In honor of Native American Heritage Month, which will be observed throughout November, The Sedona Women proudly present a program to honor the Verde Valley Native American community. Our speaker will be Thomasene Cardona, Camp Verde Yavapai Nation member and advocate.
Thomasene is the visionary force behind the newly launched Yavapai Land and Cultural Collective project, a community-led initiative dedicated to restoring and strengthening traditional Yavapai food systems. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, Thomasene has worked in grassroots initiatives to create spaces of belonging and empowerment.
The Yavapai Land and Cultural Collective project is about more than food — it’s about reconnection. Reconnecting with ancestral knowledge, cultural identity, and the land that sustains us. By rebuilding traditional foodways, the program will give the community resilience and support ecological sustainability for future generations.
The early development of this initiative was made possible through the Northern Arizona University Maxwell Lutz Award, which honors outstanding community-driven projects. This award provided the essential seed funding and encouragement to move the vision from concept to action, ensuring a strong and sustainable foundation.
