About
Who We Are
The Traditional Eastern Woodlands Foodways Alliance (TEWFA) is a regional alliance of academics, community development corporations (CDCs), chefs, conservation agencies, farmers, landowners, grassroots organizations, citizen scientists, and representatives from local, state, federal, and tribal governments. Together, we work to restore ecological health, regenerate regional economies, and revitalize culturally grounded food systems across the Eastern Woodlands.
We operate as a meta-governance institution, coordinating a network of Indigenous and allied stakeholders to build integrated systems of land stewardship, food sovereignty, and sustainable enterprise.
Our Vision
A thriving Eastern Woodlands landscape where Indigenous and local communities work together to restore ecological balance, cultural vitality, and regional well-being, creating a future where land, people, and biodiversity flourish in harmony.
Our Mission
TEWFA brings together Indigenous nations, rural and local communities, land stewards, and cross-sector partners to revitalize traditional foodways, conserve critical ecosystems, and build regenerative regional economies rooted in equity, sovereignty, and shared stewardship.
What We Do
We serve as a collaborative hub supporting the revival of Eastern Woodland food systems, community-based land conservation, and inclusive economic development. Our work connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities through technical assistance, governance innovation, ecological restoration, and knowledge exchange, grounded in both ancestral wisdom and modern science.
Our Key Pillars
Land Stewardship & Conservation
We support community-led efforts to protect, restore, and co-manage landscapes through legal tools and place-based ecological planning, recognizing Indigenous sovereignty and empowering local landowners as partners in biodiversity stewardship.
Sustainable Foodways & Agroecology
We promote culturally rooted, ecologically sound food systems through Indigenous agriculture, regenerative farming, food forests, and traditional hunting and foraging, fostering nutrition, food security, and economic opportunity across diverse communities.
Cultural Heritage & Knowledge Revitalization
We partner with relevant organizations, such as the Eastern Woodland Revitalization (EWR), and our project Seven Generations, to create culturally relevant training to align conservation, food systems, and economic development with songs, language, dance, storytelling and other important modes of cultural and knowledge exchange.
Regional Economic Empowerment
We incubate community-owned enterprises, build local workforce capacity, and leverage creative finance tools to strengthen self-determination and shared prosperity in Indigenous and rural economies alike.
Join the Movement
Whether you are a land steward, farmer, tribal leader, policy expert, youth, or ally, TEWFA invites you to join a growing movement that is reweaving the fabric of food, land, economy and culture in the Eastern Woodlands.
Let’s build a future where regeneration and kinship guide our relationships with land, community, and one another.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.
