Rooted In The Land

Empowering Indigenous Women In Ranching

Events

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Overview

Why did we create this program?

WIR’s Rooted in the Land centers Indigenous Women in Ranching, celebrating their knowledge and expertise.

The program aims to empower Indigenous women through knowledge transfer, cultivating skills for leadership and growth, and honoring cultural traditions through a series of engaging in-person and virtual events tailored to the unique needs of each community.

Women in Ranching aims to support Indigenous communities in perpetuating Traditional Ecological Knowledge through shared understanding of our kinship roles, relatedness and languages. We seek to articulate a sacred + sophisticated perspective of our relationship to the land that values creativity, innovation and resilience ultimately rooted in Indigenous knowledge.

Our programs are centered in healing and nurturing the wholeness of the women we serve. Through the lens of “Whole Woman Care” we intend to nurture all aspects of a woman’s life, including physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions to promote overall well-being. Through whole woman care, storytelling and elevating the culture particular to each of the three tribal nations identified above, we are increasing equity, elevating community, sharing power, and building the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Programming

Our team is composed of Indigenous women living and ranching on the Blackfeet Nation and Navajo Nation. They celebrate culture and language, continuing education in practical ranch skills, leadership tools & resources, and ongoing support for producers and their communities.

Team

Erin Thomas is from White Cone, Navajo Nation (Arizona), and is the daughter of countless generations of conservationists and ranchers. Erin owns White Shell Resource Consultants, a natural resources consulting firm based on the Navajo Nation, and is a managing member of 4 Canyons Land & Cattle Co, a ranching operation also based on the Navajo Nation. Erin has a Bachelor’s degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management from the University of Arizona, worked for over a decade for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Rangeland Management Specialist, and is experienced in nonprofit management.
Erin’s most significant accomplishment to date was deciding to build a business at home on the Navajo Nation after years of working off the reservation. She focuses on the continued development of a culturally relevant conservation consulting business, building a profitable ranching business with her family, and empowering land users through knowledge and awareness of conservation issues.

Tiffany lives on her family ranch at the base of the Rocky Mountains, bordering Glacier National Park, where she, her husband, and their two children raise cattle and horses. Deeply rooted in ranching, Blackfeet culture, and a love for horses, she finds fulfillment in raising her children in this way of life.

Tiffany holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and an associate degree in Equine Management, bringing a wealth of experience to her various roles. After spending 10 years as a school district Business Manager, she now embraces her life as a full-time ranch and rodeo wife, sports mom, and part-time consultant.

In addition to her ranching work, Tiffany serves as President of Sapoo Horsemanship, a newly established non-profit, and is involved in Deep Creek Feeds, a small, family-run livestock mineral company. She enjoys colt starting, breakaway roping, barrel racing, and the peaceful hours spent at the barn.

Passionate about her community, she serves as an ambassador for agriculture, women of the land, and the Blackfeet Nation.