tierra roja coalition
Rematriating land. Restoring relationships. Building collective power.
The Traditional Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Healing
× RAYA (People of Aridoamérica)
Tierra Roja Coalition brings together Indigenous land defenders, cultural knowledge keepers, environmental stewards, and community organizers in a shared commitment to protecting the lands, waters, wildlife, and ancestral traditions threatened by colonialism, displacement, and extractive development.
We unite wildlife conservation, land stewardship, regenerative agriculture, cultural preservation, and creative documentation to confront urgent environmental and social injustices while building a future rooted in Indigenous sovereignty, ecological balance, and collective liberation.
Our work begins with the understanding that the land is not a resource to be exploited, but a living relative to whom we have responsibilities. Protecting the land means protecting the people, cultures, and ecosystems that belong to it.
OUR MISSION
Tierra Roja Coalition works to acquire and rematriate lands in ecologically sensitive regions that have experienced, or are threatened by, destructive development. Through Indigenous-led stewardship, we seek to restore native habitats, protect biodiversity, cultivate food sovereignty, and establish spaces where Indigenous knowledge keepers, land defenders, and community members can gather, organize, teach, heal, and sustain ancestral relationships with the natural world.
Recognizing that environmental destruction and Indigenous dispossession are interconnected, we respond to emerging threats not only through ecological restoration, but through community mobilization, advocacy, and the development of lasting grassroots infrastructure.
We seek to transform moments of environmental crisis into opportunities for collective action, challenging the political and economic structures that prioritize extraction and profit over the well-being of the land and its people.
OUR APPROACH
Land Defense & Ecological Restoration
We work to protect threatened ecosystems through a replicable system of land rematriation, native plant restoration, wildlife habitat conservation, water stewardship, and regenerative agricultural practices. The systems can be deployed at need in multiple ecologically delicate sites throughout the US Southwest. We recognize these efforts as essential acts of resistance against the ongoing exploitation and displacement of Indigenous communities.
Community Organizing & Frontline Solidarity
We seek to build the resources, relationships, and physical spaces necessary for Indigenous and other directly impacted communities to respond rapidly to emerging threats. By creating places for land defenders to gather, collaborate, share knowledge, and sustain their organizing efforts, we strengthen collective capacity to challenge destructive development, advocate for environmental justice, and exercise community self-determination.
Cultural Preservation & Creative Documentation
We honor the inseparable relationship between land, culture, and ancestral knowledge. Through storytelling, artistic expression, ecological documentation, and intergenerational knowledge sharing, we work to preserve Indigenous histories and lifeways while challenging colonial narratives that have erased Indigenous presence and justified the exploitation of ancestral territories.
Community-Led Research & Accountability
We aim to develop systems for documenting the ecological and social impacts of our work, including changes in native plant populations, wildlife activity, habitat restoration, and community participation. By bringing quantitative ecological research into dialogue with Indigenous traditional knowledge, we seek to demonstrate the tangible benefits of land stewardship, document environmental threats, and strengthen community-led advocacy. Information concerning people and cultural knowledge will be gathered and shared with community consent and appropriate protections.
OUR VISION
We envision a growing network of rematriated lands and community spaces that serve as living sanctuaries for wildlife, Indigenous cultural knowledge, and collective resistance.
These spaces will function not only as sites of ecological regeneration but as enduring centers of movement infrastructure: places where frontline communities can organize, build leadership, share resources, practice ancestral traditions, and develop strategies to confront environmental destruction and displacement.
Through this work, we strive to shift power and resources toward the communities most directly affected by extractive development, affirming Indigenous sovereignty and advancing a future in which land, water, wildlife, and people can thrive together.
Rather than simply seeking to preserve what remains, we fight to restore relationships, reclaim responsibility, and build the collective power to defend what comes next.
who are we
LOBA NAVARRO
mother and matriarch, ancestrally from the thornforests of Aridoamerica - from san luis potosi to southwest texas. lifelong student of the natural world, traditional tattoo artist, community member to many. loba spearheads creative vision and execution within land convservation and cultural preservation efforts.
Creative Director/Co-Founder of Raya
Emmett Marsh
We trust this leader to synchronize production, logistics, and support functions, cultivating dependable processes that uphold our service commitments.
Head of Operations
Lead EngineerEleanor Parks
We depend on this engineer to transform conceptual requirements into robust technical solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructures.