By Sage Lively | Hamilton College Intern
Despite humanity existing for just a blip in Earth’s history, we have managed to wreak irreparable environmental damage. Since the 16th Century, humans have driven an estimated 680 species to extinction. We have actively caused Ozone depletion, increasing the world’s temperature, leading to vast changes across ecosystems. Ecological disasters caused by climate change are cropping up around the world. Today we will focus on the California WildFires.
The California Wildfires have been wreaking destruction on the forestry, buildings, and citizens of California for decades. Due to climate change, these fires become more dangerous each year.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire season in California is ‘starting earlier and ending later’ each year, with 2021 boasting an estimated 2,568,948 acres burned, with January alone having had, “more than three times as many acres burned compared to the previous year through that date.” Warmer temperatures, droughts, and earlier snow melts all contribute to the growing number and severity of the wildfires.
This problem shows no sign of slowing, with California already having experienced 138 wildfire incidents by February, burning 730 acres predominantly in Palo Colorado Canyon.
So, what do we do? Faced with ecological disasters like wildfires, it can be easy to become hopeless when combating climate change. Despite the ever spreading nihilistic attitude, protecting our natural resources is not an impossible goal. One incredibly valuable source of knowledge and experience vital in environmental conservation is indigenous stewardship.
For centuries Native tribes have been practicing conservation techniques in their mission to maintain their “relationship-based kincentric stewardship as practiced by people for over a millennium,” as stated by the First Nations Development Institute. There are fewer more clear examples of the effects of this stewardship than in California.
There are a number of forest conservancy methods utilized by indigenous communities, but one of the most effective and controversial methods is ‘prescribed’ or ‘light’ burning.
Prescribed burning is the act of setting controlled burns to the undergrowth of forests. It is a precise science, but when performed correctly and in the right conditions, can rid the forests of the undergrowth wildfires are reliant on to spread. The practice can also combat invasive species and overgrowth, providing more space and resources for native trees.
“For more than 13,000 years the Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, Miwok, Chumash and hundreds of other tribes across California and the world used small intentional burns to renew local food, medicinal and cultural resources, create habitat for animals, and reduce the risk of larger, more dangerous wildfires.” (The Guardian)
Despite the practice’s long history of success and proven utility, it is still a feared practice, and in 1850 was outlawed in the US. The Natives People Action describe this vilification of fire as “similar to the early Western views of indigenous people,” showing how this mischaracterization is based in bias. Slowly, prescribed burning is returning to our forestry, and according to the State Air Resources Board, ‘125,000 acres of wildlands are intentionally burned each year in California’. Though this is progress, it still represents a tiny fraction of US forests.
Due to its position as a densely packed, highly represented US state, the California wildfires have been highly publicized and addressed. While it serves as a prime example of the increasingly dangerous ecological disasters across the world, it is sadly not unique. Similarly, the indigenous population’s expertise being met with condescension and lack of respect is not unique.
Just as in California, Alaskan natives are forced to fight for the welfare of the land, as “Colonial government systems continue to criminalize our customary and traditional ways of life. Alaska’s laws and state constitution do not recognize Tribal sovereignty or our customary and traditional lifeways, forcing us to fight for our rights to steward our own lands, animals, and waters” (Natives People Action).
This fight includes combating continued environmental deterioration and damage, such as opposing the proposed coal mine on the Ch’u’itnu (Chuitt River) drainage of Cook Inlet, Alaska. Thankfully, the Tyonek community prevented the mine and the ensuing destruction of Ch’u’itnu watershed, environmental resources and ecosystems, and the lifeways of the Tubughna people.
Through the continued fights in California, Alaska, and countless other communities, we can see what anthropologists dubbed indigenous peoples as “the original ecologists.”
As stated by the First Nations Institute, it is vital that we all recognize and support “Indigenous peoples in their efforts to advance the rights and opportunities of the stewards of biocultural diversity and sustainable land management practices.” This support can extend to the important fights happening in California or Alaska, or can start right in our own backyard. The Oneida Indian Nation’s sacred and sovereign homelands are located right here in Central New York. The Oneida Nation takes part in a number of ‘eco-friendly practices’, including programs to reduce waste and greenhouse gasses, encourage energy efficient alternatives, and reduce the impact of invasive species.
There is no single solution to climate change. However, in the face of growing ecological disaster, it is foolish for us as individuals and for our governments to ignore the knowledge and experience of the indigenous communities. Together, we can fight the continued damage to our climate, and help indigenous communities reclaim stewardship of native lands.
To read more about the indigenous communities, please visit https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/about/, https://www.firstnations.org/environmentaljustice/, and https://nativepeoplesaction.org/ for information, resources, and opportunities to support the fight against ecological disasters.
