Landscapes of Trust in Native North America

The protection of ancestral homelands in a context of changing climatic conditions is one of the most significant issues facing Native Nations today. Due to a history of colonial land acquisition and the non-ratification, nullification, and modification of treaties, many ancestral homelands are out of tribal jurisdiction. Some tribes in California and Nevada, for example, have very small land bases, and their culturally important sites are located on surrounding state, federal, or private land. In order to protect lands and waters that provide habitat for culturally important species, sites of climate refugia, resting places for ancestors, and ceremonial and gathering grounds, Native people and Native institutions employ diverse tools to ensure land conservation, protection, access, and stewardship. In this chapter, we offer examples from the Southwestern United States of Indigenous-led techniques and strategies to protect cultural landscapes from fire, erosion, pollution, and development. These include Indigenous-led collaborations with archaeologists to conduct non-invasive assessments, and the application of legal tools drawn from cultural resource protection and conservation. Our collaborative work is guided by Native and Indigenous Studies approaches of reciprocity, relationality, and respect, and the co-authors engage in this overview of approaches to protect lands and lifeways with, by, and for Indigenous peoples.