Presentation: Tribal Ecological Perspectives on Rematriation

Sara Calvolsa Olson and Morning Star Gali will explain how we might all develop a better understanding of climate issues by centering Indigenous rematriation efforts and traditional phenological data gathering. Climate change is altering the life cycles of plants, which can have a profound effect on food security in tribal communities. Can rematriation efforts successfully partner with community science groups to develop a more clear picture of our ecological future? What are the challenges to indigenous data sovereignty in the face of extractive industries? 

Morning Star Gali is a member of the Pit River Tribe located in Northeastern California. She serves as founder and director of Indigenous Justice. Dedicated to raising awareness and visibility within the unique climate of California’s urban and rural Native communities, Gali coordinates support of Indigenous-led policies and campaigns. She is deeply committed to advocating for Indigenous sovereignty issues such as missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) and peoples, climate justice, gender justice, and sacred sites protection on behalf of the tribal and inter-tribal communities in which she was raised. She’s served as a volunteer and advocate on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Indigenous peoples in California, working with numerous Indigenous-led grassroots organizations in the Bay Area for over two decades.

Sara Calvosa Olson (Karuk) is the author of Chími Nu’am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen (Heyday, 2023). Her work dwells at the intersection of storytelling, Indigenous food systems, traditional phenological knowledge, and community food security. With an interest in using both culturally sound & faithfully updated techniques honoring traditional plants and animals, her cooking inspires a new look at the oldest foods in California

Connect:

Sara Calvosa Olson - Website | Sara Calvosa Olson - Instagram

Indigenous Justice - Website