Environment (40 resources)

Youth in Action: Indigenous Ecosystems

Youth in Action: Indigenous Ecosystems

Video

Young activists discuss their work to create a more equitable and sustainable future.

Cultivating Copious Clams in Sea Gardens

Cultivating Copious Clams in Sea Gardens

Article

North Pacific Coast farmers are restoring clam gardens designed by their Indigenous ancestors.

What Indigenous Americans Believe About Eclipses

What Indigenous Americans Believe About Eclipses

Blog

From Cherokee to Shawnee to Shoshone-Bannock and others, the traditions and beliefs marking an eclipse reveal close connections to the planets.

Seed Savers Regrow Legacies

Seed Savers Regrow Legacies

Article

Indigenous farmers and other “seed savers” are growing and sharing heirloom seeds to keep plants inherent to their cultures alive.

Dreaming of a Protected Ocean

Dreaming of a Protected Ocean

Article

Marine conservationist Angelo Villagomez shares how his Chamorro people in the Mariana Islands are working toward a protected ocean.

A River’s Rebirth: Klamath Dam Removals Offer New Life for Salmon as well as California and Oregon Tribes

A River’s Rebirth: Klamath Dam Removals Offer New Life for Salmon as well as California and Oregon Tribes

Article

After more than a century, the Klamath River that provides critical salmon habitat will soon flow freely again thanks to tribes that fought for decades to have its dams removed.

Saving a Sacred Turtle: A Guna Community Strives to Keep the World’s Largest Sea Turtle from the Brink of Extinction

Saving a Sacred Turtle: A Guna Community Strives to Keep the World’s Largest Sea Turtle from the Brink of Extinction

Article

Guna biologists and volunteers are working day and night to protect endangered leatherback sea turtles on their nesting beaches in Panama’s coastal village of Armila.

Tourist Tinderbox

Tourist Tinderbox

Article

Native Hawaiian Courtney Lazo fights for Maui residents who still do not have housing after devastating wildfires in Lahaina.

Life Along the River: The Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia

Life Along the River: The Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia

Classroom

This online storybook explores the history and contemporary life of the Pamunkey people.

Seeing Through Indigenous Lenses: Filmmakers Reimagine a Collective Climate-Sound Future

Seeing Through Indigenous Lenses: Filmmakers Reimagine a Collective Climate-Sound Future

Article

Filmmakers in the Americas challenge the Hollywood approach while tackling causes of climate change.

Combating a Royal Loss: Mexico Communities are Fighting to Protect the Migratory Monarch Butterfly’s Habitat Before These Vital Lands and Insects Disappear

Combating a Royal Loss: Mexico Communities are Fighting to Protect the Migratory Monarch Butterfly’s Habitat Before These Vital Lands and Insects Disappear

Article

The migrating monarch butterfly is an intrinsic part of many Indigenous cultures, particularly those who hold Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico, yet it may be at risk of disappearing.

On Dangerous Ground: Oglala Lakota Land Used as a Bombing Range in World War II is Still Perilous

On Dangerous Ground: Oglala Lakota Land Used as a Bombing Range in World War II is Still Perilous

Article

The U.S. government took land from the Oglala Lakota people in South Dakota for a World War II bombing range. Eight decades later, this tribe is still left with the perilous task of cleaning it up.

Living Earth Festival 2023

Living Earth Festival 2023

Video Playlist

From water scarcity to floods and erosion, Native nations addressed climate change across Indian Country.

Solstice Saturday: Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the Apache Crown Dancers

Solstice Saturday: Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the Apache Crown Dancers

Video

Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the Apache Crown Dancers (White Mountain Apache) from Whiteriver, Arizona, celebrate the summer solstice through song and dance.

Running Aground: Thirsty Southwest Native Nations Look to the San Juan River, But This Water Source May Be Drying Up

Running Aground: Thirsty Southwest Native Nations Look to the San Juan River, But This Water Source May Be Drying Up

Article

Thirsty Native nations and other residents in the Colorado River Basin are looking for ways to survive a decades-long drought and out-of-date laws in a drastically changing climate.

Living on the Edge

Living on the Edge

Article

The Guna community on Gardi Sugdub in Panama is being forced to relocate as the ocean could swallow the entire island within just decades.

The Bedrock of the Pamunkey People

The Bedrock of the Pamunkey People

Article

Teachers learn about the Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s living culture and connection to a river.

Growing a Diverse Bounty

Growing a Diverse Bounty

Article

NMAI’s landscape in Washington, D.C., is ripe with plants from Indigenous cultures.

A Sisterhood of the Sea

A Sisterhood of the Sea

Article

Shinnecock farmers are reviving kelp-growing traditions to restore a Long Island bay.

The Indigenous Origins of Maple Syrup

The Indigenous Origins of Maple Syrup

Article

Indigenous peoples in Canada and the northeastern United States are reviving their ancient practice of gathering maple sap and creating their own syrup.

This Far and No Farther

This Far and No Farther

Article

A tribal historic preservation officer talks about his critical but challenging role.

In the Fading Tracks of Caribou: Numbers of an Animal Central to Inuit Culture are Declining Drastically in Parts of Canada

In the Fading Tracks of Caribou: Numbers of an Animal Central to Inuit Culture are Declining Drastically in Parts of Canada

Article

Numbers of an animal central to Inuit culture are declining drastically in parts of Canada.

The Return of a National Icon

The Return of a National Icon

Blog

Discover how the revival of the bison became one of the United States’ great conservation success stories.

The Breath of Life: Traditional Hawaiian Farmers are Reviving "Aloha ‘Āina," Love of the Land

The Breath of Life: Traditional Hawaiian Farmers are Reviving "Aloha ‘Āina," Love of the Land

Article

Hawaiian farmers are restoring Native growing methods and fish ponds to provide foods that nourish their islands' peoples physically and spiritually.

Defending the Indigenous Rights of Nature

Defending the Indigenous Rights of Nature

Article

Looking at laws that defend the Indigenous rights of nature.

Gardens that Nurture Culture

Gardens that Nurture Culture

Article

Native community gardens are providing healthy foods while cultivating cultural traditions.

Powered by Nature: Native Nations Are Leading on the Path to Renewable Energy

Powered by Nature: Native Nations Are Leading on the Path to Renewable Energy

Article

Native nations are making great strides in developing renewable, clean energy sources that are benefiting tribal citizens, whether they live on large reservations or in small villages.

Planting Seeds of Restoration

Planting Seeds of Restoration

Article

A Nimíipuu student creates a computer model to bring back dogbane to the Nez Perce Reservation.

Rewilding Tribal Lands: Wildlife Restoration Can Heal Ecosystems and Native Communities

Rewilding Tribal Lands: Wildlife Restoration Can Heal Ecosystems and Native Communities

Article

Native Americans are restoring wildlife to their lands that once thrived there and continue to be integral parts of their culture.

Indigenous Earth Law

Indigenous Earth Law

Video Playlist

NMAI and Teaching for Change hosted a virtual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Curriculum Teach-In with the theme of Indigenous Land: Stewardship, Relationships, and Responsibility.

Environmental Justice in South America

Environmental Justice in South America

Video
A conversation with the museum’s cultural interpreters and young Indigenous activists from South America who are combating overexploitation of natural resources and developing more sustainable solutions. Program in English with English and Spanish captions. | Programa en inglés con subtítulos en inglés y español.

A New Era of Representation

A New Era of Representation

Article

Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland speaks about the need to have Native voices in the highest U.S. government decision-making offices.

A Monumental Effort: Fighting to Protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

A Monumental Effort: Fighting to Protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante

Article

American Indians were among those who fought to have the boundaries of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments restored to help protect these precious public and ancestral lands.

Living Earth Virtual Festival 2021

Living Earth Virtual Festival 2021

Video Playlist

Festival presentations explored agricultural trends, innovations, and sustainability in Native communities with a focus on Native agricultural businesses.

Using Fire to Fight Fire: California Tribes' Cultural Burns Restore Land and Keep Flames at Bay

Using Fire to Fight Fire: California Tribes' Cultural Burns Restore Land and Keep Flames at Bay

Article

California tribes deploy their cultural knowledge to restore landscapes while reducing the risk of wildfires.

Ecological Knowledge in Pacific Coastal Communities

Ecological Knowledge in Pacific Coastal Communities

Video
A conversation with young Indigenous activists from across the Pacific who are using traditional ecological practices to combat threats to the ocean resources their communities have protected and thrived on for thousands of years.

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture

Video

Young Indigenous leaders discuss the role traditional ecological knowledge plays in their work as farmers and entrepreneurs.

Teach-In: Traditional Foods Sustain our Bodies and Spirits

Teach-In: Traditional Foods Sustain our Bodies and Spirits

Video Playlist

This Teach-In focuses on traditional foods and the knowledge related to growing, harvesting, storing and preparing them.

Reactions From Indian Country to Deb Haaland’s Confirmation as Secretary of the Interior

Reactions From Indian Country to Deb Haaland’s Confirmation as Secretary of the Interior

Blog

In 2021, Deb Haaland (Laguna and Jemez Pueblos) was confirmed as the first Native American Secretary of the Interior.

Saving a Sacred Lake: A Century of Pollution Haunts the Haudenosaunee

Saving a Sacred Lake: A Century of Pollution Haunts the Haudenosaunee

Article

The birthplace of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is slowly recovering from a century of pollution.