I decided to create this blog as a tool to create a space for a discussion on Cultural Resource Management and Traditional Cultural Properties. I also created it to continue discussion on the need for coalition work to be done between organizations, nations, individuals, and so on, to find ways to deal with the onslaught of attacks on cultural resources in the world. At times things I say may be considered divisive yet there must be a way to discuss matters and then find ways to resolve issues. The attack on cultural resources in the world is nothing new. The very creation of the Cultural Resources Management discipline was born out of the need to protect historic properties. The designation of a separation between cultural resources, and traditional cultural properties has exacerbated the issues in the protection of historic properties. The National Historic Preservation Act (amended 1992), National Environmental Protection Act, Archaeological Protection Act, Native American Graves Protection Act are all under considerably high risk. We are at a point when the destruction of cultural resources and the extraction of minerals, and the creation of wind and solar energy projects are given precedence over treaty rights and property rights in the name of national security and energy independence.
My hope is that this blog will help to create a further dialogue on the issues and move even one individual to create a coalition effort to expand the conversation and create positive change. The blog is named after an ancient oral tradition among indigenous groups where stories known as coyote, trickster, and Iktomi characters are told during the winter months in many cultures. These stories are now found in written context in many forms of creative writing and anthologized by many authors. My opinion on these stories is that these stories originated in various cultures to create calm out of chaos, to create stability in societies as a way to hold cultural groups together, and to find ways to make sure that individuals learn to treat one another with respect in a way that they acknowledge and recognize their connections to all things in the universe at large. There is much that we can all learn from the oral traditions of tribal groups across the world.
My hope is that this blog will help to create a further dialogue on the issues and move even one individual to create a coalition effort to expand the conversation and create positive change. The blog is named after an ancient oral tradition among indigenous groups where stories known as coyote, trickster, and Iktomi characters are told during the winter months in many cultures. These stories are now found in written context in many forms of creative writing and anthologized by many authors. My opinion on these stories is that these stories originated in various cultures to create calm out of chaos, to create stability in societies as a way to hold cultural groups together, and to find ways to make sure that individuals learn to treat one another with respect in a way that they acknowledge and recognize their connections to all things in the universe at large. There is much that we can all learn from the oral traditions of tribal groups across the world.