Afternoon Keynote Address: Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine and Ceremony: An Overview of Indigenous Cultural Collaborative Projects in the Portland Metro Area
Start Date
2-5-2018 1:00 PM
End Date
2-5-2018 1:40 PM
Abstract
Indigenous Traditional Knowledge-based practices for land, water and traditional foods are critical to the revitalization of food sovereignty for Indigenous communities and are central to healing from the long-term effects of historical trauma. We recognize the cultural significance and value of connection with the land to heal and build community health and resilience: First Foods and Plant Medicines are essential to restore and reclaim physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Reclaiming the urban forest for food, medicine, ceremony and healthy lifeways have found a timely synergy with numerous agencies and community partners working in culturally responsible restoration, education, reclamation and protection practices, as well as informing holistic/adaptive land management and policies. With an emphasis on long-term relationship building and prioritizing the collaborative processes, these partnerships acknowledge the interdependence of People and Place so crucial for revitalizing healthy communities and healthy lands. This presentation highlights several collaborative projects and partnerships, including the PSU Indigenous Nations Studies Program, Portland Parks, Metro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Native communities, both urban and tribal. These key practices are part of the larger Indigenous Resurgence movement occurring nationally and internationally.
Keynote Speaker Biography
Ms. Judy Bluehorse Skelton teaches Environmental Sustainability through Indigenous Practices, Contemporary Issues in Indian Country, Indigenous Women Leadership, and Indigenous Gardens and Food Justice. She has worked with federal, state and local Native organizations and tribes throughout the Northwest for more than 20 years, creating cultural activities focusing on traditional and contemporary uses of native plants for food, medicine, ceremony, and healthy lifeways. Judy is author of six collections of essays for teachers, including Native America: A Sustainable Culture (1999), and Lewis & Clark Through Native American Eyes (2003). In 2017 she received the PSU President’s Diversity Award and in 2014, the Oregon Indian Education Association’s award for Outstanding Indian Educator. Judy serves on the boards of Portland Parks, The Nature Conservancy, and Urban Greenspace Institute. Collaborative work includes the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, NARA (Native American Rehabilitation Assn.), the Native American Community Advisory Council to Portland Parks and Metro, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, integrating Indigenous land management practices with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to address Food Sovereignty/Justice and reclaim the urban forest for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Subjects
Environmental social sciences, Land use planning
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/25678
Rights
© Copyright the author(s)
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Afternoon Keynote Address: Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine and Ceremony: An Overview of Indigenous Cultural Collaborative Projects in the Portland Metro Area
Indigenous Traditional Knowledge-based practices for land, water and traditional foods are critical to the revitalization of food sovereignty for Indigenous communities and are central to healing from the long-term effects of historical trauma. We recognize the cultural significance and value of connection with the land to heal and build community health and resilience: First Foods and Plant Medicines are essential to restore and reclaim physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Reclaiming the urban forest for food, medicine, ceremony and healthy lifeways have found a timely synergy with numerous agencies and community partners working in culturally responsible restoration, education, reclamation and protection practices, as well as informing holistic/adaptive land management and policies. With an emphasis on long-term relationship building and prioritizing the collaborative processes, these partnerships acknowledge the interdependence of People and Place so crucial for revitalizing healthy communities and healthy lands. This presentation highlights several collaborative projects and partnerships, including the PSU Indigenous Nations Studies Program, Portland Parks, Metro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Native communities, both urban and tribal. These key practices are part of the larger Indigenous Resurgence movement occurring nationally and internationally.
Keynote Speaker Biography
Ms. Judy Bluehorse Skelton teaches Environmental Sustainability through Indigenous Practices, Contemporary Issues in Indian Country, Indigenous Women Leadership, and Indigenous Gardens and Food Justice. She has worked with federal, state and local Native organizations and tribes throughout the Northwest for more than 20 years, creating cultural activities focusing on traditional and contemporary uses of native plants for food, medicine, ceremony, and healthy lifeways. Judy is author of six collections of essays for teachers, including Native America: A Sustainable Culture (1999), and Lewis & Clark Through Native American Eyes (2003). In 2017 she received the PSU President’s Diversity Award and in 2014, the Oregon Indian Education Association’s award for Outstanding Indian Educator. Judy serves on the boards of Portland Parks, The Nature Conservancy, and Urban Greenspace Institute. Collaborative work includes the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, NARA (Native American Rehabilitation Assn.), the Native American Community Advisory Council to Portland Parks and Metro, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, integrating Indigenous land management practices with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to address Food Sovereignty/Justice and reclaim the urban forest for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.