Sharing the gifts of our ancestors
We're strengthening bodies, spirits, and communities.
Guardian Saga programs inspire youth to honor and care for our earth, for our cultural heritages, and for one another. We use our ancient Guardian Art training and ceremonies along with physically and mentally challenging adventures such as night hike trainings, survival skills, traditional water/land-based teachings, indigenous sports, and games.
Youth learn how to care for visiting wisdom teaching elders, cook indigenous foods and work together to prepare, serve, and clean up after meals. Most importantly, Guardian Saga programs give youth the skills and confidence to become guardians of the future.
Praxeums
Equal parts cultural preserve, community hub, and advanced training ground, we’re calling our Guardian Saga cultural centers “Praxeums”. Built on ancestral lands near to sites sacred among many First Nations people, our Praxeums are places where people of all heritages can gather to reconnect with nature, practice ceremonies, pass on traditional teachings, and train in the higher levels of Guardian Art.
We have three Praxeums in North America to honor the three houses of our indigenous heritages: the Kiva House in the southwest, the Roundhouse in the Northeast, and the Longhouse In the Northwest. At all three sites host retreats with young people to train them in Guardian Art, immerse them in nature and heritage, and help them connect with others and work together toward creating a future for all to thrive.
Overland Outreach
Some of the communities that we work with are remote and difficult to get to, so our Guardian Saga Overland Outreach Program uses a 4WD vehicle that’s equipped to transport people and supplies to the farthest reaches of our continents. We hope to expand our fleet to four vehicles so that we can use them to reach more communities, more regularly.
The benefit of our Overland vehicle is that it is like a cultural center wheels; wherever we go we can stop in First Nation communities along the way, visit sacred sites, and introduce people to Guardian Art training and cultural teachings. We seek to open people’s hearts and eyes to the many powerful forgotten and hidden treasures of our land.
Language Immersion
Through our Language Immersion Program, youth learn the ancient discipline of Guardian Art using the language of their ancestral heritage. Using the whole body, engaging the mind, and incorporating cultural viewpoints allow youth to connect with language in ways that go far beyond the classroom. Kids don’t learn lists of vocabulary words, they learn the meaning and power of those words in physical action. This makes learning their ancestral language more relevant, more engaging, and simply more fun.
Nexus
We have a facility for year around Guardian Art training in Bayfield, Colorado houses a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor training gym, the main office for the Guardian Saga nonprofit organization, and serves as an embassy where council meetings and community ceremonies are held in Ute, Pueblo, Dene, and Apache territory.
