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“Feeding the Sea”  Revitalizing education and food systems through

traditional ecological knowledge

Dr. Thomas Murphy, LEAF School at Edmonds & Everett Community Colleges

An  educa-onal  approach  inspired  by  a  10  year-­‐old  Zapotec  girl  from  San  Juan  Gbëë  in  Oaxaca,  Mexico  

MariElena  Cruz  Hernandez  

Zapotec Ethnobiology Project

Studying traditional knowledge of plants and animals through participant observation

First scientists to document flora and fauna in this region of the Sierra Madre Mountains in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico

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Children’s impressive traditional ecological knowledge did not come from formal education

Traditional learning occurred: through hands-on work and play; in a multigenerational social context; with elders, parents & peers as mentors; for meaningful social purposes; outside of the classroom

Environmental Anthropology Field School

Anth 201-203 Human Ecology I-III Anth 270-275 Archaeology Field & Lab Methods Hosts alternative breaks, integrated assignments

& sponsored service-learning projects Grant & contract employment and internships for

students www.edcc.edu/leaf

Launched in 2006 at Edmonds CC; Expanded to include Everett CC in 2012

With support from: American Association of Community Colleges AmeriCorps Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Campus Compact City of Mukilteo College Access & Challenge Grant Corporation for National and Community Service Edmonds Community College Foundation Hazel Miller Foundation Learn and Serve America National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Science Foundation REI Retention Project State Farm Youth Service America Tribal Charities US Department of Education WA Department of Ecology Washington Campus Compact

In  partnership  with  Coast  Salish  Tribes:  

Duwamish  Muckleshoot    Samish  Snohomish    Snoqualmie    Squaxin  Island  

S-llaguamish  Suquamish  Swinomish  Tulalip  Tribes  United  Indians  of  All  Tribes  

Coast Salish •  Coast Salish and their ancestors have lived along the Salish

Sea since time immemorial •  Accumulated knowledge of local plants and animals and how

to sustain a balanced ecological relationship •  A sustainable community meets the needs of the present

generation without compromising the needs of future generations

•  This traditional ecological knowledge passed on through stories, song, dance, skills, norms and values –  Helped shaped the ecosystems that recent immigrants

encountered when they arrived here –  Remains relevant today in significant ways

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Coast  Salish  Burning  

Burning  of  prairies  to  foster  growth  of  camas  and  bracken  fern  and  provide  favorable  habitat  for  deer  and  elk  

Burning  of  mountainsides  to  foster  the  growth  of  huckleberries  

Helped  shape  the  ecosystems  19th  Century  immigrants  found  most  favorable  for  farming  prac-ces  

These  prac-ces  now  undergoing  a  cau-ous  revival  by  federal  land  managers  such  as  Forest  Service  and  Bureau  of  Land  Management  in  response  to  loss  of  important  ecosystems  &  more  deadly  wildfires  

“Feeding the Sea” Rosie James (Samish)

Returning shells of oysters, clams, crabs & other shellfish to sea

Returning the bones of salmon to creeks and rivers Fosters nutrient cycling within ecosystems Scientists and shellfish industry are rediscovering the

importance of this practice as part of a response to ocean acidification caused by climate change

Treaties & Colonialism Immigrant community failed to recognize the value of traditional ecological knowledge Coast Salish tribes preserved right to hunt and fish in usual & accustomed places in

1855-56 treaties Immigrants engaged in a systematic effort to destroy native peoples and cultures

through warfare, displacement, failure to honor treaties, forced Christianization, outlawing of Salish religious and economic practices such as potlatch, sending children boarding schools & punishing them for speaking native languages

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Fishing Right Struggles

Coast Salish communities survived colonialism & fought the states of WA & OR for their failure to honor federal treaties

Fishing rights struggles culminated in a 1974 court decision, U.S. vs. Washington; the Boldt decision clarified that tribes reserved the right to 50% of harvestable fish through the treaties; 1994 Rafeedie decision established similar provisions for shellfish

Today, treaty tribes co-manage fisheries with the states of WA & OR (Samish & Snoqualmie federally recognized but left out of Boldt decision; Snohomish neither recognized nor included in Boldt decision)

Service-Learning

Method of teaching that directly engages students in service activities that meet community needs, is connected to their learning objectives; and is integrated through reflection activities

Facilitates partnerships with tribal communities, government agencies & non-profit organizations by creating reciprocal relationships

Stillaguamish Tribe Collaborate on a variety of

projects Broodstocking Chinook, a

salmon species listed as threatened on the endangered species list

Restoring salmon habitat and monitoring success of restoration

Hosting the annual Festival of the River

Surveys of Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs)

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Snoqualmie Tribe

Traditional knowledge trail Native plant harvest Working with carvers Habitat restoration for salmon &

native plant harvest Wildlife monitoring for

prospective site of tribal cultural center

Tribal canoe journey

Snohomish Tribe

Traditional harvest of cedar for regalia; cattails for mats on canoe journey

Creation of Stolja Ali ethnobotanical garden in city park for this landless tribe

Tribal canoe journey

Samish Nation

Traditional foods revitalization

Clam harvest and bake Salmon bake with

ironwood Stinging nettle cordage

for fishing nets Tribal canoe journey

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Cultural Kitchen

Bringing traditional knowledge home to campus Building cob oven using traditional & modern methods Recreating pit oven on campus Cedar plank structure built with local carvers Complements community garden

Emerging  career  opportuni-es  

Applica-on  of  tradi-onal  knowledge  to  modern  problems:  climate  change,  health,  environment  

Wildlife  tracking  and  road  ecology:  Cybertracker  and  Louis  Leibenberg  

Social  marke-ng:  combining  social  scien-fic  research  methods  with  marke-ng  skills  to  change  human  behavior    

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Summary

Revitalizing education and food systems through traditional knowledge

Taking education outside, into the community, connecting students to elders and peers and placing their learning into a meaningful context through service-learning

Students learn about people, plants & animals of Western Washington while participating in hands-on projects that help make our communities more sustainable

Emerging career opportunities for anthropologists

Photo credits

Kerrie Sumner Murphy – Slides 1, 5-6, 8 & 18

Eugene Hunn – Slides 2-4 Tom Murphy – Slides 4 & 12 Linda Storm – Slide 7 Duwamish Tribe – Slide 9 HistoryLink – Slide 10 LEAF School – Slides 13- 17 & 19 Oliver Ludlow & Erin Ryan – Slide

16 http://www.rolexawards.com/ -

Inset for slide 18