Indigenous Wisdom and Permaculture Skills Convergence

Located on Pine Ridge Reservation, the sovereign nation of the Oglala Lakota people, IWPS Convergence works to amplify the initiatives of tribal organizations who collaborate to address food scarcity, poverty, and lack of adequate housing. We understand the Lakota can help their own community best – that’s why we only support existing Lakota initiatives that will be maintained after the convergence ends. Volunteers from across the nation gather together with renowned ecological teachers and tribal leaders for one week or more.  Side by side, attendees practice ecologically-minded skills through hands-on experiences, and participate in workshops that empower them as leaders to take on the environmental and social justice challenges of today. We are converging in support of OLCERI: the Oglala Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative. For 17 years, OLCERI has provided low-tech, highly accessible solutions to challenges on the Pine Ridge Reservation such as food scarcity, lack of adequate housing, and extreme poverty. OLCERI is designed to restore resilience, self-sufficiency, economic independence, and cultural revival among the Lakota people.