Intentional Fire: Karuk Tribe/SWCASC

(Season1 Episode 4) On this episode, host’s Vikki and Anna interview Chook-Chook Hillman. Chook wears a lot of hats; he is a Cultural Practitioner, Ceremonial Leader, Direct Action Organizer, Father of 5 and traditional house builder to name a few. Currently he works at a local school “doing Indian thing’s” as he puts it. He has helped plan a lot of the Western Klamath Restoration Project’s (WKRP) latest project, Ikxariya Tuuyship. This will create and maintain the conditions to bring fire back to the world renewal ceremony at Katimin. This was stopped through violence and repression since the early 1900’s.

“It’s part of your daily chores, to not let everything shrink in around you” Joining Vikki Preston (Karuk Department of Natural Resources) and Anna Malka Murviet (University of Arizona/Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center) is Adrian Gilkison a Karuk tribal member from Orleans, Ca who tells us the importance of family traditions for her culture, fire being a part of those traditions and the difference in fire today.

"People were here for thousands of generations and in 120 years non-native people who came over were able to change the environment because they stopped using fire." Joining Vikki Preston (Karuk Department of Natural Resources) and Anna Malka Murviet (University of Arizona/Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center) as they are joined by  Kathy McCovey a fierce and knowledgeable Karuk gatherer, knowledge holder/teacher, and plant expert. Listen in on how she has used her traditional knowledge throughout her life and career.

Join Vikki Preston (Karuk Department of Natural Resources) and Anna Malka Murveit (University of Arizona/Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center) as they interview Karuk master basket weaver Verna Reece. Verna is a gracious and powerful basket weaver, teacher, and advocate for Indigenous led burning practices. Listen in on an Indigenous weaver’s story as she struggles against barriers placed through colonization and mismanagement of the land. The sharing and community weaving build is important to the foundation of burning, stay tuned for more episodes and stories behind intentional burning with traditional practitioners and their connections and advocacy for fire.