Honoring Our Past; Serving Our Tribal Family; Protecting Our Culture and Independence; and Controlling Our Future.
Dee-ni' Nuu-wee-ya' TOLOWA DEE-NI’ NATION TRIBAL GOVERNMENT NEWSLETTER Dvn-chi’ Num-nii~-ma~s (April) 2022 - Volume 29, Issue 4
SOCIETY FOR CALIFORNIA ARCHAEOLOGY (SCA) CONFERENCE Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation THPO staff recently traveled to this year's Society for California Archaeology (SCA) Conference, Archaeological Gatherings: Foodways & Community Resilience. The field of archaeology has traditionally been dominated by non-native professionals interpreting Indigenous history. This trend is slowly changing in response to tribal nations persistent message that we are capable and responsible for telling our own histories; and this year the SCA conference showed initial signs of recognizing the intellectual knowledge and continued active presence of Indigenous communities. This was demonstrated by the growing presence of Indigenous people participating in the conference, the collaboration between the SCA and the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation to design this year's conference poster, and awards presented to Indigenous people recognizing their work in cultural resources preservation.
cultural landscapes, where we continue these practices, undeterred by more than 169 years of colonialism. Camps are hubs for intergenerational knowledge transmission of subsistence practices, culinary techniques (fishing, drying, cooking, preserving), physical and spiritual wellness, and for reaffirming our connections to the land. Today the foundation and philosophy of our Nation's conservation efforts are based on principles outlined in our account of genesis, The Nation's staff and citizens collaborated on the design of this year's conference passed down orally over countless generations, and reflected in the Tolowa poster to tell our own story, and demonstrate how the Tolowa Dee-ni' exemplify Suntayea Steinruck, Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, foodways and community resilience through Dee-ni' Harvest Title, applied and interreceives President's Award preted according to traditional laws and active Indigenous stewardship, "Our Taacustoms. Traditional knowledge, best laa-waa-dvn (aboriginal territory) encomavailable science, and an adaptive approach informs stewardship and conservapasses over 100 miles of coastal shoreline tion efforts. Efforts focus on preservation of cultural traditions, resiliency, food sovand approximately 2.87 million square acres of land and an undefined acreage of ereignty, sustainability, wellness and broader cultural and natural resources stewardship accomplished through partnerships with Indigenous communities, educamarine waters in northern California and southern Oregon. Since genesis, we have tional institutions, Federal, State and local agencies. This purposeful behavior and collective knowledge informs policy while maintaining a resilient and adaptive combeen an integral part of the ecosystem. munity, as the first stewards of our Taa-laa-waa-dvn." Fishing, hunting, trapping, gathering and other forms of harvesting are central to our Three notable awards presented by SCA this year included: the California Indian subsistence, cultural and religious existHeritage Preservation Award, presented to the Honorable Ron W. Goode, North ence. Fork Mono Tribe, for more than 60 years of active cultural resource preservation; the Society for California Archaeology Award for Excellence in Cultural Resources Lhvmsr Xwee-ghatlh-ghelh-dvn (Fish Ron Goode, North Fork Mono Tribe, Management, presented to the California Tribal Historic Preservation Officers Camps) are located along coastal traditional receives California Indian Heritage (CATHPO); and the President's Award, presented to Suntayea Steinruck, Tolowa Preservation Award
