Mahpiya Tokeča, James Allen Jones, is a citizen of the Standing Rock Lakota Nation. He is also of Jeju Korean, Mongolian, and Santee Dakota descent. James grew up walking the prairies of Standing Rock, looking at plants and listening to his mother talk about their edible and medicinal uses. He is also a forager and gatherer, and enjoys eating his traditional foods. Recently, James graduated from United Tribes Technical College with an Associate’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture. He also spent the summer as an intern in the Rising Voices, Changing Coasts research project at Haskell Indian Nations University, and is currently a student in the Wizipan Fall Leadership and Sustainability Program at The Indian University of North America. While James has many interests including art of all mediums, he has always wanted to learn more about growing and preserving his own food. He has the ultimate goal of bringing Indigenous communities together to truly achieve food sovereignty for all of our people through water, air, and soil restoration and reclamation.