The Importance of Restoring Indigenous Knowledge

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Current Insights into Pyrodiversity and Seascape Management on the Central California Coast" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Creation Story of the Amah Mutsun clearly delineates our traditional territory and asserts our responsibility to take care of Mother Earth and all living things. For thousands of years and many hundreds of generations the Amah Mutsun accumulated knowledge of how to ensure balance in their world. We recognize the importance of prayer and ceremony, that all living things are our relatives, including the tangible and the intangible, that all plants have a responsibility to provide for a community, and that fire was both a gift and a tool given to us by Creator. Starting in the late 1700s the Amah Mutsun experienced three periods of brutal colonization. All three periods attempted to destroy traditional culture, spirituality, and environments. Today, the Amah Mutsun is working to restore the indigenous knowledge of our ancestors so we can fulfill our sacred obligation to Creator. At first, we resisted working with anthropologists, as we believed they would perpetuate a history of destruction and domination. After many conversations and careful steps forward, we recognize the value of archaeological research in restoring the knowledge of our ancestors. Trust and respect are at the center of our collaboration.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Current Insights into Pyrodiversity and Seascape Management on the Central California Coast   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26177