Local Partner: California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC)
Climate change is causing catastrophic wildfires in our region. The project will teach tribal community members how to make traditional teas and about other cultural methods to address the health issues, they may experience during these extreme events in four, 1-day, intergenerational workshops at CIMCC. Participants will leave the workshop with knowledge about how to assemble an emergency health response kit containing traditional teas. The ultimate goal is to convey knowledge and practices through the generations and our tribal communities about the protections our plant relatives can offer us to help us adapt to the health impacts of climate change . This project focuses on indigenous emergency responses to face climate change disasters particularly deadly fires that destroy homes, sacred lands, gathering sites, and tragically, take the lives of elders and children through direct fire and the toxic smoke and impacts to water and air.
104 tribal community participants increased their knowledge of traditional plants, teas and medicines and
how to prepare and use them for respiratory, immunity, and other health and wellness needs. Traditional
emergency health response kits were mailed to participants prior to each of the four workshops so
that cultural resources could be prepared along with presenter demonstrations.
Local Partner: CIMCC’s mission is to educate the public about the history, cultures and contemporary life of California Indians and honor their contributions to civilization. Our long-term priority is to be a cultural home for California Indians and civic forum for the public on Native issues. Our majority California Indian Board of Directors governs CIMCC and sets its strategic course. Native youth and families and K-12 students and teachers have been primary audiences for CIMCC over 23 years. We provide exhibits and educational programs to enrich K-12 curricula on California Indians with Native perspectives and knowledge and to help teachers provide more accurate instruction. Since 2010 we have conducted Tribal Youth Ambassadors (TYA), a creative development program for Native youth ages 10-24. TYA engages Native youth in project-based learning to address critical issues in their communities and provides them with intergenerational mentoring and an array of cultural, arts, digital media and life skills instruction. TYA implements our mission through their numerous empowerment projects. Currently TYA is collaborating with tribal knowledge bearers in our region in a 3-year project to acquire and share knowledge, skills and practices about traditional foods and medicines so that they can lead revitalization of traditional food ways.
