About Tepiniwew
Carrying Our People Through Food, Land, and Culture
Who We Are
Tepiniwew is a community-rooted, Indigenous-led nonprofit strengthening food sovereignty, wellness, sustainable agriculture, and economic opportunity. Based in Box Elder, Montana, our work is grounded in Chippewa Cree values of respect, reciprocity, responsibility, and relationship with the land.
Our name means “to carry your people.” It reflects our responsibility to help strengthen local and regional food systems while carrying cultural knowledge and practical skills forward to future generations.
We believe food is more than nourishment. It carries identity, ceremony, memory, and medicine. Our work focuses on developing and supporting initiatives involving Indigenous foods, community wellness, sustainable agriculture, food infrastructure, and land-based education.
Tepiniwew builds and seeks partnerships with elders, knowledge keepers, growers, health providers, Tribal programs, schools, and regional organizations. Through collaboration, we aim to expand access to healthy and culturally meaningful foods while creating opportunities that benefit communities across our region.
We invite community members, partners, donors, and funders to help us build a healthier and more food-secure future rooted in land, culture, and community.
Our Story
Tepiniwew began with a shared understanding: our communities are strongest when people remain connected to land, food, culture, and one another.
For generations, Chippewa Cree families gathered, hunted, grew, prepared, and shared foods that carried nourishment, identity, teachings, and memory.
Over time, access to many traditional and locally produced foods declined while families faced growing health and food-security challenges.
Established in 2024, Tepiniwew was created to help carry this work forward. Our name means “to carry your people,” reflecting our responsibility to support food systems grounded in community priorities, cultural knowledge, and respect for the land.
Today, we are building partnerships and developing initiatives focused on Indigenous foods and wellness, sustainable agriculture, regional food infrastructure, and land-based education. We believe lasting change grows through cooperation among communities, elders, knowledge keepers, growers, schools, health providers, and regional partners.
Our story is still unfolding. We are building carefully, listening to community voices, and creating a foundation that can serve current and future generations.
.jpeg)
