For sixteen years, the Tribal Trust Foundation has walked alongside the Monpa people of Central Bhutan — not as distant benefactors, but as genuine partners in one of the most meaningful cultural preservation relationships in our 30-year history. This past February, we received a letter of gratitude from a partner in Bhutan, Karma Lotey, pictured above, President of Yangphel Adventure … Read More
Internship Opportunities
Tribal Trust Foundation Internship Opportunities The Tribal Trust Foundation welcomes high school and college students to learn about Indigenous wisdom traditions and work with us to support a thriving future through Indigenous-led storytelling, partnerships, and collaboration. Join TTF in Our Mission The Tribal Trust Foundation carries on a 30-year history of supporting Indigenous-led projects and programs that preserve and uplift … Read More
Continuing Global Impact
Photo courstesy of Bari Wesna As we close out 2025, I’m reaching out with gratitude — and a simple request. We asked for your support recently, to raise $110,000 and inspired donors have already given $95,000! Today, a $20,000 matching grant means that if you MAKE A DONATION TODAY, the value of your donation will be doubled! CONTINUING GLOBAL IMPACT … Read More
Traveling to Bhutan for Documentary Film and Friendship
In 2006, the Tribal Trust Foundation answered a call from the Monpa people of Bhutan to document their ancient culture, one of the last Indigenous communities in the Himalayas still living in close harmony with the natural world. Upon their request, while the government had begun plans for a genocide of these peace-loving people, we began filming in order to … Read More
Monpa Elders Prioritizing Indigenous Language Preservation
UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 recognizes, “Languages are one of the most significant emblems of human diversity, revealing how we can perceive, relate to, and understand the world differently. Languages are vehicles of our cultures, collective memory, and values. They are an essential component of our identities.” The Monpas are translating their oral language into Dzongkha and English … Read More
Responsiveness in Support for Hadza People
In times of great change, it is wise to go back to what we know has worked throughout millennia: the ways of Indigenous people, who have built cultures and traditions anchored in ancient wisdom that is perhaps more relevant today than ever before. Indigenous communities are also most vulnerable to the life-threatening effects of climate change and the extractive practices … Read More
Celebrating the Monpa People of Bhutan
Image: Pamos Nguntimo by Karma Jamtsho We’re happy to announce the Tribal Trust Foundation (TTF) has successfully funded a grassroots cultural revitalization and research initiative for the Monpa, a tribe of Indigenous hunter gatherers who live in the Black Forest, a remote area in Central Bhutan. The Monpa community is rich in culture and they recognize “it is on the verge of disappearing”. This funding will empower the … Read More
Monpa Medicinal Plants: Indigenous Knowledge From A Himalayan Healer
Inspired by her time in Bhutan with the Monpa people and with teachings from wisdom Elder Ap Tawla, professor Dawn A. Murray wrote the book Monpa Medicinal Plants: Indigenous Knowledge From A Himalayan Healer, a book about the Monpas and their intimate relationships with the plants, the land, and cultural practices. Murray’s book illuminates the Himalayan medicinal plants that the … Read More
Getting to Know the Monpa People of Bhutan
Within Bhutan, a small Kingdom in the Himalayas, hidden away in the deep forest and high mountains, live the Monpa, the indigenous people considered the country’s first inhabitants. The Monpa asked the Tribal Trust Foundation (TTF) to help them preserve their ancient culture, which is based on living in harmony with nature and each other. In 2014, we were the … Read More