The Nada Brahma Foundation is committed to the development of affordable, eco-sustainable housing and development in indigenous communities. Our goal is to address critical housing needs within these communities, whose members often live in overcrowded, substandard housing. Eco-sustainable housing is particularly important for the low-income families, who have the greatest need for utilities savings and lower maintenance costs. In 2002, we began our first project, providing fundraising assistance, project management, technical assistance, and labor to the construction of a straw-bale/cob hybrid demonstration home in Shipaulovi village on the Hopi Reservation, AZ. This project sought to combine sustainable construction techniques with traditional Hopi building methods, and to help create a long-term, effective model for constructiing eco-sustainable and affordable homes in the future. Special thanks to Brimhall Asphalt, Sand, Rock & Concrete, Snowflake, AZ; Arizona Snow Bowl, Flagstaff, AZ; Olsen’s Grain Inc., Flagstaff, AZ; and Lumberman’s Building Center, Flagstaff, AZ for their generous donation of materials.  

Traditional peoples express their deep respect and connection to their environment through the use of ceremony and ritual. The significant role of music and plants in traditional ceremonies reflects an extraordinary understanding of the nature of vibration, the local ecology, and their synergistic effects on the human mind and body. While the global trend of industrialization and environmental destruction increasingly threatens the very survival of many indigenous peoples and ecologies, there continues to be a shortage of inclusion and conservation of ancient traditional practices within current scientific studies. Through our research at the Nada Brahma Foundation, we are working towards bridging this gap between scientific, or western, and indigenous knowledge. Most importantly, it is essential to document, study, and preserve many different types of ancient knowledge and undisturbed ecologies before they are lost forever. The multidisciplinary nature of our research provides a unique opportunity to discover important interrelationships between indigenous music, religion, local ecology, and the human mind and body. Past research includes work in Guatemala and Mexico; the Hopi Reservation, Arizonal; Bali, Indonesia and Ghana, Africa. 

Currently, many indigenous people must rely on outside resources to access global communication tools. Nada Brahma's webpage development projects provides indigenous businesses and organizations with website development, technical assistance, web space donations, and domain name sponsorship. Digital independence has many economic and cultural benefits, and gives local people the ability to speak for themselves, to offer services and goods directly, and to network with other groups. In order to accomplish this, we work with local people in the field to collaborate on web page development and maintenance. Currently, we are sponsoring the development of www.thebestbalitours.com in Bali, Indonesia, a tour company with the goal of providing eco-sustainable and fair trade tours in Bali. Other website projects include Sulley Imoro, a teacher and performer of traditional Dagomba song, dance and drumming, the Meyah Preparatory School in Medie, Ghana and Alfred Kpebesaane, a xylophone player from Northern Ghana and the Mbangba Cultural Troupe.