A CALL TO ACTION: EMBRACING GEOSCIENCE AS A CULTURAL KEYSTONE

Native American culture is interwoven through every observation and decision made in tribal resource management. The tendency to analyze and valuate resources within typical economic metrics ignores this aspect. There is a need for tribal communities to embrace a geoscience based view of the environment, of management of their natural resources, and of climate change and adaptation policies in a way that complements traditional knowledge. To this end, an effort is being made to create a community action group that can bring the importance of historical stewardship and the cultural practices of conservation, preservation, and honoring the environment together with geoscience, an understanding of the scientific method, and an easy to understand explanation of climate change. This group can help to bridge the understanding gap by being introduced as a cultural component in the same way that language revitalization and powwows occupy a place of reverence within Native society. This would serve to combine western and traditional knowledge and emphasize the importance of both.