Featured Projects

Ka’m-t’em: A Journey Toward Healing

Dr. Kishan Lara-Cooper & Walter J. Lara Sr. 

K’am-te’m: A Journey toward Healing, co-edited by Dr. Kishan Lara-Cooper and Walter Lara Sr., incorporates the testimonials of 26 California Indigenous leaders of all ages and backgrounds. Ka’m-t’em translates in the Yurok language as a basket that holds the treasures of Indigenous people. As such, this book shares unique concepts of balance and harmony with the human, natural, and spiritual elements of the world. 

This book presents Indigenous testimonials of resistance, renewal, advocacy, resilience, beauty, and awakening. For example, a lead plaintiff in Lyng v. NICPA, a case that went to the Supreme Court, shares in-depth Indigenous knowledge and “behind the scenes” influences of the case; a fluent Tolowa speaker describes the impact of colonial education on language loss and his personal journey as a first-language English speaker learning to speak his heritage language; and a regalia maker describes the impact of genocide on communal relationships, the natural environment, and Indigenous spirituality, while relating the journey of reclaiming Indigenous identity through the process of regalia-making. In the sharing and in the listening of Indigenous testimonials, we are reminded of the beauty and the strength within us. The precious knowledge shared in this book inspires reclamation of identity and encourages readers to seek, search, embrace, and value their own truth.

All of the royalties from this book will be forwarded to the Ka’m-t’em scholarship for Indigenous California youth.

Ka’m-t’em: Next Steps for K-12 Educators

The Child Development Department at Humboldt State University and the Yurok Tribe’s Education Department are providing a Ka’m-t’em: Next Steps for K-12 Educators and Ka’m-t’em Speaker Series to 80 Ka’m-t’em Ambassadors. Ka’m-t’em Ambassadors are nominated by the administration of their respective schools to participate in this opportunity. Each Ka’m-t’em Ambassador will receive 3 units of credit from Humboldt State University’s Extended Education for participation in the Next Steps for K-12 Educators course, paid tuition, a free copy of the textbook “Ka’m-t’em: A Journey Toward Healing”, a Ka’m-t’em Ambassador Certification of Recognition, and access to the Ka’m-t’em Virtual Speaker Series. Through this experience, Ka’m-t’em Ambassadors will be exposed to concepts of worldview, epistemology, history and healing; implicit and explicit biases, testimonial justice and multi-logical epistemology; paradigm shifts to nurture safe spaces for learning and supporting transition to college; and resources and instructional strategies. Upon completion, ambassadors will disseminate information to their respective schools or programs.

Ka’m-t’em Sticker Campaign

Ka’m-t’em: A Journey Toward Healing was inspired by Indigenous youth and includes testimonies from 27 California Indigenous contributors of resistance, resiliency, and renewal. The Ka’m-t’em Sticker Project highlights quotes from these testimonies to generate discussions within the home and community. In so doing, we hope that an opportunity is created for families to share their own treasured knowledge and perspectives on these topics. Stickers have been distributed free of cost to programs who serve Indigenous children and families.