Open to all people of good will, Nanish Shontie is a unique concept. A traditional native community, it will be a sanctuary for wild life, a cultural center, a place where healers of all walks of life can share their wisdom, a living piece of history, and a self-sustaining model of ecology and humanity.

In this time of great social and ecological changes, there is a need for a community that demonstrates how to live in today's world, utilizing Earth friendly tribal values. In this way we continue with the knowledge of our ancestors while making sure that future generations will still have a chance to walk in the beauty of the Mother Earth.

We are creating a permanent community of like-minded people, both Native and non-Native. It will be a place where Traditional Elders can impart and share their ways. The community will be a permanent refuge for some, and a temporary one for others who seek to become part of our efforts and to obtain healing in their own lives. All who live there will learn to live, work and contribute to the community in the traditional ways.

The community is patterned on the successful Meta Tantay camp which sustained itself and flourished in Nevada during the 1970's and 1980's and existed for similar purposes. Several of our principals and intended staff were key figures in operating Meta Tantay and bring their experience and vision to Nanish Shontie. All are convinced that such a community is necessary, even more than during the time of Meta Tantay, because the threats to the Mother Earth are greater and people live more separated from each other and the Mother Earth.

As organizations from the world over invite the principal figures in Nanish Shontie to speak at their conferences and gatherings, so they will be able to come and see for themselves how these powerful traditions can enrich all of life. We know that our wisdom and our ways must be shared with other cultures as well as we have many things to also learn from others if there is to be any real hope of healing the Mother Earth.

We know that coming together to face that common challenge will be a way for all of us to regain respect and tolerance for each other. We also know that coming together may be the only way in which many people, especially those coming from the cities who have become detached from the Mother Earth, will have of gaining the balance they have lost in their lives. We also know that what we learn in this endeavor must be made available to the culture-at-large, so that the spirit of Nanish Shontie can extend well beyond the geographic confines of our community.