Restoration of Burton “homestead”

(name changed to Burton Educational Preserve, as Homestead being offensive to Native folks)

The 13+ years 4E has been teaching Fox Walkers we have witnessed the rebuilding of an ancient village site. There are now three Dance Grounds, the first now being used by Fox Walkers and for Indigenous Peoples Days camping area in October. There is now an open field that is mostly covered in grasses, some native and some non-native species. The second dance ground is now the center of the village, near the Bark House, Dance House, and Sweat House. The Pole with the eagle on it was a Grandfather Cedar that the Land Trust cut down in 2011. The Third Dance Ground was recently made, and more water catchments and second sweat house. In 2015 or so there were around 100 dead Ponderosa Trees taken down on the top knoll of the land “survival camp” and now there is a thick meadow with mostly blue wild rye / mix of blue crest complete with thriving vole city.

Currently a large population of Acorn Woodpeckers, Grey Squirrel, a mix of Fox and Coyote and Coy Coyote.

Still many woodrats and old Woodrat stick homes, a few Douglas Squirrels seen. Jack-Rabbit, skunk, weasel, occasional bear, mountain lion, a small herd of 14 black tail deer or so on and off property, a healthy spectrum of song birds, woodpeckers, ravens, crows, hawks and owls. Occasional ducks, blue herons. With more small open grassy areas populations are up as the voles, mice, shrews have habitat and everything else eats them. Also trimming of thick woods creates healthier sun dappled areas of biodiversity, native grasses, hawks able to fly and hunt in the woods. With the addition of small ponds, the insect life has increased, as well as aquatic plants, frogs, and bluegill fish.

Burton Homestead—abandoned landscape for 20-30 years, after cattle grazing, mining, logging, starting in the 1850’s. The place looked like to moon at one point in history. The springs here were used for long box –water mining mixed with mercury and arsenic, that created mining tailings of rocks, debris in rows all over land below the water sources. (many trees growing on top of this waste land have died with recent droughts) When 4E started programs here in 2010 the woods were very thick and fire danger extreme.

The reason we are defining this as Re-Indigenized is that 4E is sanctioned by the Tsi Akim Tribe through their Traditional Ecological Knowledge. As a non-profit organization that teaches Earth Skills, 4E is intrinsically bound to honoring Indigenous Peoples as this is where we gained our teachings from. We are striving to evolve our non-profit to align with Indigenous Values and under their leadership –not under the leadership of State / Fed mandates that have historically destroyed this land and attempted to exterminate the original peoples.

What a better way than to restore land with creating ceremonial grounds. Every ceremony that takes place on Pata Panaka is healing the people that attend as well as healing the land—including all the animals, plants, water, stones (-as stated in the above TEK ).  The ceremonial aspect may be misunderstood by the well educated environmentalist. Ceremonies, that all our Ancestors did, come from pacts / agreements, with the land and life—come from how to create the healthiest environment from thousands of years of making relations and knowing that we are a part of Earth Mother. Ceremonies many times include hides from animals, feathers from birds, material from plants, clean water, stones…. As in the case with making a regalia item –one needs to know where to find it, actually go into nature and harvest and make into dance regalia. Well, is the material life even still there ? Has it been taken care of, has someone been tending it? The few Elders left that know how to run the Ceremony guide the younger Elders, who in turn guide young leaders, who are teaching the youth and can now begin to give direction to what is needed for the ceremony. Now we are giving need to our youth to go into the woods to care of the “maiden hair fern to make baskets”, “the maple trees for the inner bark” etc… this is one of the direct relations the Fox Walkers have with the Tribe and the hands on Earth Skills we do with the youth. Then when the regalia is Danced it represents it Self as our teacher, healer, guide. The more folks in the community who are involved with the Ceremony, the more powerful and healing relations with our entire Ecological system.