A Northern California tribe works to protect traditions in a warming world
The Oak Fire last year threatened the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation's way of life. Now the tribe is restoring ancient heritage sites and cultural practices in collaboration with local agencies.
The Oak Fire, which burned roughly 20,000 acres west of Yosemite National Park last summer, was devastating to the area's Indigenous tribes — including the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation. The tribe is headquartered in Mariposa, California, a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills close to the national park.
"It really hit our community hard," said Tara Fouch-Moore, a member of the Southern Sierra Miwuk's tribal council. "We lost 127 households."
The Oak Fire destroyed much more than property.
"These super fires, they burn so hot," said Jazzmyn Gegere Brochini,
