Tribal Marine Policy and Sciences

The Pacific Ocean is a vast entity that intersects with the long history of its varied peoples and ocean-inhabiting organisms. The intersection of indigenous life at the coast with the history of US settler colonialism has played out in complex ways well beyond the facts of scientific inquiry, legal frameworks and lived experiences.

The fundamental premise of this program is that human beings are embedded in their ecological systems. We will examine themes and narratives of sustainability, restoration, and remediation. We will also examine marine sciences, policy, law, and politics from multiple perspectives. We will start with an overview of the legal framework of tribal marine management in the United States, focusing on federal and state legislation, administrative regulations, and relevant case laws. Students will learn about place-based knowledge and specific historical contexts of the Coast Salish region, Washington state, and the Pacific. Students will learn about placemaking within the context of settler colonialism.

Our inquiry in the sciences will be informed by the topics that are relevant to the survival of indigenous life and culture. We will define and consider the ways that traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has informed tribal natural resources management and is closely linked with environmental and climate justice for all life on the planet.