Native Americans and Mongolians have similar Indigenous cultures and face similar livelihood challenges. Through meeting each other at community levels and discovering cultural similarities and differences, both groups find ways to improve and enrich livelihoods based on positive relationships with their environment, society, and economy.

Through a National Science Foundation grant at Montana State University, six Native American students and lead professor Dr. Kristin Ruppel visited countryside herding communities in Bulgan and Huvsgul aimags to share and compare details of traditional and contemporary livelihoods.