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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
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