An inspiring relationship with Menominee Nation
In the second week of March 2024, members of Ngā Pou a Tāne were fortunate to spend time with academics from the College of Menominee and their Sustainable Development Institute and Menominee Language and Culture Commission at a Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge and Planetary Health Summit. The wānanga was organised by Dr Alex Adams of Montana State University, and Dr Ihirangi Heke (research fellow University of Auckland) from Atua Matua and the Planetary Health Alliance. The noho marae was hosted by Ngāti Hurungaterangi and took place at Apumoana Marae in Rotorua over five days.
Also in attendance were elders and academics from Blackfeet Nation, Quinhagak (in the Yupik Nation) of Alaskan natives, Nakoda Fort Peck Tribe and Oneida Nation, an award winning international public health IPCC scientist, a portfolio manager from Climate Moonshot at X (Google), and a group of multi-talented Māori researchers and knowledge holders from across Aotearoa.
Ngā Pou a Tāne were invited by Frances Turner (Menominee, Stockbridge Munsee Mohican) and Dr Jennifer Gauthier of the Sustainable Development Institute of the College of Menominee to take part. Thanks to Frances Turner, who lives in Auckland, for more than a year Ngā Pou a Tāne has been developing a mutually beneficial friendship to swap ideas and collaborate on research for improving the forests on our respective lands. The Menominee took part in the online Continuous Cover Forestry workshops which Ngā Pou a Tāne co-facilitated.
Menominee Nation are a forestry based Native American tribe that has lived in (what is presently known as) Keshena, Wisconsin for more than 11,000 years.
Menominee Tribal Enterprises (known as MTE) is the tribe’s forestry company that has sustainably managed their 93,000 hectares plus tall tree forest, with multiple species and multiple functions, for over 150 years. The majority of the trees are native to their lands, but the forest includes some carefully introduced and managed trees too. The forest lands are what remain of the 4 million hectares Menominee ancestors once stewarded, in pre-colonial times.
In 1973 Menominee reservation and tribal recognition rights were reinstated after “termination” of these rights (including hunting and fishing) by the United States Federal Government in the 1950s resulting in poverty and significant decline of tribal health, wellbeing and social cohesion.
Today the Menominee people are reviving wisdom traditions in their aspiration to remain sustainable through a world class forest economy, and thriving tribal culture. As part of their journey to self-determination, they have visited Aotearoa from time to time to take inspiration from the spirit of mana motuhake, and the influence of the kohanga reo movement.
MTE is a culturally centred sustainable forestry business model that Ngā Pou a Tāne feels many Māori landowners could learn from. Perhaps in less than 120-years through planned forestry transition. The benefits are worth the planning and the effort. MTE apply a blend of multiple use forestry management methods and cultural place-based knowledge to optimise the forest. Forest biodiversity and production levels have increased markedly in the last 30 years. This business is the economic foundation for 9,000 reservation tribal members, and several businesses in the community.
With the assistance of Frances, Ngā Pou a Tāne is pulling together a cultural indigenous forest knowledge research delegation to wānanga with the Menominee, in Keshena, in June this year. This visit has been established to further the development of cultural forest criteria and standards to place the health of the forest at the centre with economic value as a result but not the main driver.
Links:
https://www.mtewood.com/
https://www.menominee.edu/
