News From Native California Volume 31, Issue 3 | Page 2

editor’s notes news from native california PUBLISHER: Steve Wasserman FOUNDERS: Malcolm Margolin, David W. Peri, Vera Mae Fredrickson EDITOR: Terria Smith CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Tiffany Adams, Dugan Aguilar, Lindsie Bear, Brian Bibby, Marina Drummer, L. Frank, Jeannine Gendar, Leanne Hinton, Julian Lang, Frank LaPena, William Madrigal Jr., Meyo Marrufo, Vincent Medina, Beverly R. Ortiz, Stan Rodriquez, Sage Romero, Terria Smith, Paula Tripp- Allen, Linda Yamane OUTREACH COORDINATOR: Vincent Medina GRAPHIC DESIGN: Tima Link PROOFREADING: Kim Hogeland PRINTING: Modern Litho, Jefferson City, MO NEWS FROM NATIVE CALIFORNIA Volume 31, Issue 3, Spring 2018 (ISSN 10405437) is published quarterly for $21.00 per year by Heyday, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational corporation, c/o WeWork, 2120 University Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 Phone: (510) 549-2802, Fax: (510) 549-1889 Mail Address: P.O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709. Periodical postage paid at Berkeley, CA and additional mailing offices. Internet address: www.newsfromnativecalifornia.com [email protected] Subscription rates $21.00 per year. Single copies $5.95. International rates $41 per year. Copyright © 2018 by News from Native California except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without written permission, of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited. Opinions expressed in articles and columns are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. Printed on 10% post consumer waste recycled paper. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to News from Native California, P.O. Box 92707, Long Beach, CA 90809. USPS 002704 Questions? Email [email protected] or call 888-881-5861. california is our home, and with more tribes than any other state it is undeniably Indian Country. But I have found that many people outside of tribal communities fail to see it this way. Their consciousness drifts to the Southwest or the Great Plains when they think of tribes and their environmental challenges. Thus, I wanted to focus an issue of News from Native California on nature and the environment to give tribal people across the state a chance to talk about it. This was not something I could take on myself, so I asked someone who has a long history in tribal environmental justice efforts to help guide this edition of the magazine, Brittani Orona (Hoopa Valley Tribe). We are so honored to have her as guest editor. —Terria Smith when i close my eyes I can see the Hoopa Valley, the ancestral homeland of the Hupa people, my people. I can envision standing on my grandfather’s property near the Trinity River, next to the giant oak tree that shades his house. I can turn around and see the mountains that cradle our valley, smell the Trinity River, and feel the cool wind on my cheek. If my mind is there in winter, the fog surrounds the mountains; if in summer, the mountains are shrouded by hot smoke from nearby fires. If it is winter the river is high, hungry, and swift. If it is summer it is low, dangerously hot with algae blooms that can poison the life the river supports. This valley—negatively impacted by both state and federal environmental policy, but fiercely protected by the Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk people—is a special, beautiful, powerful place. The Hoopa Valley, and the sur- rounding mountains, rivers, and forests, are the center of my world. This special issue of News from Native California focuses on California Indian relationships with nature and the environment. Native people have been tending and caring for the land that is now known as California since time immemorial. Through a series of settler-colonial and violent conflicts, there were attempts to remove Native people off the land and to disconnect us from our ancestral places. However, memories are long and Native people are resilient, and despite these efforts California Indians today continue to care for their land. This comes in many forms, from practicing traditional ecological knowledge like controlled burns and traditional gathering practices to advocating for environ- mental justice by protesting against infrastructure projects that would negatively impact the environment. California Indians hold a special connection to nature and the environment that goes beyond the physical. Land is inherently tied to who we are. There is a responsibility to nature that is tied to tradition, culture, and spirituality. We teach our children to respect and protect the environment. This is because all of us, from ancestors to present, have had to fight to live and be of the environment. Finally, I ask: where is the center for your world? Close your eyes and hold it in your mind’s eye. Is it a mountain? A river? A desert? Whatever it may be, it is undoubtedly a special and sacred place. What would you do to protect it? —Brittani Orona FRONT COVER: Kumeyaay Community College student Blue Vigil (Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians) pushes a ha qui yo (tule canoe) carrying Puna Watson, a Hawaiian exchange student, at La Jolla Shores. Photo by Evan Schell. BACK COVER: Honey mesquite has been an important food source for the Quechan for thousands of years. Photo by Scott Braley.