a healthy and thriving ecosystem based on relationships among the land, the plants, the pollinators, and humans so we can all benefit.
HORNOS
We reignite the spirit of relationship between our bees and the Laguna Pueblo community. The project is closely tied to our agricultural efforts and the restoration of native flora. Our beekeepers are certified by the NM — New Mexico Beekeepers Association. Bringing back the bees to the Laguna Pueblo community is creating a healthy and thriving ecosystem based on relationships among the land, the plants, the pollinators, and humans so we can all benefit.
MOTHER MOON AND THE STARS
MOTHER MOON AND THE STARS
KERES LANGUAGE & ARTS
KERES LANGUAGE & ARTS
The light of Mother Moon animates the relationship of YAKANAL participants with the mover of Earth’s waters, the keeper of medicinal plants, and the guardian of fertility. Elders cultivate medicinal plants in alignment with lunar cycles, sharing traditional ecological knowledge across generations. Through weekly Keres language classes, the Program organizes arts and crafts and traditional cooking workshops.
SKY KNOWLEDGE
SKY KNOWLEDGE
The Mother Moon Program hosts star gatherings to reconnect with our oldest ancestors, the stars. YAKANAL honours the relationship between Earth and Sky as an essential aspect of food sovereignty and community health. YAKANAL has welcomed Indigenous groups from New Zealand, the Cusco Region, and Maya communities from Mesoamerica to Laguna Pueblo for the mutual strengthening of star knowledge and its application to our lifeways.
HOOP HOUSES
Mother Moon participants track lunar phases to guide the cultivation of food and medicinal plants in raised beds installed in community spaces, including the Laguna Senior Center. Hoop houses make food cultivation more accessible for elders through the raised design of the planters. The project has expanded across the six villages of Laguna Pueblo, and two hoop houses have been installed in Zuni Pueblo, where they support language and cultural revitalization activities.
MOTHER MOON AND THE STARS
KERES LANGUAGE & ARTS
The light of Mother Moon animates the relationship of YAKANAL participants with the mover of Earth’s waters, the keeper of medicinal plants, and the guardian of fertility. Elders cultivate medicinal plants in alignment with lunar cycles, sharing traditional ecological knowledge across generations. Through weekly Keres language classes, the Program organizes arts and crafts and traditional cooking workshops.
SKY KNOWLEDGE
The Mother Moon Program hosts star gatherings to reconnect with our oldest ancestors, the stars. YAKANAL honours the relationship between Earth and Sky as an essential aspect of food sovereignty and community health. YAKANAL has welcomed Indigenous groups from New Zealand, the Cusco Region, and Maya communities from Mesoamerica to Laguna Pueblo for the mutual strengthening of star knowledge and its application to our lifeways.
HOOP HOUSES
Mother Moon participants track lunar phases to guide the cultivation of food and medicinal plants in raised beds installed in community spaces, including the Laguna Senior Center. Hoop houses make food cultivation more accessible for elders through the raised design of the planters. The project has expanded across the six villages of Laguna Pueblo, and two hoop houses have been installed in Zuni Pueblo, where they support language and cultural revitalization activities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
OUTREACH TO SCHOOLS
YAKANAL collaborates with local schools to provide culturally grounded programs that reconnect youth with Indigenous knowledge, language, and environmental stewardship. Through hands-on workshops, students learn traditional farming, medicinal plant cultivation, cultural astronomy, weaving, and basket making. A favorite activity is YAKANAL’s teaching hive, which brings live bees safely into classrooms for observation. Students also enjoy wearing beekeeping suits while learning about pollinators and food systems, inspiring the next generation.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS
YAKANAL hosts community gatherings that bring together families, elders, and youth through cultural teachings, shared meals, and land-based activities. Gatherings include traditional cooking, music, storytelling, and seed exchanges that strengthen the YAKANAL seedbank of heirloom seeds. Seasonal gatherings welcome the waters flowing from Mt. Taylor to the fields and celebrate the harvest. These events create welcoming spaces for intergenerational learning while supporting cultural revitalization, traditional food systems, and stronger relationships within the community.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
OUTREACH TO SCHOOLS
YAKANAL collaborates with local schools to provide culturally grounded programs that reconnect youth with Indigenous knowledge, language, and environmental stewardship. Through hands-on workshops, students learn traditional farming, medicinal plant cultivation, cultural astronomy, weaving, and basket making. A favorite activity is YAKANAL’s teaching hive, which brings live bees safely into classrooms for observation. Students also enjoy wearing beekeeping suits while learning about pollinators and food systems, inspiring the next generation.
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS
YAKANAL hosts community gatherings that bring together families, elders, and youth through cultural teachings, shared meals, and land-based activities. Gatherings include traditional cooking, music, storytelling, and seed exchanges that strengthen the YAKANAL seedbank of heirloom seeds. Seasonal gatherings welcome the waters flowing from Mt. Taylor to the fields and celebrate the harvest. These events create welcoming spaces for intergenerational learning while supporting cultural revitalization, traditional food systems, and stronger relationships within the community.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
SOUTHWEST
Since 2011, YAKANAL has engaged Indigenous participants in immersive cultural exchange experiences and food sovereignty efforts, offering opportunities to share rich cultures and traditional knowledge. The program has hosted gatherings at Pueblo ancestral sites such as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Aztec Ruins National Monument, as well as in the Pueblo communities of Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Kewa Pueblo, and Isleta Pueblo. These cultural exchanges catalyse ancestral memory of a shared, sacred relationship to maize.
LATIN AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA
YAKANAL rekindles ancient relationships that have thrived for millennia among Indigenous groups through cultural exchange, migration, shared knowledge, and the gifts of the land. Our first cultural exchange in the lands of our relatives to the South was in the Yucatán, Mexico, in 2012. Since then, we have taken multicultural groups to three states in Mexico—Yucatán, Chiapas, and Oaxaca—as well as to Guatemala and Perú. The exchanges foster learning from the land, ancestral sites, and elders through participatory workshops and shared experiences—all conducted without the use of digital presentations.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
SOUTHWEST
Since 2011, YAKANAL has engaged Indigenous participants in immersive cultural exchange experiences and food sovereignty efforts, offering opportunities to share rich cultures and traditional knowledge. The program has hosted gatherings at Pueblo ancestral sites such as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Aztec Ruins National Monument, as well as in the Pueblo communities of Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Kewa Pueblo, and Isleta Pueblo. These cultural exchanges catalyse ancestral memory of a shared, sacred relationship to maize.
LATIN AMERICA
YAKANAL rekindles ancient relationships that have thrived for millennia among Indigenous groups through cultural exchange, migration, shared knowledge, and the gifts of the land. Our first cultural exchange in the lands of our relatives to the South was in the Yucatán, Mexico, in 2012. Since then, we have taken multicultural groups to three states in Mexico—Yucatán, Chiapas, and Oaxaca—as well as to Guatemala and Perú. The exchanges foster learning from the land, ancestral sites, and elders through participatory workshops and shared experiences—all conducted without the use of digital presentations.
YAKANAL NATIVE FOODS CENTER
YAKANAL NATIVE FOODS CENTER
ON THE HORIZON
Over the years, YAKANAL has built a holistic, intergenerational food sovereignty program without a permanent home—working across fields, orchards, bee apiaries, and outdoor spaces without dedicated facilities for storage, staff coordination, or food and seed processing to reach the entire Pueblo. As the program has grown, this lack of infrastructure has limited our ability to fully support community needs. YAKANAL’s vision for a Native Foods Center will address this gap by providing space for food processing, seed caretaking, and farm-to-table initiatives serving the Laguna Pueblo community and beyond. A comprehensive Feasibility Study Report and Executive Summary guide plans for a net-zero energy facility, and YAKANAL invites partners and donors to help make this vision a reality.
LAGUNA LEARNING HUB
LAGUNA LEARNING HUB
As YAKANAL programs have grown, the lack of a dedicated space for community gathering and education has also become a limiting factor, constraining the ability to deepen impact, sustain year-round activities, and steward cultural knowledge at the scale the community has called for. There is a need for a Laguna Learning Hub to host classes, support staff, and facilitate community gatherings such as cooking demonstrations and shared meals. The proposed Learning Hub responds directly to this need by providing space for cultural education, staff coordination, and community gathering that supports intergenerational knowledge sharing. This vision is strengthened by strong partnerships for long-term sustainability, as outlined in the comprehensive Feasibility Study Report and Executive Summary.
ON THE HORIZON
YAKANAL NATIVE FOODS CENTER
Over the years, YAKANAL has built a holistic, intergenerational food sovereignty program without a permanent home—working across fields, orchards, bee apiaries, and outdoor spaces without dedicated facilities for storage, staff coordination, or food and seed processing to reach the entire Pueblo. As the program has grown, this lack of infrastructure has limited our ability to fully support community needs. YAKANAL’s vision for a Native Foods Center will address this gap by providing space for food processing, seed caretaking, and farm-to-table initiatives serving the Laguna Pueblo community and beyond. A comprehensive Feasibility Study Report and Executive Summary guide plans for a net-zero energy facility, and YAKANAL invites partners and donors to help make this vision a reality.
LAGUNA LEARNING HUB
As YAKANAL programs have grown, the lack of a dedicated space for community gathering and education has also become a limiting factor, constraining the ability to deepen impact, sustain year-round activities, and steward cultural knowledge at the scale the community has called for. There is a need for a Laguna Learning Hub to host classes, support staff, and facilitate community gatherings such as cooking demonstrations and shared meals. The proposed Learning Hub responds directly to this need by providing space for cultural education, staff coordination, and community gathering that supports intergenerational knowledge sharing. This vision is strengthened by strong partnerships for long-term sustainability, as outlined in the comprehensive Feasibility Study Report and Executive Summary.
