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Mission
Restore ecosystems and the sustainability of communities, cultures, and economies.
PANEL 2 of 7
November 15, 2023 | 10:30-11:45am
Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Ecocultural Stewardship
Program Description
Tribal cultural practitioners and specialists will share about the importance of cultural beneficial resources, from First Foods to plants used for basketry and how ITEK is informing current stewardship practices. Presenters will discuss traditional ecocultural stewardship practices, including the importance of indigenous burning, language revitalization, and the place-based worldview that sustains ecosystems and communities.
Moderator: Belinda Brown • Pit River, Northern Paiute & Isleta Pueblo • Tribal Partnerships Director, Lomakatsi Restoration Project
Presentation Recording
“Our elders will tell us that we need to preserve […] our land and our language, and how those languages and songs and dances and ceremonies keep us connected to our land and keep us connected to the cycles. Our elders tell us that if we live in the natural rhythms of the earth, sea, and heavens, that we’re always going to be happier and healthier, and staying connected to each other in those ceremonies and rituals that we keep, that will keep our nations strong.” – Belinda Brown
Panelists and Presentation Summaries
Marley Smith • Hawaiian Kingdom • Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, Tribal Relations Liaison
Marley Smith spoke about human responsibility to be the voice for the elements and beings who cannot speak, and how her work as a Tribal Liaison supports a bridge that connects people back to the land. She emphasized the importance of valuing the perspectives of elders, youth, and language, including song and dance, in representations of ITEK.
“Language in our community is life, and language is death. It is the root of our peoples; it is the language of the earth.”
About Marley
Marley Smith is a kanaka ma-oli (Native Hawaiian) born and raised within Colorado’s foothills of the central Rocky Mountain vein. After graduating from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Forestry, Ms. Smith entered the Forest Service through the Resource Assistant Program, leading into a permanent position as Natural Resource Specialist on the Pecos-Las Vegas Ranger District, Santa Fe National Forest where she served for the past 3 years. Ms. Smith began a new position as Tribal Relations Liaison for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Southwest Oregon in 2023. Marley is committed to establishing sustainable resource practices under the framework of transnational solidarity, social justice, and equity for all.
Jefferson Greene • Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs •
Columbia River Institute for Indigenous Development, Executive Director
Jefferson Greene shared a story from elders about the ancestral lands where the Summit was held, and spoke to the importance of language, including song, as a means of connection between people and the environment around them since time immemorial. He advocated for Tribal language revitalization efforts that are working to teach youth about the language of their people and the land.
“The language reminds us of where we come from, the ecosystem, the world, the land, and all those First People. The language relates us to that time.”
About Jefferson
Raised in a time when language and culture were already fading, Mr. Jefferson Greene of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation was groomed to teach for generations to come. Culturally and academically educated, Mr. Greene has remained involved in several arenas related to spirituality, education, entrepreneurship, music, culture, fatherhood, community development, and the arts. He is currently an Ichishkín Language Instructor as the Executive Director of the Columbia River Institute for Indigenous Development (CRÍID) Foundation providing community education through cultural harvesting, songs, dances, and stories.
Elizabeth Azzuz • Yurok Tribe and Karuk descendant • Indigenous and Family Burning, Cultural Fire Management Council Director
Elizabeth Azzuz spoke to the development of her role as director of the indigenous woman-led nonprofit Cultural Fire Management Council, beginning with instruction from her elders about restoring hazel for basket weaving materials and traditional fire land management practices that support healthy medicines, food, land, and people. Elizabeth talked about her responsibilities as a steward of ceremonial sites and communities, and how she works to pass on key knowledge to younger generations so they may take up the role of “firelighters” (those who respectfully restore the environment with fire).
“We bring out the youth. We train them from preschool into college. We bring them out, they see our burns, they see what we do. They see how we take care of the land, how we take care of the people, how we take care of the water, how we take care of our animal brothers and sisters, the one-legged Tree people…”
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Azzuz is a cultural fire practitioner, and gathers and propagates traditional food and medicinal plants. She serves as Director of Indigenous and Family Burning for the Cultural Fire Management Council. Of Yurok and Karuk descent, she comes from and lives in her traditional territory where the Trinity River flows into the Klamath on the North Coast of California. Elizabeth is a mother and grandmother. At the age of 4 she learned about burning from her grandfather.
Resources
- Columbia River Insititute for Indigenous Development [Link]
- CommUnity Guidelines for Inter-Tribal Ecosystem Restoration Partnership Peer-to-Peer Learning Summit (2023) [Link]
- Cultural Fire Management Council [Link]
- Indigenous Peoples Burning Network [Link]
- Presidential Memorandum: Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Federal Decision Making (2021) [Link]
- Strengthening Tribal Consultations & Nation-to-Nation Relationships: A USDA Forest Service Action Plan [Link]
- USDA Forest Service Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Tribal Relations [Link]