About

Mariam Kouyaté

I was born into the Kouyaté lineage of the Mandingue and carry the role of Djely Mousso: a woman entrusted with memory, counsel, and cultural continuity. I am also a daughter of Mumbi of the Agĩkũyũ. Those before me kept ancestral names, reconciled families, cultivated the land, and returned people to themselves through story and song. Their legacy continues to guide me.

Ethos

I keep memory in motion: a hand in soil, a birth held with reverence, a story carried across generations.

Looking up through ancient redwood canopy, sunlight filtering through branches

Formation

A Bachelor of Arts in Journalism trained me in close listening, precise inquiry, and tracing a story to its source. Work in global development policy and diplomacy deepened my understanding of governance, negotiation, and institutional duty. A Master of Science in Leadership and Management strengthened my capacity to lead clearly, steward responsibility, and carry decisions into practice. Across each field, language remained both instrument and obligation.

Alongside this professional formation, horticulture, fungiculture, and permaculture offered another education. Soil, mycelium, and ecology returned me to season, patience, and the discipline of tending.

Together, lineage and training shape my work across advisory, art, and ceremony. Advisory carries cultural and ecological responsibility into institutional decisions; Studio gives those concerns public form.

Ripe golden mangoes hanging from a lush mango tree

Explore

AdvisoryCommunications, diplomacy, and protocol for decisions affecting Indigenous peoples, heritage, and territory.CeremonySilent mass meditation at the equinoxes and solstices.StudioCultural and ecological inquiry through literature, photography, film, sound, and elemental materials.