Interwoven: An Indigenous Knowledge Exchange

Global urgency for scalable climate solutions has piqued. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report states that 3.3-3.6 billion people are highly vulnerable to climate change, calling to reduce carbon emissions to offset an imminent global environmental catastrophe that will irreparably damage the natural world, destroy lives, and destabilize societies. 

Cutting carbon emission requires thinking outside of the dominant economic and ideological models of free-market capitalism, carbon-intensive lifestyles, and the embedded assumption that humans can control and exploit nature as an endless resource. A new worldview bolstered by Indigenous philosophies and knowledge systems can stem the harm. Tribes are experts in adaptive climate practices that are economically viable and scalable. As an Indigenous-run knowledge exchange, Interwoven addresses 4 key problems:  

1. Most people have lost connection to the planet, which has generated deep ignorance of how to act with care, respect, and reverence towards the Earth. Creating lasting balance requires that Indigenous people, who still see the Earth and its habitants as close relatives, share their systems of knowledge and practice through intergenerational digital storytelling.

2. Indigenous populations, including our Tribe, have been systematically exploited by historic and neo-colonial forces with extractive approaches that take knowledge from Indigenous people even as they undervalue and degrade us. 

3. This problem is evidenced in cases where Indigenous knowledge was extracted, yet the extractors did not know how to interpret the knowledge and could not put it to practical use. Without understanding Indigenous epistemologies and values, people cannot apply Indigenous knowledge; it requires paradigm integration. Businesses, programs, and initiatives seeking to integrate Indigenous knowledge on sustainable climate practices into their approaches must have access to a learning ecosystem that facilitates knowledge system transfer and integration.

4. Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses and organizations do not often partner in ways that respect humanity and the Earth. Interwoven’s focus on climate justice through a knowledge exchange ecosystem creates this opportunity. No such platform for scalable Indigenous climate and livelihood practices yet exists, but this is sorely needed across sectors. Adaptive Tribal solutions can move the climate-change dial through a diffusion of sustainable innovations. 

Interwoven offers a curated online exchange to overcome barriers to connecting with Indigenous expertise, offering an alternative to extractive relationships by ensuring proper compensation and protection of Indigenous rights and intellectual property. This is accomplished by integrating intergenerational storytelling into knowledge-transfer processes and providing structured support to ensure high-quality cross-cultural coalition-building and teamwork.

The Prophecy of the Seven Fires tells of the turning point when all races and nations come together to choose between two paths: one that is green and abundant and one that is charred land. If humanity chooses well, the Eighth Ishkode (fire) will be kindled and life will continue on Earth. Interwoven contributes Indigenous ways of knowing to this reckoning among the peoples of the Earth to ensure that all of our children’s children, into the next seven generations and in perpetuity, live mno bimaadziwin (the good way of life) on this planet.

Interwoven emerges from the Anishinaabek tribe, recognized by President Obama’s Administration as one of two Tribal Climate Action Champion communities in 2014. Anishinaabek ethics diverge from dominant-culture ethics in ways significant to climate sustainability considerations. While programs that mitigate and adapt to climate change are carried out and documented, a solution that shares Indigenous knowledge with stakeholders who are committed allies in this fight is needed. 

Interwoven: An Indigenous Knowledge Exchange is a scalable online portal for businesses looking to adopt Indigenous Earth Knowledge into their models/operations through accessing well-trained Tribal teams of knowledge keepers, Earth protection certifiers, and digital storytellers. The digital knowledge exchange strategically connects parties to ensure fit between the businesses and Tribal teams.

Interwoven’s portal has three main areas/sections:

1. Business owners/educational Institutions/governments interested in adopting Indigenous knowledge into their business model/operations register and describe the following:

• Their product and/or service line 

• Business objectives 

• Their “Why” for prioritizing Earth respect 

• Budget and resources 

• Operation location

• Initial time commitment

2. Tribal teams are established by fulfilling basic roles of knowledge keepers, Earth protection certifiers, and digital storytellers and describing what makes their team unique. Tribal teams access cloud-based training programs that confirm their abilities and unlock their capacity to promote their team's services.

3.  The exchange portal in which parties connect, learn, scope, and detail the terms of their work.

Depending on business needs, the work between parties may span months or years. Along the journey, teams work together through an Interwoven knowledge exchange to unlock various levels within Interwoven’s “accreditation” for access to marketing, labeling, and in-depth Tribal digital storytelling. Labels and stories are made accessible through QR codes directly placed on products or other mediums. 

The base-level team (knowledge keeper, Earth protection certifier, digital storyteller) meets the minimum requirements to register. Advanced teams may have multiple individuals fulfilling these roles and additional roles that allow for expanded work options. Interwoven’s approach is informed by the demonstrated need for a coalitional solution to climate change—one that must constitute a diversity of intergenerational stakeholders from our communities to properly solve issues in ways that uphold Indigenous ways of knowing. 

Knowledge Keepers are connected to a community, geography, and way of life while possessing deep understanding of how to respect and honor the Earth and living creatures as part of our social responsibility.

Earth Protection Certifiers examine business practices within a framework of our broad Tribal definition of social optimization. Scores and guidance on ways to improve scores are provided by certifiers.

Digital Storytellers translate layered oral storytelling into digital storytelling that overcomes the sense of emptiness that comes with typical “gold, silver, bronze” standards systems. Storytellers will create compelling visual digital narratives that can influence public understanding of the changes the business/institution/government is making and inspire purposeful engagement. Digital storytelling climate change initiatives will depict stages of planning, developing, and implementing solutions, how local contexts and cultures drove decision making, and how those solutions establish a practice of meaningful respect for the planet and nature.

Interwoven is designed to be scalable beginning with our Anishinaabe community.  20,000 Tribal members live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a rural geography with diverse expertise, yet our Tribe lacks access to quality employment and professional development opportunities. Knowledge keepers have immense knowledge but are not properly compensated for their knowledge. Earth Protection certifiers have extensive business knowledge from working alongside Tribes as do Indigenous college faculty. 

Our local Tribal community college has multigenerational students with tremendous skills in technology who lack access to meaningful opportunities to connect with their culture. Positioning students as digital storytellers through internships and classes will improve Anishinaabe college student retention rates, a key to our survival as communities. Our philosophy of Indigenous-led solutions means that Tribal student input is integrated through design. Tribal faculty will participate, and we will engage with K-12 teachers and students to connect them with traditional community knowledge keepers. 

The growth stage is a stepped-up refinement process to be rolled out as a grassroots engagement of Tribal faculty and students from across the nation's Tribal community college network. Traditional knowledge is rooted within each community, digital storytellers develop their skills in community college settings, and courses are co-developed to prepare students to connect with knowledge keepers within their own communities through a Tribal community-owned approach. Immediate positive effects include appropriate compensation. Students receive practical experience in product development, contract theory, respect and valuation of Indigenous knowledge systems, power dynamics, digital storytelling, marketing, Tribal climate solutions and concepts of social fabric, standards reviews, supply-chain analysis, web-based exchange/portal development, and participatory design. From a cultural perspective, students work alongside knowledge keepers to learn our traditional ways in dynamic and actionable ways.       

Medium-term positive effects include accessing an emerging market not previously available to them, earning revenue for individuals and families (from outside economies), enhancing their skills and knowledge and practicing new abilities that increase their marketability and financial wellbeing.  

Long-term positive effects include that businesses learn to respect the Earth and to establish pathways for social change as part of the world-scale effort to align human being to be in balance with the Earth. Local communities benefit by having changes adopted in their regions, lessening negative climate impacts. As more Tribal members work in this arena, we expect an increase in access to revenue earning in a climate change “adaptation” economy, leading to increased community awareness of and respect for traditional knowledge, and sharpening our pre-existing community storytelling skills, which enhances our collective Tribal ability to tell compelling stories necessary for advocacy and Tribal marketing needs. 

Rather than having outside entities extract our traditional Indigenous knowledge, Tribal individuals and communities own the process and will be compensated for our knowledge work. Interwoven serves as a connection to accredited long-term storytelling and marketing that address power dynamics and abuse of Tribal knowledge. We continually consult our traditional knowledge keepers to be in step with traditional ways. Interwoven offers this out to the world, one business venture at a time. 

• Larry Jacques is a leading member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a medicine grower (tobacco, sage, sweetgrass), seed keeper, storyteller, Bootagan maker, maple syrup collector (tap and basket maker), snow snake maker/competitor/champion, nettle/cedar rope maker, and tool maker (adzes, traditional shovels, stone hammers) and serves on the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Committee. Larry earned an M.A. in Educational Technology, B.S. in Agri Business Management, and is Director of Strategic Planning for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians for 9 years. 

• Jennifer Dale-Burton is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Win Awenen Nisitotung Editor, responsible for Sault Tribe Communications Department. Lifetime learner of Anishinaabe traditions and culture, practicing Mino Bimadzawin, former Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority PIO, lifetime learner of Anishinaabe plant knowledge, hunting, gathering, and fishing, Anishinaabe bead worker and teacher, Michigan-certified mushroom identification expert. Seafood HAACP certified and member of Sault Tribe Conservation Committee and Sault Tribe Food Sovereignty Committee. Co-founded Tribe’s Indigenous Youth Education Collective. 

• Dr. Chloe Kannan is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is passionate about Indigenous knowledge and practice frameworks, and is an active community organizer and educator. She holds a doctorate in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania, is co-founder and Director of the Indigenous Education Youth Collective and an Assistant Professor of Education at Lake Superior State University. She serves on the Steering Committee of UP North Advocacy, which champions Indigenous education and environmental justice. 

• Kathleen Brosemer is a maple syrup maker and has a history of leading community coalitions to create environmental solutions and is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on energy justice for the Anishinaabe, foster-parenting Anishinaabe youth, and selling solar energy from her rooftop to the grid.  She’s the former Environmental Director for the Sault Tribe and wrote the materials that won our Tribe recognition from the Obama White House as a Climate Action Champion Community.

• Robin Bouschor, member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, serves as Tribal Environmental Program Manager with a B.S. in Geology and M.S. in Research Administration. Actively involved in National Tribal Air Monitoring Steering Committee, is an experienced environmental specialist, focusing on air quality and spearheading initiatives including the Tribe's National Atmospheric Deposition Program. She is dedicated to securing Treatment as State status under the Clean Air Act, while nurturing her Anishinaabe heritage through traditional practices like beadwork and regalia making. 

• Dr. Sharon Ravitch is faculty at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Ravitch has written 8 books on leadership, qualitative research, and knowledge systems. She is a GIAN Scholar of the Government of India and Social Impact Fellow at Anant National University, working with Tribal groups in India to understand and scale Indigenous sustainable climate and livelihood solutions. Ravitch earned two master’s degrees from Harvard University (psychology and education) and a Ph.D. from Penn (anthropology and education).
  

Relationships and reciprocity drive Interwoven. From our professional experiences, there is a disconnect between community and the workplace which led to failure within the implementation stage of projects and initiatives. In contrast, the Eighth Fire Collective (EFC) has spent one year on concept-building through meaningful dialogue, values-based conversations, and relational team-building. The goal has been to create the conditions for this project to lead to a different future for our people and the world as it is built on trust built through the use of participatory methods within the collective.  At this point in time Interwoven has not yet rendered services.

In this participatory process, EFC has been working on the concept that Tribal communities living close to the Earth have a deep understanding of living in balance with nature and thus have the greatest capacity to solve the climate crisis through a diffusion of sustainable climate and livelihood solutions built with Indigenous knowledge systems. We are currently iterating the conceptual model, which removes barriers to implementing Indigenous solutions by putting Indigenous experts in the driver's seat while ensuring compensation and ownership of their data (Indigenous data sovereignty) and scalable solutions.  

EFC has worked to develop the overall program structure, logic model, contextual understanding of power dynamics, and has performed value proposition analysis for the actors and agents within the system.  We have also been iterating the conceptual framework for the exchange website as a digital means of connection that easily allows Tribal knowledge holders from any community to engage with every sector of the world’s economy.   

EFC has been developing Interwoven as a model that addresses traditional “standards,” which do not have the appropriate conceptualization or resolution needed to meaningfully transfer knowledge, wisdom, and Earth-healing motivation to end users of products and services.  Interwoven offers traditional storytelling processes that can depict a beautiful story underneath the surface of business practices to make  a connection to the human spirit that highlights when a business/educational institution/government office has true respect for the Earth.  

EFC’s work on Interwoven has been design-based conceptualization thus far, with some website mock ups. Our intention is to contribute to helping solve climate change through an Indigenous approach of respecting the Earth while lighting the Eight Fire and bringing cultures together towards solutionary ends. We know cross-cultural work, specifically with Indigenous tribes, has epistemological challenges and have thus focused on developing a system that examines each issue through an emergent design framework that strategizes and addresses challenges. Throughout this next year EFC will further develop Interwoven’s approach and offerings with the Tribe and move into the testing and iteration process. 

Interwoven’s leadership team has strong capacity in terms of our environmental expertise, proven track record of Indigenous-based innovation, strategic planning, and community building, demonstrated success in bridging the Indigenous and Western knowledge divides, and most importantly, are deeply embedded within our Anishinaabe community.  We have witnessed many initiatives in our rural community fail and recognize that without the deep relationships and partnerships with Tribal stakeholders, a truly innovative solution is not possible. Eighth Fire Collective (EFC) is confident that our team can deliver this solution, but we do humbly recognize that there are technical skill gaps. Some of these skills gaps are in business planning, legal, and professional team building for businesses.    

Specific technical gaps include: 

• Financial sustainability model

• Technical website development

• Educational training program 

• Expertise in building training programs for multiple stakeholders

• Legal: Risk mitigation for group and all parties

• Contract development within the exchange.

• Market barriers: navigating emerging markets with Western and Indigenous stakeholders.

• Micro-coalition building

• Models of social change using grassroots approach

• Professional team building for coalitional solutions with diverse stakeholders.

By applying to MIT Solve, EFC hopes to build connections that enables us to secure training and resources in these areas to execute something that is beyond our current capabilities. We feel confident in our individual and collective adaptive leadership skills and understand that our next steps require learning the technical skills as a coalitional team to build capacity. These resources and skills can help our entire Tribe, not just our own initiative, and furthering Larry’s training (and all of ours through him) will help us to be able to move into advanced stages of taking Interwoven to market.

Larry Jacques is the Director of Strategic Planning for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, participating in cultural events including snow snake competitions, maple syrup making, Bootagan making, and Tribal community food events. He sits on the Powwow Committee and led the development of a new Indigenous childcare center. Tribal leadership includes:

• Facilitated community outreach, law enforcement, media/public communications, and victim services subgroups for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Pilot Project, establishing the Tribe’s MMIP Tribal Community Response Plan.

• An experienced public speaker who recently presented at the Michigan Planning Association and Michigan Indian Education Council, hosted large pan-Tribal planning events for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Conference, and has evidenced effective speaking, presenting, and active listening, hosting Indigenous planning sessions on every major webinar platform.

• Experienced in writing testimony, briefing papers, and responding to requests from senior-level Tribal officials to various federal agencies including DOI, BIA, BIE, NTIA, FCC, USDA, DOJ, and MDHHS.

• Provided budget estimations, facilitations, and project management for Tribe’s 50th anniversary grand assembly.

• Has written award-winning grants for the benefit of Tribe including: $900k Tribal Education Department Grant (BIE), $600k Sovereignty in Education Grant (BIE), $1.3M Tribal Opioid Response Grant (SAMHSA), $1.7M COVID-19 Response Grant (SAMHSA), 900k CTAS PA6 (DOJ: OVC), $29.5M ReConnect (USDA: RUS), $200k. National Tribal Broadband grant (BIA), $164k Capital Projects Fund (Treasury), $500k Broadband grant (NTIA).

• Assisted Sault Tribe’s Anishnaabek Community and Family Services to develop Child Protective Services Flow Chart, now adopted by the State of Michigan’s Department for Health and Human Services.

• Developed and executed Tribal Census that resulted in a representative sample size that allows the Tribe to have a 95% confidence interval in results for any response from the Tribal 7-county service area, which enables better program planning and improves competitiveness in grant applications.

Larry’s additional Tribal leadership roles include: Sault Tribe Food Sovereignty Committee Chair, Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Development Authority Chair, Sault Ste. Marie DDA Main Street Economic Vitality Chair, Member of the Soo Theatre Board, Member of WISE Council (University of Wisconsin), American Indian and Alaska Native Health Research Advisory Council, North American Indigenous Student Organization, American Indian Science and Engineering Society at MSU, Vice President of Student Council at Bay Mills Community College (BMCC), President of the BMCC Renewable Energy Club, Co-Chair of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium BMCC student group.  

Interwoven provides a platform for businesses/educational institutions/governments to connect with Tribal/native/Indigenous teams through an online knowledge exchange that intentionally fuses traditional knowledge, standards of respecting the Earth, and knowledge and practice sharing through digital storytelling. The exchange will bring together an intergenerational pan-Tribal vibrant tapestry of individuals empowering deep ancestral knowledge to be communicated and applied in the present. Interwoven  creates a dynamic platform for cultural exchange through storytelling, applying meaningful solutions while retaining Tribal ownership of our traditional knowledge. 

Interwoven’s innovative approach allows for the preservation and sharing of rich histories and wisdom through a medium that resonates with the digital age and changing human brain. It is a way to bridge and engage generations, connecting elders with youth, and Indigenous communities with the wider world. By weaving together narratives with multimedia elements, digital storytelling becomes an interactive experience, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diverse tapestries of human experience; it extends our Tribal communal drive to preserve the past, and works to preserve our future by applying the lessons and stories that have shaped us, honoring the Seven Grandfather Teachings. 

Interwoven’s method of knowledge exchange is particularly impactful as it honors oral traditions while embracing modern technology.  Businesses learn to adapt and are empowered to share their stories through an Indigenous epistemology framework, and their investments in respecting the Earth are told richly and beautifully in their own emic, or insider, conceptual framing and terminology. Individuals supporting these Earth-conscious businesses become more informed and can understand – to a level not previously available – the philosophies, processes, and impacts embraced by the businesses. This will establish a deeper connection between businesses and their clients allowing for ongoing discovery of and investment in Earth-friendly solutions. The emergence and development of a Tribal story-telling economy will provide opportunities for jobs that traditional individuals were born to do, where they work in a manner that honors and protects the Earth. 

Category

Definition and Notes 

Inputs 

Year One financial inputs in these categories:

• Marketing and advertising

• Initial website/service development  

• Maintenance, hosting fees, domain registration, and security measures 

• Database management

• Customer service

• Online payment processing service 

• Office supplies

• Legal and accounting services

• Employee salaries 

Staff:

• *Note that these roles will in year one either be shared by our core staff, or outsourced.

  • Chief Executive Officer, CFO, Director of Public Policy & Community Engagement, Customer Care Operations Manager, Trust and Safety Officer, Search Engine Optimization Manager, Education Development Manager, Digital Marketer.

Partners:

• Local Tribal College

• Consortium for Cooperative Ecological Resilience

Activities 

• Staff and partners engage in development/building/testing of offerings.

• Development of overall platform which includes database management, cloud-based e-commerce technology, online educational tools, and payment systems to ensure that all design and structure comply with our Anishinaabe vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Year One Staff Input

• Partnership building

• Model building, testing, refining.

• Prototype development/testing.

• Software acquisition

• Administration/management

Year One Partner Input

• MIT Fellowship Partners for guidance across project.

• Community College Partners for partnership building and programming.

• Consortium for Cooperative Ecological Resilience (Sault Tribe/U of M research/education group) for partnership building and programming.

Year One Research Input

• Staff and partners research nuances of establishing these cross-cultural relationships. 

• Value propositions are complete for all offerings.

• Contract theory has been refined for this model.

• Power dynamic issues are addressed and resolved.

Outputs

• Working website with active database

• Interwoven Knowledge has core courses developed.

• Payment system running

• Initial teams have been signed up.

• Initial businesses/academic institutions, governmental departments have run a pilot trial project.

• Project report provided to stakeholders.

Immediate Outcomes

• Partners experience increase in knowledge of how program works, understanding of the value Interwoven brings to the communities, and the value of utilizing Indigenous epistemologies and practices to address climate change.

• Our Tribal teams have had paying jobs in the first year adding to their immediate family income.

• Businesses/educational institutions/government actors will have confidence that their projects have included vetted teams representative of the communities that are expanding their knowledge of Indigenous. perspectives on caring for the Earth in practical ways relevant to their focal area/goals.

Intermediate and Long-term Outcomes

• The value of Interwoven is realized as Tribal teams and businesses/educational institutions/governments interact they work together utilizing the Indigenous perspective to address/solve climate-change issues. 

• Tribal individuals/teams are appropriately compensated for their Indigenous knowledge and expertise.

• Tribal communities are in control of their own emerging market, setting prices and controlling their intellectual property and data sovereignty.

• An ethos change in the broader community as businesses, educational institutions, governments transition away from profit maximization to social optimization (with the inclusion of the expanded Indigenous understanding of “social” to include all living creatures).  

Impact Goal: Take urgent actions to combat climate change and its impact

Specific Target Indicators: 

1. Improve institutional and community capacity on climate justice through connecting Indigenous communities to businesses to develop sustainable climate and livelihood solutions.

2. Implement and adopt climate knowledge and livelihood practice solutions.

3. Exponentialize capacity building for climate solutions by reaching across and connecting multiple sectors of the economy. 

Impact Goal: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all in our Tribe and beyond.

Specific Target Indicators:

1. Education and training are pursued to prepare Indigenous communities for employment opportunities with Indigenous knowledge and online digital storytelling.

2. Increase in employment for online Indigenous teams which will bring additional income to their communities.

Interwoven’s solution is a new type of innovative platform-based learning ecosystem that will direct Tribal teams to businesses, educational institutions, and governments. Interwoven’s  business model relies on database management, cloud-based e-commerce technology, online educational tools, and payment systems to be successful.

Interwoven’s online portal will provide two starting points that establish our primary database of buyers (businesses, educational institutions, governments) and sellers (Indigenous teams of knowledge keepers, Earth protection certifiers, and digital storytellers). The e-commerce platform (Interwoven Exchange), powered by a search algorithm that shows results for likely matches (based on profile information, skills sets, solution needs, industry, geography), allows buyers to connect. The easily accessible online educational tools allow Indigenous teams to increase the value of our offerings and to verify that Tribal teams are ready for certain levels of work. The payment system ensures that Tribal teams are paid promptly, accurately, and securely. All of these technologies working in concert allows for this solution to be effective and sustainable. 

Interwoven’s operations are based in Michigan and will be established in our local Tribal markets and then expanded out to a broader remit in the near future.

The next stage after development is to get Interwoven’s solution tied with community colleges and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) which are chartered by their respective Tribal governments, including the ten tribes within the largest reservations in the United States. The 35 accredited TCUs operate more than 90 campuses and sites in 15 states—covering most of Indian Country. The 15 states include: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. We hope these collaborations can help build even stronger connections with our knowledge keepers, students, and TCUs.

We have 5 part-time staff working on our team.

The Eighth Fire Collective has been working on Interwoven since October 2023 and is in the early stages of design-based development.  We have independently been working through community-based participatory methods to understand the climate change problems within our local community context for over 15 years.

Interwoven is in perfect alignment with MIT’s core values of optimism, partnership, open innovation, human-centered solutions, and inclusive technology. The Eighth Fire Collective is  based on the Eighth Fire Prophecy, which tells of a future in which settler society chooses to change its ways, decolonize its relationships with the land and Indigenous Nations, and join them in building a sustainable future based upon mutual recognition, justice, reciprocity, and respect. Interwoven embodies these philosophical beliefs and utilizes equity and inclusion as driving forces to establish the strength within our solution. Interwoven’s leadership team is intergenerational, coalitional, and brings diverse expertise, perspectives and experiences into our shared vision and work delivery. Authentic dialogue and reciprocity are core driving principles of our work within the leadership team and guides all work with invested stakeholders. 

Interwoven has spent considerable time examining failed partnerships and initiatives with Native communities and issues that have prevented equity and inclusion. Our approach to solving these problems is driven by a commitment to equitable engagement and representation at all stages. Our leadership team is committed to equity and breaking down barriers to authentic coalition building by driving appropriate compensation, protecting intellectual property rights, and ensuring data sovereignty for Indigenous teams. We are committed to providing service that offers confidence to know that clients are interacting with Indigenous populations in a responsible manner that is ethical and certified. 

Interwoven champions equity through how we are leveling up. Our development/stage up model garners input from diverse stakeholders from Indigenous communities (knowledge keepers, students, Tribal college staff) through participatory processes, placing most of the award funds directly in their hands to appropriately value and compensate them for their guiding input. These stakeholders all live, learn, and work in underserved rural communities, including our own internal team.  We fully realize Tribal members’ value as future leaders and are working to ensure that there is a mechanism for Indigenous wisdom to be heard, valued, and honored.

Interwoven understands that climate-change solutions must come from across various genders, races, ethnicities, sectors, ages, and educational backgrounds. Interwoven is a gathering place where teams form to tackle local-to-global-sized problems through an Indigenous knowledge framework, working with people from any background who seek to value and adopt the philosophy of honoring the Earth as a close relation.

Key Activities

Building and maintaining the platform: Developing and maintaining Interwoven’s  online platform includes website design, functionality, features, and user interface. This ensures that the platform is user-friendly, visually appealing, and engaging, which attracts both Indigenous teams and external business clients.

Identifying, recruiting, and retaining Indigenous teams: Interwoven will identify, recruit, and onboard high-quality Indigenous teams focused first within Indigenous communities that have Tribal colleges (ensuring a talent pool for Earth protection certifiers and digital storytellers who are geographically close to knowledge keepers), with a growth model for any Tribal teams to access globally. 

Acquiring and retaining clients: Interwoven will invest in marketing and advertising to acquire and retain clients which involves creating targeted campaigns that highlight the value proposition of the platform and benefits of working with Tribal teams on our platform.

Implementing and managing payment systems: Interwoven will provide a secure and reliable payment system that ensures Tribal teams are paid promptly and accurately by businesses/educational institutions/governments. This involves maintaining partnerships with payment providers and implementing fraud detection and prevention tools.

Managing operational and administrative functions: Interwoven will engage in various operational and administrative functions, which include financial management, legal compliance, human resource management, and customer support. This ensures efficient and effective platform operation that complies with regulatory requirements and provides high-quality customer service.

Value Proposition

Accessibility: Interwoven will bring together skilled Indigenous teams and potential businesses/educational institutions/governments from all over the world, regardless of geographical barriers. This provides easy access to a wide pool of talented Indigenous professionals for the businesses/educational institutions/governments that need them.

Cost-efficiency: Interwoven will offer our primary tier connection and training services at a low cost, making it an affordable solution for smaller businesses, educational institution departments, government departments, and individuals with budget limitations.

Flexibility: The Interwoven platform allows Indigenous teams and businesses, educational institutions, and governments to work together on a project, providing maximum flexibility to all parties. Indigenous teams can work from anywhere, while clients can choose from a wide range of services and budgets to find the best fit for their project.

Quality work: Interwoven will maintain a high standard of quality by developing a structure that develops Indigenous teams and coalesces their diverse talents into a structured service offering while ensuring continual growth by providing ongoing education, training resources, and leading-edge technologies. Clients can choose from a range of skilled Indigenous teams vetted and approved by the platform, ensuring high-quality work every time.

Expertise at scale: Interwoven will enable businesses, educational institutions, and governments to access a large pool of expertise within our Indigenous teams trained in applying Indigenous knowledge within various sectors of the economy. This helps businesses, educational institutions, and governments adapt their operations to address climate change without needing to hire full-time employees or additional staff.

Easy communication: The Interwoven platform includes features that make it easy for buyers and sellers to communicate, such as real-time messaging and video calls. This ensures seamless collaboration between parties.

Expenses: Our initial expenses will be $150,000:

Marketing and Advertising: Interwoven will have a grassroots marketing strategy utilizing our work within the Tribal college network.  $6,000

Initial website/service development (paying knowledge keepers, students, Tribal college professionals for developmental insights and testing) community travel: $80,000. 

Maintenance, hosting fees, domain registration, and security measures $3,000 annually.

Database Management: $5,000

Customer Service: $10,000

Online Payment Processing Service: initial setup $500 2-3% fees passed to consumers.

Office Supplies: $5,000

Legal, accounting services: $15,000

Employee Salaries: $14,500 (significant in-kind donations from members of the EFC team will keep these costs low)

Software and Subscriptions: $6,000

Miscellaneous Expenses: $5,000

Revenue: Once launched our revenue will be based on each individual interaction:

Commission on Service Fees: 10% of each transaction totaling $150,000. 

Small Projects ~$500 (very small marketing projects for beginning teams) x 250 @ 10% = $10,000.

Medium Project ~$5,000 (small business basic reviews) x 100 @ 10% = $50,000.

Large Project ~$50,000 (Institution Research Projects, Government, or Large Business Projects) x 18 @ 10% = $90,000.

Interwoven Knowledge Revenue: free for the first 150 users - $0

The volume depicted will be our base target to ensure we can remain sustainable as we grow our operation.