There is a growing awareness among wildfire practitioners that thoughtful and intentional partnership between Tribal nations and non-Tribal organizations and agencies is essential. The history of colonization of Native peoples in North America makes the effort to build trust uniquely challenging, especially given how little most people know about this history and its impacts on present-day life for Tribal members. The power, authority, and rights of Tribes as sovereign nations are overlooked, especially in Western government systems and structures. Further, there is often limited knowledge of Tribal treaty rights to co-manage natural resources, which have significant implications for our work in fire adaptation.
Starting this month, WAFAC will be hosting a virtual Tribal Engagement Training, led by The Whitener Group. Ahead of the first session on February 27th, 2025, we wanted to share a conversation we had a couple years ago with two WAFAC members Jay McLaughlin, Mt. Adams Resource Stewards (MARS), and Kai Hoffman-Krull, San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD), during which they share why taking the time to listen, learn, and build trust-based relationships with Tribal nations is critical to their fire adaptation work.
If you’re interested in attending the training, email Keegan Fengler at keegan@washingtonrcd.org.
The Yakama Nation sits in the heart of south-central Washington. On its southern edge lies Washington’s first non-profit, working community forest, the Mt. Adams Community Forest, owned and managed by MARS. Over the years, MARS and the Yakama Nation have built a partnership that has led to extending the use of prescribed fire onto non-tribally owned lands within and adjacent to the southern edge of the Yakama Reservation in addition to community forest lands.
Several hundred miles northwest of the Yakama Nation, the San Juan Islands were once home to at least 14 Tribal Nations, and a seasonal home to many other Tribes throughout the Pacific Northwest and southern British Columbia. With the eradication and consolidation of these nations imposed by colonizers, Coast Salish culture and intergenerational teachings progressively diminished over time. In partnership with SJICD, the Lummi Nation and the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) are working to center cultural teachings and knowledge in education and to build capacity across generations. They are working together to develop and implement a curriculum for an ecology minor centered on Coast Salish ecological traditions of land management within NWIC’s Indigenous Studies Department.
This work has not been easy. There have been successes, celebrations, deep learning, and challenges. Here are some lessons learned along Jay and Kai’s journey.
How do you respectfully and constructively engage with your Tribal nation partners?
Person-to-person relationships are the foundation on which everything else will be built. Kai told us that he once asked his friend (a Tribal member), “Why are we friends?” Her answer? “Because you asked me about my grandchildren.” With so much trust lost due to the traumatic history of colonization, relationships are the bridge to projects. Taking the time to build friendships, builds trust. This trust is foundational for Tribal nations and Western agencies to collaborate and co-develop strategies, initiatives, and projects together.
Embrace an attitude of learning and re-learning. Most of us learn the history of the United States from a Western perspective, which typically excludes the trauma inflicted on Indigenous peoples by colonization. While it is important to acknowledge the truth of this collective history, a relationship with tribal partners is essential before being able to talk about that painful history.
What has helped you build the foundation for your partnership with Tribal nations?
Learn the unique customs and cultural elements of the specific Tribe(s) you work with. Recognize that the term “Indigenous” clumps all Native people into one group, erasing the different geographies, cultures, and languages that make each Tribe a unique community.
Study the history of treaties and land allotment. The history of how treaties were written, the content they include, and the intended interpretation at the time of signing have significant implications for land management today. It’s important to have a solid understanding of this history and the ramifications they have for how Tribal nations engage in land management.
Understand Tribal sovereignty and the legal rights of sovereign nations. Tribal governments have unique relationships with other governmental and nongovernmental entities. In practice, this may mean that your organization or agency will need to accept certain conditions, for example, using tribal courts to resolve disputes, in order to move forward.
Knowing that each partnership is unique and must be developed with intention, what do you wish you had known or learned prior to starting this partnership?
Be patient. A Tribal nation’s priorities may not align with your organization’s ideal timeline. For example, even though MARS has long-standing relationships with the Yakama Nation, the process of getting a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by the Tribal Council took longer than expected.
Take note of the historical context in which you are working. MARS is based in Klickitat County. For over a century, the county had disputed a portion of the Yakama Reservation described in the Yakama Nation’s 1855 treaty with the U.S. government, claiming that it was part of the county and not the reservation. After a 2017 lawsuit and several appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the county’s claim in 2022. Long histories of mistrust will take thoughtful effort to address.
Start collaboration efforts early. It is important to recognize that there is a long-standing pattern where Tribal partners are asked to give input or approval of nearly final documents, such as management plans, without having had the opportunity to collaborate from the beginning.
Expect to feel uncomfortable. Even with the best intentions and hopes for collaboration, those of us who are not Tribal members are going to have a lot to learn and may wind up with our feet firmly in our mouths.
“One time, I was talking with a Tribal member and was somewhat waxing poetic on all that I had learned about colonial history and Tribal co-management, and mid-sentence the person stopped me and said, ‘I have no idea what you are saying, and I really don’t like it when I don’t know what people are saying.’ Trying to impress someone with how much you’ve learned isn’t the answer either. Do your homework, but you don’t need to rush to exhibit how much homework you’ve done.” Kai Hoffman-Krull
Again, person-to-person relationships are critical and if there is enough trust, this will allow us to acknowledge and move through uncomfortable moments.
What have you learned that has helped you improve your understanding of how you work with and honor your Tribal nation partners?
Words matter. The language we use when referencing Tribal nations often highlights their history more than their present and future. Land acknowledgments, in particular, should recognize not just the historical context of the place, but also honor Tribes’ inherent, existing, and future rights to land and resource management.
History and context matter. It is both daunting and crucial to understand just how long people have lived in the landscapes around us. 14,000 years is long before the Pyramids, Rome, and other landmarks of European history. Native cultures have long been established in relation to local ecology and resources in ways that differ greatly in our modern era. One of Kai’s Tribal partners remarked that a stand of Garry oak would probably be managed a lot differently if people were relying on the acorns to get them through the next winter.
Rather than seeking to access traditional ecological knowledge to apply it from a Western perspective, non-tribal partners would do well to develop relationships where stewardship can happen together. In most cases, Tribal partners need to be the leaders given their sophisticated history with the landscape.
In the Pacific Northwest, several legal cases have confirmed Tribes’ rights to access and manage natural resources. However, these cases all centered around aquatic resources. There has yet to be a case in the US setting a precedent for terrestrial resources.
“Do we need someone to sue us to make something happen, or can it happen out of an understanding of a traumatic history and opportunity for reconciliation? We have a huge opportunity to form relationships and really honor the intent and precedent of the treaties for terrestrial lands.” Kai Hoffman-Krull
Any last thoughts to share?
There is great hope for building trusted partnerships with Tribal nations, even in the face of a difficult history. Finding common ground and working from there is key. MARS has been conducting prescribed burns alongside Yakama partners. Over grilled elk steaks, they talked about what went well and how to keep working together.
“Both Tribal members and non-Tribal members put a lot of value on actually getting things done. Even taking small steps to get something accomplished, on the ground, side by side, makes a difference.” Jay McLaughlin
Keep learning, keep asking questions, and work with both vulnerability and intention as you consider your role in building trusted relationships with the Tribal nations in your area.
“Imagine if decision-making around fire and natural resources was truly equal between Tribal and non-Tribal partners. It would take a coordinated effort with people who understand the treaties and who come to the effort with a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.” Kai Hoffman-Krull
Learn More
To learn more about the various Tribal peoples who have been living here for over 14,000 years, and also to think about what your role might be in building relationships with the Tribal nations in your area, here are a few of Kai and Jay’s favorite books and resources to get started.
Books:
- An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Native Voices: Indigenous Poetry, Conversation, and Craft by C. Marie Fuhrman
- The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis by Amitav Ghosh.
- Also recommended: books by Barry Lopez and Gary Snyder.
Articles:
- “American Indian Law: A Beginner’s Guide” A Library of Congress Research Guide
- “National Indian Law Library: How to Find Treaties”
- “United States v. Washington”
- Commonly known as the Boldt Decision, it re-affirmed the rights of American Indian tribes in the state of Washington to co-manage and continue to harvest salmon and other fish under the terms of various treaties with the U.S. government. See the references section of the article for additional links to cases related to the original decision.
