Spotlight Sundays: Cultural Burn Practices and the Future of Fire

Spotlight Sundays: Cultural Burn Practices and the Future of Fire

Spotlight Sundays invites guests to an in-depth conversation about the future of fire through the lens of Indigenous fire practices. Corrina Gould of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust will lead a conversation with Jordan Reyes and Patty Franklin of Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance. The discussion will illuminate how fire is an essential component of Native lifeways, affirms tribal sovereignty, and is a critical element for healthy California ecosystems. Learn what it means to be a steward of the land and how Native fire practitioners are increasing their efforts to build a more sustainable future with fire in California.

This program is a part of our exhibition programming for Good Fire: Tending Native Lands, on view through May 31.

About Corrina Gould

Corrina Gould (Tribal Chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation) was born and raised in the village of Huichin, now known as Oakland, CA. She is the Co-Founder and Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change, a small Native-run organization, and the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an urban Indigenous women-led organization within her ancestral territory. Through the practices of rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, the Land Trust calls on Native and non-Native peoples to heal and transform legacies of colonization, genocide, and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do.

About Jordan Reyes

Jordan Reyes (Pomo/Lake Miwok/Yuki/Little Lake/Wailak) is a land steward with a background in Tribal government serving in Tribal Historic Preservation, Tribal Gaming Regulatory Commission, Tribal Gaming Operations, and Tribal Council. Jordan currently serves as the Field Coordinator with the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance and is a leader in his Tribal community with land stewardship and reintroducing cultural fire practices. He sees fire as medicine, a way to heal intergenerational separation, and a way to ensure the safe passage of knowledge. Serving the people and Tribal sovereignty is the main focus of his passion, to heal the lands and human beings, and maintaining a relationship of reciprocity between the two. 

About Patricia Franklin

Patricia Franklin (Scotts Valley Band Pomo) is the Environmental Director of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians where she advocates for the health of the environment from a Tribal perspective. Her love of the land has led her to become a board member of the Tribal Eco Restoration Alliance where she shares her cultural knowledge and learns from other cultural practitioners about best cultural land stewardship practices. Patricia is Firefighter Type II trained in Prescribed Burning and partners with private landowners and other organizations to conduct prescribed burns on their lands under TERA. She is also active in reviving the practice of cultural burning to restore the health of the land.

Accessibility

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.