Humble Fire and Traditional Ecological Practices with Cultural Fire Scholar, Dr. Melinda Adams

You've no doubt heard of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) but how about Traditional Ecological *Practices*?In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Melinda Adams of the N’dee San Carlos Apache Tribe about translating Indigenous knowledge into Indigenous-led action—which means giving Indigenous practitioners the "space, opportunity and action" to see their knowledge systems play out on the landscape. We spoke about a whole lot more than that, though; we heard about Dr. Adams' PhD work at UC-Davis, about her new assistant professor position at the University of Kansas, about "rematriating" fire (bringing  women back into cultural fire decision making) and generally bringing more humility into the use of fire. We also spoke at length about her recent paper titled "Solastalgia to Soliphilia: Cultural Fire, Climate Change, and Indigenous Healing," which she co-authored with Erica Tom and Chairman Ron Goode of the North Fork Mono Tribe (who coined the term "Traditional Ecological Practices").This is an important episode for those interested in Indigenous knowledge, understanding and practice of land stewardship—including the use of fire—but is absolutely essential for anyone who works in an agency or organization that emphasizes the importance of TEK, and especially for those who recognize a need for a different and more humble approach to fire and active stewardship.  Beyond that, if you're looking for an antidote to your climate grief, look no further than this conversation with Melinda. Her energy for the work is incredible, and is bolstered by countless other Indigenous practitioners and allies who envision a more sustainable, Indigenous-led, community-based future of land stewardship and fire use. Timestamps: 07:17 - Introduction 09:42 - Fire in Tribe's Cultural Stories 10:35 - Soliphilia 12:32 - California and Tribal Recognition 15:19 - Healing Powers of Cultural Fire 17:34 - State Agencies Invited to Cultural Fire Demos 18:37 - Wildfires and A Lack of Relationship with the Land 21:20 - Community Education 23:30 - Generational Protocol and Practices 24:46 - Traditional Ecological Practices 27:25 - Melinda's Teaching and Her Students' Focus 31:50 - The Humble Fire Approach 34:12 - Learn Homeland History Where You Burn 36:15 - Caring for the Place You Live 38:28 - Collaboration with Different Tribes 39:31 - Storytelling to Translate Scientific Findings 44:02 - Final Thoughts from Melinda