This photo was taken in Joshua Tree National Park which is the traditional land of the Serrano, Chemehuevi, Mojave, and Cohuilla people who spent millennia stewarding the land | Photo by Cory Adams
You travel to any U.S. National Park and you'll likely encounter—whether from informational sign postings or other literature—a narrative about "pristine wilderness." The National Parks Service (NPS) was notably established in 1872 with the designation of Yellowstone National Park to protect these "wild" spaces from Western expansion. And from that point on has perpetuated a myth of the preservation of these spaces as if humans have never touched them, which seeps into how the NPS tells the park's story.
However, in all of these so-called wild spaces, humans have existed for millennia. This Smithsonian story showcases the work that scientists and Indigenous people have done together to debunk that myth. Beyond debunking the myth, though, there are important lessons that Indigenous people are bringing to conservation today that are rooted in their traditional relationship with the land that is rooted in deep knowledge. Indigenous people are reframing land management in practical and transformative ways, particularly around the necessity of mindful and respectful human intervention to maintain balance of ecosystems.
Humans Are Part of the Ecosystem
Given what we've seen what modern human society has done to the planet, it's hard not to think that the best we can do as humans is leave a natural place alone. But modern science and traditional Indigenous knowledge are beginning to coalesce to show that if management of nature is done respectfully and intelligently, human intervention can actually be a key to thriving ecosystems.
In Robin Wall Kimmerer's incredible book Braiding Sweetgrass—where she beautifully weaves Indigenous knowledge and science together—she gives a specific example of where such human intervention keeps native sweetgrass alive. At Kimmerer's suggestion and urging, one of her doctoral advisees, Laurie, embarked upon a dissertation study to determine whether different native harvesting methods affected the growth of sweetgrass (either pulling them out by the root or plucking them by the stem to leave the bulb to thrive—both methods only seeking to harvest no more than half of the grass leaving the rest to grow). And of course, there was an untouched control patch of sweetgrass they monitored. At the outset, Laurie's dissertation committee (save for Kimmerer) were dubious that her research would yield any new information because, they believed, it was common knowledge that human harvest would naturally deplete a species.
Despite the skepticism of her committee, Laurie and her team worked for three years alongside Indigenous communities to gather data that, in the end, showed surprising (that is to the settler folks/scientists) result: the failing plots were the unharvested control patches while the thriving plots were the harvested ones regardless of the method. "Picking sweetgrass seemed to actually stimulate growth," says Kimmerer. And the results were not even close. And this elicited a pretty remarkable results showing the interconnection between humans and ecology.
"We are all products of our worldviews—even scientists who proclaim objectivity," writes Kimmerer. "[The scientists'] predictions for sweetgrass were consistent with their Western science worldview, which sets human beings outside of 'nature' and judges their interactions with other species as largely negative. They had been schooled that the best way to protect a dwindling species was to leave it alone and keep people away. But the grassy meadows tell us that for sweetgrass, human beings are part of the system, a vital part."
Indigenous Land Management in Action
Lessons from sweetgrass show us that if done right, the intimate knowledge of nature (that goes deeper than scientific knowledge), there is hope in how we humans can listen to, respect, and work with the nature around us. It runs counter to the capitalistic approach to accumulate whatever you feel you are owed at any cost. But Indigenous communities are showing very practical ways their traditional knowledge and methods of land management are taking shape of the world around them.
One of the most important Indigenous movements today, the Land Back movement, is linked to this idea of human interaction with land and nature. Land Back is a simple concept in theory: literally returning traditional Native lands to their rightful stewards. Of course, in the frame of mind of capitalism where land ownership runs counter to the Indigenous concepts of land stewardship and responsibility, it's tricky. But Indigenous groups such as the Yurok Tribe of Northwestern California—whose land is along a 40-mile stretch of the Klamath River—are working within modern-day systems to find ways to have their traditional lands returned to the tribe and to manage them with Indigenous practices.
In the podcast How to Save a Planet, hosts Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Alex Blumberg talk with Yurok Tribe vice chair Frankie Myers about the tribe's conservation work. Their interview focused a lot about how the tribe is working with current day systems and structures while pursuing the kind of sovereignty the Land Back movement advocates for (e.g., tapping into California's carbon offset program to gain funding that allows them to manage and protect their old growth forests). In addition to their approach to land management, an important compelling point arose around the Yurok tribe's overall philosophy.
"I think one of the things about our Yurok government and how we look at land-based management, is really this kind of fundamental philosophy, Yurok philosophy or belief that there's no inherent evil in the world," said Myers. "And things are either good or bad depending on what you use them for. And the other part that I think is extremely important to understand about Yurok, is we believe that the world itself when it was created, it's a world that was created out of balance. And that it is the responsibility or the part that humans play in this world to bring balance back, to bring the world back towards a system of balance. So I think those two principles drive our management."
This concept even took the podcast hosts by surprise. Myers gave the example of sustainable logging practices: if you take the mindset of our role as bringing balance to the ecosystem, similar to that of harvesting only half of the sweetgrass, you can actually revitalize the forest without fully depleting it. Logging doesn't always mean clearcutting.
This also comes out in the Yurok and Karuk tribe's use of cultural fire management practices, which include prescribed burns rooted in Indigenous knowledge and values. This practice has not only helped stave off mega-burns that have become synonymous with California in recent years, but it has also revitalized the California hazelnut. The tree and the basket weaving materials found only in their understory are culturally significant to the tribes and their revitalization helps restore the weaving practice and maintain the livelihoods of tribal members.
The Yurok and Karuk Tribes are shining examples of how the concept of the human role of balancing nature can translate into a better planet and stronger communities. It's heartening that these traditional preservation practices are being hailed within scientific communities where there is opportunity to create connections to showcase how Indigenous knowledge can be central to the science of sustainable land management.
How You Can Join the Movement
The How To Save a Planet show notes (an episode which you should definitely listen to!) always include ways we can take action in this area, specifically providing some good resources on Indigenous practices along the Klamath River. In relation to this concept of reframing our role as humans in land management, here are some places to start:
Know whose land you're on. No matter where you are in North America, you're on traditional, stolen Indigenous land. Find that information here: https://native-land.ca/
Then weave land acknowledgements into your life, even if it's doing the research yourself (here's some info on how to start doing that). Weave this practice into your travels as well (you can download the Native Land app on your phone).
Learn about the Indigenous people and history where you are. Find the tribes and Indigenous communities in your area, learn about them, get involved with their work, and donate to them. Their current work and programming is as essential as knowing the Native history of the area as well.
Start to reshape the narrative around land management in your mind. The above two practices help lead to this as you begin to bring acknowledgements into your everyday lives as it begins to shape how you approach the land, especially the more "wild" spaces.
Learn about and get involved with the Land Back movement. Just going to quote the How to Save a Planet show notes because the recommendations are good: "Check out and support the work of Indigenous organizations like the NDN Collective and their #landback campaign, the Native American Land Conservancy, Indigenous Environmental Network, and Indigenous Climate Action."
Read these articles and/or books:
Return the National Parks to the Tribes by David Treuer (The Atlantic, May 2022)
The Lost History of Yellowstone by Richard Grant (The Smithsonian, January 2021)
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Share Your Inspiration With Us!
Let us know what this story brought up for you. It's a concept that was kind of mind blowing for our team and we're curious what kind of ideas it elicited and what it made you think. Comment on this article or DM us over on Instagram.
Thank you for sharing this article. It got me thinking, where does nature ends and human-civilization begins? If someone lives in a cave in a desert island has that island become civilized? Or if it's a family or small group of settlers? Where does nature ends exactly? I believe that there is not divide. You can be in NYC right on Time Square and you are still in nature.
The divide between nature and civilization is completely made up, creating an artificial disconnection. The question is more on how can we make our environments (all of which are part of nature even if you live in the biggest urban conglomerate) more balanced and sustainable? On that note, we need to learn A LOT from native communities that have not been self-deluded into artificial boundaries between nature and civilization.