Mission Statement:

The BARKA Foundation is dedicated to preserving spiritual healing traditions of the world's indigenous cultures and to create the conditions for these wisdoms to be shared with the West in order to foment sustainable forms of living together in peace on the planet.

Barka is an African word that means 'thank you, please'. It is part blessing, part gratitude, and part plea. The word signifies the reciprocity inherent in the exchange of a gift- there is both the request and the gratitude. BARKA aims to build a bridge of reciprocity between indigenous and modern cultures in ways that our gifts can be shared with each other.

The BARKA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Housatonic, Massachusetts and Burkina Faso, Africa.

BARKA was co-founded in 2004 by Ina & Esu Anahata (Esu is formerly known as Howard Ross Patlis) out of a passionate need to be of service at this time of global crisis. This work is their surrender to that call.

BARKA seeks to "create the conditions for these wisdoms to be shared with the West". How? We are artists and educators, documentarians and interpreters, translators and consultants. BARKA aims to bring the indigenous voice to a seat at the table of world discourse on the crises that face our planet at this time. In this role, Ina & Esu are bridge builders, and emissaries of the indigenous wisdomkeepers with whom they have the privilege and good fortune to work.

BARKA is particularly interested in applying its work toward impacting policy change, corporate social responsibility and the re-configuration of humanitarian aid distribution in order to prioritize the protection and preservation of the planet's remaining indigenous cultures.