WEBVTT 00:00:04.750 --> 00:00:07.870 This is Climate to Action, a CSUSM student podcast. 00:00:08.169 --> 00:00:11.150 I'm your host, Molly Sarawatari. We are committed 00:00:11.150 --> 00:00:13.210 to incorporating discussions on climate justice 00:00:13.210 --> 00:00:15.589 and Indigenous knowledge in addressing the climate 00:00:15.589 --> 00:00:18.190 crisis as we provide a call to action in every 00:00:18.190 --> 00:00:21.460 episode. We are podcasting live from the Water 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:24.219 Conservation Garden in El Cajon. Usually, we 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:26.320 start each episode of the podcast with the land 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:29.179 acknowledgement from our campus, Cal State San 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:31.559 Marcos. Since there are 18 federally recognized 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:33.840 tribes in San Diego County, we'd like to acknowledge 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:36.000 all of the tribes, ancestors, and traditional 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:38.719 keepers of the land here at the Water Conservation 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.759 Garden. I invite us all to pause and recognize 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.000 that we gather today on the unceded territory 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.659 of the Kumeyaay Nation. Along with the Kumeyaay 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:49.320 people, I also honor the Lusenyo -Payukawichum, 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:53.000 Kuwea, and Kupenyo peoples, the first caretakers 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:55.840 of what we now call San Diego County. Today's 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:58.439 episode is focused on tribal resources and resilience. 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:01.979 We are here before a live audience at San Diego's 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:04.799 first ever Climate Week with Amanda Subish and 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.159 Ivan Sam, both keepers of traditional knowledge. 00:01:08.130 --> 00:01:10.629 Amanda and Ivan, welcome and thank you for being 00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:12.790 on the podcast today. Could you each introduce 00:01:12.790 --> 00:01:15.310 yourselves, share a little bit about your background 00:01:15.310 --> 00:01:19.569 and the communities you are a part of? Hello, 00:01:19.609 --> 00:01:24.370 my name is Ivan Sam. I am involved with many 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:27.030 different programs, especially with Red Earth 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:32.510 Movement. Also, I've been a part of the Veterans 00:01:32.510 --> 00:01:35.329 Call to Action for Standing Rock in the past. 00:01:36.869 --> 00:01:41.209 Also, local tribal communities also have their 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:45.629 own programs and events that are in relation 00:01:45.629 --> 00:01:48.989 to environmental justice as well. My name is 00:01:48.989 --> 00:01:51.370 Amanda Suish. I'm from the Palma Band of Luceno 00:01:51.370 --> 00:01:54.569 Indians. First and foremost, I'm a mother of 00:01:54.569 --> 00:01:59.549 five. It's been pretty, what word am I looking 00:01:59.549 --> 00:02:03.099 for? It's been pretty special this past week. 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.159 I've had my daughter along with me and we were 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.039 down at City Hall. She got to see the proclamation, 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:10.080 you know, and just seeing things in action. And 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:11.860 then I had her with us at the opening of Climate 00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:15.039 Week. So she's seen like the whole advocacy side. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:17.280 She's seen action happening. She's seeing it 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:19.580 all like from the struggles to things actually 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:23.460 happening. And then my I've had five years experience 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:26.360 doing like actual row crops with my tribe's farm. 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:28.879 And then most recently, earlier this year, I 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:31.580 joined Red Earth and we created it. a summer 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:33.840 program specifically targeting like our native 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:36.180 youth. And that was like a six -week session 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:38.259 we had did down at Coastal Roots. But then we 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:40.039 are also like around the surrounding reservations. 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:44.539 I think it's a total of six tribes that we've 00:02:44.539 --> 00:02:47.500 worked with directly and then in talks with a 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.780 couple others. We're doing a lot of pretty amazing 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:52.419 work with Red Earth Movement. Yeah, definitely. 00:02:54.969 --> 00:02:57.289 Could you both kind of explain a little bit to 00:02:57.289 --> 00:02:58.750 our listeners? Because a lot of our listeners 00:02:58.750 --> 00:03:01.050 come with little to no background with environmental 00:03:01.050 --> 00:03:02.830 knowledge. What is the Red Earth Movement and 00:03:02.830 --> 00:03:06.729 what exactly does that entail? Red Earth Movement 00:03:06.729 --> 00:03:11.909 is a program that really focuses on the resiliency 00:03:11.909 --> 00:03:16.009 of bringing back first occupiers, like ancestral 00:03:16.009 --> 00:03:20.889 people's ways to, you know, grow food, utilizing 00:03:20.889 --> 00:03:25.840 Red Earth oven. indigenous cuisine. We try to 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.139 teach our community how to grow food and how 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:31.819 to take care of the land to from seed to table 00:03:31.819 --> 00:03:35.400 program, seed to spirit is what we kind of focus 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:40.740 on. Mainly allowing our participants and people 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:43.159 we work with to kind of get more involved and 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:47.159 conscious of what it takes to be a part of a 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:49.020 lot of these different programs, especially. 00:03:50.409 --> 00:03:53.289 Getting to know indigenous master gardeners, 00:03:53.370 --> 00:03:57.530 getting to know the program of seed to spirit 00:03:57.530 --> 00:04:00.430 program, what does that really mean? How does 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:02.330 that connect with your spirituality? How does 00:04:02.330 --> 00:04:06.530 that focus on your whole healthy living? I am 00:04:06.530 --> 00:04:10.789 a traditional, more of a tribal engagement director 00:04:10.789 --> 00:04:12.870 with a recovery program, which is important. 00:04:14.389 --> 00:04:18.350 Nutrition is a very big part of recovery as well. 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:22.060 So most importantly, we try to focus on getting 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:25.519 our participants and people we work with within 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:27.980 Red Earth Movement to get more engaged in learning 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:31.240 about the old traditional ways, revitalizing 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:35.220 their community and their health. So if you guys, 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:38.019 like for those who need an actual word to look 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:40.339 up, who just don't understand like the way of 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:41.899 our practices are, you know, working with Mother 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:44.560 Earth and whatnot, you can look up the word biodynamics, 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:46.720 right? And that's basically like working with 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.540 Earth's natural rhythms. So if you need a word 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:51.100 to look up because you just don't understand 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:54.100 how we view things, how we work, how we tend 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:56.480 the land, that would be more of a word to look 00:04:56.480 --> 00:04:59.579 up that ties in closer to our work. Amazing. 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:02.300 Thank you so much. Ivan, you did mention resilience 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.720 earlier. When we talk about resilience in the 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:07.000 context of climate and environment, what does 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:09.100 that word mean from your perspective and your 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:12.860 experience? Resiliency, most importantly, is 00:05:12.860 --> 00:05:16.839 focused on our traditional indigenous ways that 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:20.100 have been taught to us by our ancestors. Most 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.180 importantly, it's all about survival. Our people 00:05:23.180 --> 00:05:25.980 have been here for thousands of years. And we 00:05:25.980 --> 00:05:28.079 look forward to many more generations to come 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:30.500 with our people, our traditional people, our 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:33.459 cultural people, the relatives that live here, 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:36.500 especially, you know, the Kumeyaay and their 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:40.660 relatives, the Luceño, Capeno that we mentioned 00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:43.199 earlier. These are relatives that, you know, 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:45.920 have their own teachings and have their own ways 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:49.079 that have been going for thousands of years. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:52.800 You know, biodiversity is one aspect that they 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:55.769 specialize in, you know. utilizing biodiversity 00:05:55.769 --> 00:06:00.250 to manage the land. And then once that land management 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:03.149 is done, this is where we start learning how 00:06:03.149 --> 00:06:05.670 to grow our foods and utilize a lot of those 00:06:05.670 --> 00:06:09.910 minerals to help grow our food. But most importantly, 00:06:10.069 --> 00:06:12.149 being the stewards and also not just taking care 00:06:12.149 --> 00:06:14.269 of the land, but also the animals that live on 00:06:14.269 --> 00:06:18.449 it. Having respect for our ways and putting offering 00:06:18.449 --> 00:06:21.939 down every time we gather tobacco. Every time 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:24.560 we grow food, we put prayers down. We actually 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:29.819 talk to our plants, you know, just like people, 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:33.579 you know, nourishing and helping it grow and 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:36.819 just mindfully taking care of that process so 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:38.939 that we have a good harvest. That's amazing. 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:41.560 Thank you. Amanda, can you please share some 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:43.800 examples of traditional ecological knowledge 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:46.300 that have supported your communities in adapting 00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:49.439 to environmental change over time? Yeah, so. 00:06:50.269 --> 00:06:52.670 My mom's actually a traditional gatherer. She's 00:06:52.670 --> 00:06:58.750 over there, right there. No, so it's interesting, 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:01.509 right? So you have climate change. But then, 00:07:01.629 --> 00:07:04.949 gosh, we normally gather like October, right, 00:07:05.009 --> 00:07:06.490 for our acorns and stuff. And it usually comes 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:08.170 from the first winds. But then we have to work 00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:10.850 with the weather. But then last year, like we 00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:13.110 got, I think our winds were a little bit crazy. 00:07:13.189 --> 00:07:14.569 And then we didn't have, like our rains were 00:07:14.569 --> 00:07:16.870 a little bit later. So it was just working with 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:20.500 the weather. And then. I think our first frost 00:07:20.500 --> 00:07:22.639 last year came January, but ideally our frost 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.060 comes in October. Right. So what was it? I'm 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:27.319 going off on tangents. See, that's why I got 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:29.519 to read things. It's okay. Don't worry. What 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.459 was your question? So examples of traditional 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:34.579 ecological knowledge that have supported your 00:07:34.579 --> 00:07:36.620 community in adapting to environmental change 00:07:36.620 --> 00:07:38.839 over time. So, Shirley, you were on the right 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:42.540 path. Don't even worry. I go off on tangents. 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:47.189 Yes, that is my answer. Awesome. OK, so Ivan, 00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:50.290 how does cultural storytelling, ceremony and 00:07:50.290 --> 00:07:52.949 language teach the next generation to care for 00:07:52.949 --> 00:07:59.490 land and water? Ceremony itself, you know, these 00:07:59.490 --> 00:08:02.790 ways of life, when we look at it from an indigenous 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:06.029 perspective, it's a natural law. Everything that 00:08:06.029 --> 00:08:08.350 happens naturally, you know, from the winter 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:11.250 solstice, summer solstice, you know, a lot of 00:08:11.250 --> 00:08:14.139 these different changes in our. environment, 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:17.759 you know, it allows us to kind of focus and be 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.399 in tune with that process. And most importantly, 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:24.160 ceremony itself is what brings a lot of that 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:27.160 balance back together. Sometimes as people, you 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:29.279 know, we kind of lose track, we kind of lose 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:31.379 focus, and we kind of fall off certain path. 00:08:31.759 --> 00:08:35.980 But as we focus on the natural environment, how 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:39.419 this universe works, the movement and the process 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:43.820 of winds changing. from the moon cycles to solstice, 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:46.620 you know, the direction where, you know, the 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:50.320 farthest the sun sets to the nearest, you know, 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:52.960 when the sun sets at the earliest, you know, 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:58.019 these are points where it teaches us how to live 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:01.740 within those climates, different changes in season, 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:03.480 you know, those are most importantly because 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.399 that's where a lot of times we bring a lot of 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:08.120 balance back into our life. If we lose focus, 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:11.419 you know, we kind of fall out of tune. And this 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:13.879 is where a lot of people get a lot of confusions 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.899 in their life. You know, we say that mentally, 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:20.259 you know, we have a lot of challenges in our 00:09:20.259 --> 00:09:22.860 community or within our people because we're 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:25.620 not really in sync with the natural law. You 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:28.799 know, some people become nocturnal. They spend 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:31.639 a lot of time out in the dark, but yet they don't 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:35.139 realize how significant that sunlight is for 00:09:35.139 --> 00:09:38.059 them, you know, to actually be out in the day. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:41.440 Why are we supposed to be sleeping during nighttime? 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:43.860 You know, these are natural things that happen 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.779 to us. The more you're in sync with the natural 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:49.240 law, it's like the more you're in tune with Mother 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:51.500 Earth, the healthier you're going to be. You 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:53.360 know, those are the most important aspects. But 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.799 when it comes to culture as well, we learn through 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:59.100 those processes. You know, this is what resiliency 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:01.559 teaches us. You know, we hold on to those teachings 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.860 and we move forward. But most importantly, ceremony. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:11.399 And storytelling and language itself, it teaches 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:14.419 us how to become that much stronger and move 00:10:14.419 --> 00:10:17.899 forward with our future generation. Absolutely. 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:20.659 And it's definitely, I've noticed a shift in 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.259 culture, especially with younger populations 00:10:22.259 --> 00:10:24.620 where they want to be almost nocturnal. They're 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:28.960 sleeping all day and doing Lord only knows what 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:32.139 during the night. There's a lot of like current 00:10:32.139 --> 00:10:34.019 projects and initiatives for other environmental 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:36.639 resources here in San Diego. Amanda, could you 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:38.460 tell me about some current projects or initiatives 00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:40.559 in the San Diego region that highlight tribal 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:42.740 leadership in conservation and climate resilience? 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:45.600 Well, I mean, I can't speak on behalf of other 00:10:45.600 --> 00:10:47.720 tribes, but like I know like what Palma, what 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:49.399 they're doing, they're doing amazing work up 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:52.139 at the mountain right now. I think they're working 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:57.700 with NRCS, though, as well. But so. you you learn 00:10:57.700 --> 00:11:00.259 like the trees right and then you have spacing 00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:05.899 um but when you have incorrect spacing your plants 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:08.419 are stressing out right so obviously some trees 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:10.399 are getting taken out but then you have like 00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:12.559 our bigger trees that are being more resilient 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:14.440 you know and those ones obviously provide more 00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:16.659 oxygen those ones are bringing down the bad excess 00:11:16.659 --> 00:11:20.620 carbon and stuff but there's like amazing things 00:11:20.620 --> 00:11:23.370 happening up there and obviously like aesthetically 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:26.470 it looks beautiful but it's for a right cause 00:11:26.470 --> 00:11:30.250 right that's amazing that's that work is truly 00:11:30.250 --> 00:11:32.970 amazing it's hopefully it'll lead people who 00:11:32.970 --> 00:11:34.750 are part of non -tribal organizations to follow 00:11:34.750 --> 00:11:37.269 that same idea of like following with mother 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:39.690 earth and following the land to best with like 00:11:39.690 --> 00:11:42.850 crop and to help with our environment going off 00:11:42.850 --> 00:11:47.139 of that Ivan, how do tribes and non -tribal organizations, 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.899 government agencies, or local communities use 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:53.240 each other to strengthen resilience? What challenges 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.580 and opportunities come in those partnerships? 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:00.639 I think most importantly, for example, Red Earth 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:06.820 Movement, we advocate for holding on to these 00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:11.500 resiliencies to teach non -natives, people that 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:14.379 don't have the education. you know, to take care 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:17.679 of the land. You know, we teach our partners 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.820 through that process. Most importantly, we collaborate 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:24.799 with tribal communities, tribal members, you 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:28.820 know, they come and join us and we move forward 00:12:28.820 --> 00:12:31.480 through that process to teach our non -native 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:36.220 relatives and also other programs to kind of 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:38.960 jump on board and really follow through with 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.759 a lot of these indigenous teachings and ancestral 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:47.820 ways. So, for example, I work in a mental health 00:12:47.820 --> 00:12:50.960 program, Solera Mental Health. Through that process, 00:12:51.080 --> 00:12:53.279 we're able to bring in Red Earth Movement. And, 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:57.000 you know, a lot of these residents and clients, 00:12:57.139 --> 00:12:59.620 they're able to learn from a natural indigenous 00:12:59.620 --> 00:13:02.639 perspective that kind of allows them to focus 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:06.740 on healing from the natural ways, utilizing the 00:13:06.740 --> 00:13:09.039 fire. What does the fireplace really do? You 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.080 know, it brings warmth. It makes food. It allows 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:14.980 us to put prayers down. It allows us to really 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:18.039 focus on the natural law. Through that process, 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:21.539 we're able to see a lot of changes where these 00:13:21.539 --> 00:13:25.000 residents or clients are able to really focus 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:27.899 on bettering themselves from a whole healthy 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:31.740 living perspective. And some of these clients 00:13:31.740 --> 00:13:39.480 struggle with trauma, suicidality, PTSD, many 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:41.740 forms of trauma that's endured throughout. you 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:43.299 know, their life process. So, you know, this 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:48.259 is where we focus on teaching our relatives to 00:13:48.259 --> 00:13:50.860 really focus on their whole healthy living to 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:52.759 become a better person through that process. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.080 Yeah. To chime in on that, you have the whole 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.539 health and wellness part, right? And with our, 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.500 for example, I'll share a story. One of our kids 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:05.299 over the summer, he, we were planting beans and 00:14:05.299 --> 00:14:07.440 he's like, I thought this was going to be so 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.659 much boring, but this is so much fun. And we 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:11.340 were laughing, you know, we were just sharing 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:13.220 the story with him. Like, do you know what's 00:14:13.220 --> 00:14:14.919 going on with you chemically? You know, it's 00:14:14.919 --> 00:14:17.340 like your hands went in that soil. That soil 00:14:17.340 --> 00:14:20.399 is healing. You know, your little happy bug totally 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.720 got activated. You know, that's why it's so much 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:25.659 fun. And that's also part of the reason why, 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.720 you know, we encourage everyone just go outside, 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:29.799 go on the land, go be one with Mother Earth. 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:35.980 Yeah. And to add to that, most importantly, you 00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:39.460 know, exposure therapy. That's the key, you know, 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:41.580 getting your hands into the ground, feeling the 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:44.200 dirt. You're building this relationship, you 00:14:44.200 --> 00:14:47.879 know, you're feeling everything physically. But 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:51.000 once you start to feel that, you start to understand, 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:53.820 you know, your energy goes into the ground and 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:55.899 vice versa, you know, that the medicine, the 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:58.799 plants are able to become a part of your life 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:00.720 too. So it brings a lot of healing through that 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:03.429 process. That's amazing. And that's the perfect 00:15:03.429 --> 00:15:05.870 segue for my next question. Amanda, for those 00:15:05.870 --> 00:15:08.350 of us who are visitors or settlers in this region, 00:15:08.490 --> 00:15:10.769 what is important to understand about tribal 00:15:10.769 --> 00:15:13.110 sovereignty and responsibility for the land? 00:15:13.690 --> 00:15:18.190 Well, first and foremost, tribes having their 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:21.710 sovereignty. We are our own government, right? 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:25.070 And my cousin actually got this analogy one time. 00:15:25.149 --> 00:15:28.210 She had said, because again, it was with the 00:15:28.210 --> 00:15:30.029 audience of non -native and native, and she had 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:32.970 got the analogy of, You guys have your sovereignty 00:15:32.970 --> 00:15:36.309 of having control of doing your hair, doing your 00:15:36.309 --> 00:15:40.409 nails, getting dressed. She said, our sovereignty 00:15:40.409 --> 00:15:43.730 will be taken before your sovereignty will. You 00:15:43.730 --> 00:15:45.950 know, so it like having those analogies and putting 00:15:45.950 --> 00:15:49.450 things in perspective of like, dang, you're right. 00:15:50.090 --> 00:15:54.330 What was the other question? It was no problem. 00:15:54.529 --> 00:15:57.370 And then just knowing like the importance of 00:15:57.370 --> 00:16:00.049 responsibility for the land as well. Yeah. So 00:16:00.049 --> 00:16:02.929 that's again. respecting mother earth respecting 00:16:02.929 --> 00:16:06.970 whose territory you're on um so mother earth 00:16:06.970 --> 00:16:10.029 we we think of her as like mother earth she's 00:16:10.029 --> 00:16:12.049 right and we're going to be in right relation 00:16:12.049 --> 00:16:16.450 with her um we we don't spit like do you want 00:16:16.450 --> 00:16:18.409 me to spit on you no absolutely not thank you 00:16:18.409 --> 00:16:22.830 um and another another analogy that um i had 00:16:22.830 --> 00:16:24.950 talked about someone recently with someone recently 00:16:24.950 --> 00:16:28.909 was when People develop and stuff like that, 00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:31.110 and they're building, they want to build somewhere, 00:16:31.169 --> 00:16:32.590 and obviously they're digging, but then they're 00:16:32.590 --> 00:16:35.129 digging up bones, right? But then that's our 00:16:35.129 --> 00:16:38.210 ancestors' bones that they're digging up. What 00:16:38.210 --> 00:16:40.350 would happen if we dug up your guys' graveyards? 00:16:40.470 --> 00:16:43.370 Yeah. It would be like a circus, right? Right. 00:16:43.570 --> 00:16:45.909 But how is it that it's okay to do it to us? 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.320 Yeah. Absolutely. That is a very amazing point. 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:51.779 Thank you so much for sharing. Could you both 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:54.000 share a personal story that illustrates how your 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.220 community has adapted to environmental changes, 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:59.340 whether that be fire, drought or other challenges? 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:06.960 I think from my perspective, everywhere I look, 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:10.299 we're struggling with drought. Absolutely. You 00:17:10.299 --> 00:17:14.000 know, the biggest thing is fire, wildfires that 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:17.039 are. wrecking havoc across our whole continent. 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:23.059 And my grandpa used to always say that if our 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:26.140 people are not offering, putting medicine down 00:17:26.140 --> 00:17:28.740 or following through with our culture or even 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:32.500 following through with prayer, we're losing contact 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:35.339 with Mother Earth. And a lot of times Mother 00:17:35.339 --> 00:17:38.200 Earth has a tendency to find a way to cleanse 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:41.119 herself. So that balance there is not really, 00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:43.480 you know, being taken care of. So it's important 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:45.819 that we acknowledge through our cultural ways, 00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:49.200 we preserve our language, we preserve our ceremonies, 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:51.859 we put offerings down so that we could acknowledge 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:54.180 this balance that's going on within our universe. 00:17:54.819 --> 00:17:57.279 We have to become reverent during the time when 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.019 the universe is changing, you know, to allow 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:03.339 those changes to happen, but also to have respect 00:18:03.339 --> 00:18:06.829 and also, you know, sit still. Sometimes it's 00:18:06.829 --> 00:18:09.250 good to sit still and listen and pay attention 00:18:09.250 --> 00:18:12.390 of what's really going on around you. So from 00:18:12.390 --> 00:18:14.950 my experience, when I see that process happen, 00:18:15.150 --> 00:18:19.049 I see tribes losing their language. I see them 00:18:19.049 --> 00:18:23.210 losing their ancestral ways. Within our own community, 00:18:23.309 --> 00:18:26.430 San Diego County, we struggled with so many wildfires 00:18:26.430 --> 00:18:31.849 in the past. But through the knowledge of tribes 00:18:31.849 --> 00:18:35.359 here, These tribes used to utilize biodiversity 00:18:35.359 --> 00:18:38.839 in the past. They had control burnings. They 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:42.180 tended to the land. They took care of the animals, 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:45.940 you know, the wildlife. So, you know, our community 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:48.539 could learn from that process, you know. What 00:18:48.539 --> 00:18:50.680 can control burning do and what could it teach 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:53.319 us, you know, to manage that process, the overgrowth, 00:18:53.460 --> 00:18:57.000 you know, to be stewards of that process too. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:01.240 Absolutely. Well, to chime in too, though, we... 00:19:01.789 --> 00:19:03.369 Like recently we were on another reservation 00:19:03.369 --> 00:19:05.750 and they were doing like their cultural burning, 00:19:05.809 --> 00:19:09.190 but they were sharing with us how it's still 00:19:09.190 --> 00:19:11.390 a process. We still need to get a burn permit. 00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:13.309 We still need to contact this agency and this 00:19:13.309 --> 00:19:15.369 agency. You know, it's not something that we 00:19:15.369 --> 00:19:20.269 can just willingly practice. There's still roadblocks 00:19:20.269 --> 00:19:24.220 along the way. yeah and then like I know another 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:26.259 there was actually two other tribes that had 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:28.559 reached out and they wanted to start their own 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:30.000 garden and it was like okay well what's your 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:32.859 water situation well we don't have that much 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:37.660 water okay so you know so it's things that were 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:40.660 that everyone's still dealing with absolutely 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:44.079 you both kind of touched on the idea of loss 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:48.690 of like knowledge and loss of like just the loss 00:19:48.690 --> 00:19:50.789 of almost like respect for mother earth and what 00:19:50.789 --> 00:19:53.609 and you guys don't have you can't do the same 00:19:53.609 --> 00:19:55.970 ceremonies and practices it's a lot harder for 00:19:55.970 --> 00:19:59.109 you guys to do it so what gives you hope when 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:01.450 facing these climate disruptions and these disruptions 00:20:01.450 --> 00:20:03.170 to like maybe like the loss of like the tribal 00:20:03.170 --> 00:20:06.230 knowledge and stuff like that events like this 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:10.390 yeah events like this bringing both the non -native 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:12.730 and native communities together with the same 00:20:12.730 --> 00:20:17.500 the same goal in mind absolutely Most importantly 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:20.660 to education, you know, bringing our communities 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:24.480 together to learn with one another, build partnerships, 00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:28.480 you know, create policy change, put the awareness 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:31.480 out there in front of our political leaders to 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:33.700 acknowledge that, you know, we need that type 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:36.539 of support. We need, you know, supportive services. 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:40.339 We need to provide programs that are able to 00:20:40.339 --> 00:20:43.480 educate our younger generation and not just younger, 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:46.329 but older. you know, to follow through that process, 00:20:46.369 --> 00:20:49.529 to live that whole healthy process. Absolutely. 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:52.869 And to our listeners, today is, I believe it's 00:20:52.869 --> 00:20:55.410 day four of San Diego Climate Week. And today 00:20:55.410 --> 00:20:57.430 we are at the Water Conservation Guard, as I 00:20:57.430 --> 00:20:59.549 mentioned earlier, speaking about traditional 00:20:59.549 --> 00:21:02.109 ecological knowledge and all of the tribal knowledge 00:21:02.109 --> 00:21:05.410 that is here in San Diego County. Many people 00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:08.269 here may be learning about San Diego tribal resources 00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:10.369 for the first time, and many people listening 00:21:10.369 --> 00:21:13.170 are probably in that same exact boat. What's 00:21:13.170 --> 00:21:15.250 one thing you'd like everyone in this audience 00:21:15.250 --> 00:21:20.730 to take home with them today? The knowledge that 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:24.289 you learn from first occupiers, tribal nations, 00:21:24.789 --> 00:21:29.109 tribal stewards that take care of the land, educators, 00:21:29.650 --> 00:21:34.170 programs, Red Earth Movement. You know, they're 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:36.609 able to teach, you know, seed to spirit program, 00:21:36.829 --> 00:21:41.230 focusing on indigenous master gardeners that 00:21:41.230 --> 00:21:45.410 allow us to, you know, give us the knowledge 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:49.349 and understanding to grow food, you know, to 00:21:49.349 --> 00:21:52.089 stay healthy, but also have that conscience to 00:21:52.089 --> 00:21:55.509 take care of the land as well. Yeah. Don't be 00:21:55.509 --> 00:21:59.289 closed minded. Just listen. Even if you don't 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:03.119 agree with our approaches. Just listen because 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:06.440 something will resonate. Something will click. 00:22:07.950 --> 00:22:09.930 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I can speak personally 00:22:09.930 --> 00:22:11.730 for me when you were talking about your son with 00:22:11.730 --> 00:22:13.569 planting the beans and how you were talking about 00:22:13.569 --> 00:22:15.069 your body chemistry and sticking your hands in 00:22:15.069 --> 00:22:17.289 the ground. It clicked for me that, oh my gosh, 00:22:17.349 --> 00:22:19.190 that makes sense why as soon as I go outside 00:22:19.190 --> 00:22:21.190 and I'm outside, if I've been studying all day, 00:22:21.210 --> 00:22:24.130 why my energy like lifts and why I'm all of a 00:22:24.130 --> 00:22:26.589 sudden like, wow, I'm actually happy and my headache 00:22:26.589 --> 00:22:28.789 will go away. And that's like totally clicking 00:22:28.789 --> 00:22:30.809 for me that that's your body chemistry with the 00:22:30.809 --> 00:22:33.490 earth. So that's definitely amazing to hear. 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:36.819 If there's someone here who wants to support, 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:39.400 whether they be tribal, non -tribal, learn more 00:22:39.400 --> 00:22:41.940 or build relationships with our tribal communities 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:44.380 around resilience, what would you say is a good 00:22:44.380 --> 00:22:49.900 first step? Being authentically genuine. The 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:52.680 Native community is hard. You have historical 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:56.299 trauma that plays a huge role. Keep knocking 00:22:56.299 --> 00:22:59.400 on that door. Eventually somebody will answer. 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:05.640 But again, come, come. Be as transparent as possible. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:10.400 No hidden agenda. Yeah, I would probably say 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:14.259 that. Thank you. Can you repeat that question? 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:17.799 Of course. If there's someone here who wants 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:19.700 to support, learn more, or build relationships 00:23:19.700 --> 00:23:22.440 with tribal communities around resilience, what 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:27.220 would you say is a good first step? Just come 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:29.980 with that open -minded process, you know, always 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:34.750 wanting to learn. And build the common ground 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:37.190 that we all want, you know, to take care of our 00:23:37.190 --> 00:23:40.369 communities, to learn and also teach our younger 00:23:40.369 --> 00:23:43.390 generation. Yeah, absolutely. That's amazing 00:23:43.390 --> 00:23:46.069 advice. Come genuine and come with an open mind. 00:23:46.130 --> 00:23:48.589 I really, truly admire that and love that. And 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:50.930 that is a good life lesson for everything, but 00:23:50.930 --> 00:23:53.190 especially helping out our communities and our 00:23:53.190 --> 00:23:56.490 Mother Earth as well. We always end our episodes 00:23:56.490 --> 00:23:59.529 with a call to action. What is... What is one 00:23:59.529 --> 00:24:02.309 action you encourage our listeners and our live 00:24:02.309 --> 00:24:04.970 audience here today to take that supports resilience, 00:24:05.269 --> 00:24:08.509 water stewardship, or Indigenous leadership? 00:24:09.930 --> 00:24:13.049 The call to action, let's remember that resilience 00:24:13.049 --> 00:24:17.950 is not just an idea, it's a practice. We've heard 00:24:17.950 --> 00:24:21.089 how Indigenous knowledge, intergenerational dialogue, 00:24:21.230 --> 00:24:25.869 and right relationship with the land can guide 00:24:25.869 --> 00:24:29.539 us towards balance and justice. The call to action 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.880 for each of us is to carry these lessons forward, 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:37.140 listen deeply to Indigenous voices, support tribal 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:41.220 -led initiatives, and build respectful relationships 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:45.000 with the land and with one another. Whether it's 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:48.700 volunteering, advocating for policy change, tending 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:53.519 to your local environment, or simply beginning 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:57.900 with gratitude for the land you stand on. Each 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:00.519 step matters. Together we can transform awareness 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:04.839 into action and action into lasting resilience. 00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:07.779 That's amazing. Thank you so much for that call 00:25:07.779 --> 00:25:10.160 to action, both of you. Today's conservation 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:12.759 reminds us that resilience is rooted in relationships 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:15.960 with land, with water, and with each other. Listening 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:18.180 to the voices of Indigenous and traditional knowledge 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:20.519 keepers isn't just important, it's essential. 00:25:21.230 --> 00:25:23.089 As you leave here today, I invite you to carry 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:25.089 their wisdom forward in your own lives, choices 00:25:25.089 --> 00:25:28.190 and communities. We want to thank you, our guests 00:25:28.190 --> 00:25:31.589 and our audience as well. Want to hear more from 00:25:31.589 --> 00:25:34.690 Climate to Action, a CSUSM student podcast? Be 00:25:34.690 --> 00:25:37.170 sure to check us out wherever you get your podcasts 00:25:37.170 --> 00:25:39.690 and follow us on our socials at Climate to Action. 00:25:40.049 --> 00:25:42.349 That's at Climate to Action on Instagram and 00:25:42.349 --> 00:25:44.829 at Climate, the number two action on TikTok. 00:25:45.150 --> 00:25:47.490 We'll be posting updates, behind the scenes content 00:25:47.490 --> 00:25:50.809 and much, much more. Until next time, this is 00:25:50.809 --> 00:25:52.369 Climate to Action signing off.