1. First Foods & Traditional Knowledge UCUT-ATNI Climate Change Workshop Don Sampson, ATNI Climate Change Project Director Acknowledge the CRITFC’s ppt 1

2. Climate Change, Tribes, and Tribal Health
Decline or loss of key plant and animal species
Loss of reservation land
Loss of cultural sites to sea level rise and flooding
Impacts to Tribal health and economies
Loss or changes in traditional foods
Psychological stress from loss of cultural identity in Native cultures due to:
Coast Salish Canoe Journey 2009 landing in Pillar Point; photo by Carol Reiss, USGS

3. How will climate effects on plants and animals shape elements of tribal culture?
Subsistence
Diet
Legends
Stories
Ceremonies
Symbols
Beliefs
Songs
Rituals
Prayers
Dances
Language

4. First Foods
Salmon
Berries
Water
Elk/Deer
Roots

5. First Foods
In the tribal creation belief, the Creator asked the foods “who will take care of the Indian people?” Salmon was the first to promise, then other fish lined up behind salmon. Next was deer, then cous, then huckleberry. The First Food serving ritual in the longhouse is based on this order and reminds people of the promise the foods made and the people’s reciprocal responsibility to respectfully use and take care of the foods. Each “First Food” represents groupings of ecologically related foods.

6. First Foods

7. First Foods

8. Umatilla Tribe Climate Change Work
Department of Natural Resources Mission Statement based on First Foods - Developed the Umatilla River Vision
Women’s Food and Climate Change: Looking at physiological responses and plant community interactions including diversity and distribution
Umatilla Climate Assessment Study
Climate Information for Enhanced Tribal Decision-Making: Gathering climate data, web portal, outreach and education
Umatilla River

9. First Foods Mission Statement
To protect, restore, and enhance the First Foods - water, salmon, deer, cous, and huckleberry - for the perpetual cultural, economic, and sovereign benefit of the CTUIR. We will accomplish this utilizing traditional ecological and cultural knowledge and science to inform: 1) population and habitat management goals and actions; and 2) natural resource policies and regulatory mechanisms.

10. First Foods Mission Statement
The end goal of the First Foods-focused management strategy is the sustainable stewardship of natural systems in CTUIR tribal lands, using the long-term production and harvesting of the full First Foods order by the tribe as a primary benchmark for success.

11. First Foods Mission Statement
The First Foods framework prioritizes efforts to re-naturalize processes that sustain First Foods and provides a direct and culturally appropriate means for monitoring and reporting restoration progress to the tribal community.

12. Potential distribution of First Foods across the Umatilla Basin, including historically salmonid-bearing streams and potential cous and huckleberry habitats.

13. Salmon Decline Returning Columbia River salmon (chinook, steelhead, sockeye, coho)
Estimated Average 17,000,000
millions of fish
2,574,373

14. Big River Big Dams
The tribes never anticipated massive changes to the river when the treaties or executive orders were signed in mid 1800’s.
Our treaties and executive orders are contracts with the United States.
We reserved our rights to the First Foods.

15. Climate Impacts on Fish
Increasing frequency and severity of winter flooding – eggs and overwintering juveniles
Summer Low Flows – Migrating/Spawning Adults
Higher Water Temperatures – will stress migrating adults, and may disrupt growth and downstream migration timing of juveniles

16. CRITFC Climate Change Work
Initiated in 2005 due to tribal observations and media attention
CRITFC Commission resolution in July 2009: treaty rights protecting First Foods be given the highest consideration in legislation and policy
Work on increasing and sustaining funding opportunities nationally for tribes for climate related projects

17. CRITFC Climate Change Work
Assist tribes in climate-related work and make resources available on the CRITFC website
Conduct tribal workshops, presentations and collaborate with numerous agencies and organizations
Participate in federal, regional and national climate change forums including the NW Climate Science Center, Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives
Collaborated with ATNI and CBFWA in December 2008 on the Developing a Northwest Tribal Climate Change Strategy Workshop

18. Completed Water Temperature Modeling for Future Climate Change Scenarios
2010/2011: Satus and Toppenish Watersheds (Tributaries of Yakama Basin), Part of Larger Cooperative Project with the USGS
2011/2012: Upper Grande Ronde River Basin
2012/2013: Clearwater River Basin

19. CRITFC Climate Change Work
Analyzed physiological and genetic mechanisms for thermal adaptation in salmon and trout in the PNW
Pat Clayton

20. Evaluating Climate Change Impacts on Pacific Lamprey
and Eulachon
Evaluating Climate Change Effects and Ocean/Inriver Connection

21. Developing Information Tools to Assess Climate Change and Other River Use Impacts on First Foods
Conducting a CRITFC Climate Change Survey with tribes on impacts to First Foods and Traditional Knowledge to develop a CRITFC Climate Strategic Plan
Collaborating with other regional, national and international forums to obtain robust climate change and ecosystem science data
Enhancing the CRITFC Information System Model (CIS)
Project objective to develop the most robust information possible to build analytical tools to assess climate impacts on first foods- this is CIS role.

22. Traditional Knowledges

23. Understandings of Traditional Knowledges
What is it?
Intergenerational World View of Interrelationships with the environment
Community Traditions, Rituals Practices, and Moral Values
Often expressed
orally through
Language, stories, legends, folklore, songs, taboos, and laws TK
Transmitted interpersonally by showing to individuals entrusted with care
Sharing Through Rules and Practices of Governance
Image courtesy of Gary Morishima

24. Indigenous Frameworks for Observing and Responding to Climate Change
Cochran et al. propose:
Engage communities in designing climate change solutions
Create an environment of mutual respect for multiple ways of knowing
Directly assist communities in achieving their adaptation goals
Promote partnerships that foster effective climate solutions from both western and indigenous perspectives
Foster regional and international networking to share climate solutions

25. Utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge
The Tribes and Intertribal organizations should clearly identify a strategy and process on how to best incorporate TEK in their climate change assessment and adaptation efforts including, but not limited to:
• Local-scale expertise
• A source of climate history and baseline data
• Formulating research questions and hypotheses
• Insight into impacts and adaptation in communities

26. Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network - Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC)
Comprised of local Native experts who share their
knowledge and experiences to describe environmental events in their communities.
Apply local and traditional knowledge and modern technology to share their observations and raise awareness about the changing conditions of the circumpolar north.
LEOs are connected with technical experts to increase communication and understanding about our changing environment. Observations are then mapped using an interactive interface on the ANTHC website.
                                 
LEO has 100 observers in over 60 communities.

27. Protecting Traditional Knowledge: Free, Prior and Informed Consent
implies indigenous control over decisions related to consent free from force, intimidation, manipulation, inducements, coercion, or other pressure by any government, agency, company, or external entity in a process that is unbiased and neutral as to outcome.
"Prior"
means that indigenous peoples must be engaged before alternatives are identified and actions or decisions are made.
"Informed"
means that all relevant information must be made available and provided in language/forms understandable to indigenous peoples and that indigenous peoples must have access to independent information and experts on law and technical issues upon request.
"Consent"
means that Indigenous Peoples have the right to say "yes" or "no" at each stage of the decision making process.
• "Free" implies indigenous control over decisions related to consent free from force, intimidation, manipulation, inducements, coercion, or other pressure by any government, agency, company, or external entity in a process that is unbiased and neutral as to outcome. Free can also imply indigenous control over the nature and structure of the activities required for securing consent in the first place. Indigenous peoples may have a different understanding than non-indigenous agencies and others about what sorts of activities, from meetings and conferences to intercultural exchanges, must take place for consent or dissent to be legitimate.
• "Prior" means that indigenous peoples must be engaged before alternatives are identified and actions or decisions are made. Prior often also means ensuring that Indigenous peoples have the opportunity to influence the structure of collaboration, cooperation and or any other form of joint action that serves to guide decision-making. For undisclosed TKs, prior refers to a process to obtain consent before it is accessed.
• "Informed" means that all relevant information must be made available and provided in language/forms understandable to indigenous peoples and that indigenous peoples must have access to independent information and experts on law and technical issues upon request.
• "Consent" means that Indigenous Peoples have the right to say "yes" or "no" at each stage of the decision making process. Moreover, consent must be associated with the appropriate parties and communities within indigenous peoples, and must include indigenous methods of providing consent (which may be different than western methods of providing consent.

28. Protecting our First Foods