What if Native American women were in charge of controlled burns? Currently fire management is predominantly white and 90% male, but Historically, in Káruk society (a California tribe), women were responsible for maintaining village areas with fire. Men burned, too, but farther away, usually on remote hunting grounds. But cultural fire was suppressed in 1911, when the Weeks Act outlawed igniting fires on public lands in the U.S. Today, that colonialist law is still considered a conservation landmark. Recently, however, prescribed burns have gained favor with the Forest Service, and in 2008, it worked with The Nature Conservancy and several agencies from the Department of the Interior to organize the first prescribed fire training exchange or TREX. Today the Karuk’s Tribes first of its kind training seeks to extinguish hypermasculinity in firefighting culture and the movement is bringing back more indigenous women – some from as far away as Australia.
The Cheyenne River Farm to School Program is sponsoring 5 individual ranchers or feeders to attend a South Dakota State Extension Service Farm to School Marketing training. There are 2 trainings taking place – the first on January 18th and 19th in Brookings and the second on Feb 14th and 15th In Rapid City. Sponsorships include lodging, mileage, and a $250 stipend. Please contact the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Buffalo Corporation Authority if you are interested in attending.
Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.
