Bringing Fish Back and Other Lessons From Taholah Youth to Support a Flourishing and Just World
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- Students need to learn: the history of places, how to respect Land, and how to engage in Tribal activities to protect Land.
- Teachers, Community Members, & Elders should share their knowledge—finding meaningful ways to connect lessons to the past, present & future of the Land and Native people. They should hold visitors and Tribal members accountable for following Tribal laws and respecting Land.
- Guests to reservations should learn about whose Land they are on and hold themselves responsible for following Tribal laws while camping, harvesting, or visiting.
The issue is that we fail to educate ourselves about what is happening to the environment and how we can help it flourish. Many people don’t know about the problems Tribal youth face today. There are fish shortages, invasive crabs, inland relocation due to sea level rise, excessive logging, and the illegal overharvesting of our natural resources—such as cranberries, cedar, and ferns. These issues have major effects on the future of the Quinault—our future. There are things we can do to solve some of these problems. We need more opportunities to engage in Native STEM learning, to sustain the culture around our Land, and to learn to better self-govern.
Authors:
AUTHORS: Kaylie Hendricks, Keeliana McCrory & Luvaila Smith (Quinault Tribal Members & Taholah High School Students); CONTRIBUTORS: Jerry Walter, Ellen Ebert & Kelsie Fowler; EDITOR: Philip Bell | JUNE 2025
Attending to Equity
- In school it is important for teachers to understand where they are at and who they are teaching. Showing and teaching students how to respect the Land that they live on is important for any student and adult to adjust to. We have lots of knowledge from our grandparents about fishing, the trees, harvest, and the Land around us and this should be honored.
- The messages youth receive about their futures need to shift. They should be taught that what they do has an impact on the Earth and future generations.
Recommended Actions You Can Take
- Teach the importance of using a Native STEM approach to address issues impacting your community. Design schooling to educate toward cultural knowledge and create pathways for young people to learn about forestry, hatchery, harvesting, and foods.
- Know and follow the regulations of the Lands you live on, including Tribal laws, regulations & treaties (e.g., Fish Wars).
- Engage in restoration projects of cranberry and other native plant sites. Add honorable harvesting guidance and permit reminders to informational signs.
- Partner with your Tribal Department of Natural Resources to learn from experts and to introduce students to sustainable careers to increase Tribal representation.
- Create multigenerational spaces to discuss and explore community issues and then engineer different solutions.
ALSO SEE STEM TEACHING TOOLS
- Indigenous Rights & STEM Ed
- Indigenous STEM Education
- Place-based Science Ed
- Climate Justice Learning
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This site is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Award #1920249 (previously through Awards #1238253 and #1854059). Opinions expressed are not those of any funding agency.
Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Others may adapt with attribution. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Opinions expressed are not those of any funding agency.