In this episode of Fight For Our Existence Podcast, I sit down in Yosemite at the Grizzly Giant with Aanthony Lerma, Tara Fouch-Moore, and Irene Vasquez of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation.

We talk about Indigenous stewardship, cultural burning, forest health, language revitalization, and what it means to care for land your ancestors have known since time immemorial. From black oaks and bedrock mortars to fire, food, medicine, and the responsibility of being in relationship with the land, this conversation shows why Native people must be part of caring for these places.

This is not just about protecting trees or reducing fuels. It is about restoring Indigenous knowledge, honoring the relatives around us, and making sure the next generations can still walk these lands, speak their language, and carry the work forward.

Special thanks to Yosemite Conservancy for their support of this podcast episode.

Thank you to Tiśina Parker of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation/Kutzadika’a Mono Lake Paiute for recommending my podcast for this event. I appreciate you trusting me with this space and helping make this episode happen.

Guests:

Irene Vasquez — Southern Sierra Miwuk/Mono Lake Paiute, Cultural Ecologist

Tara Fouch-Moore — Southern Sierra Miwuk, Director of Landscape Stewardship

Aanthony Lerma — Southern Sierra Miwuk , Landscape Stewardship Coordinator/Firekeeper

In this episode, I sat down with my sister Sinetta and my niece Lozen to speak about their connection to Oak Flat and their involvement in the legal fight against Resolution Copper.

Lozen had her Coming Of Age ceremony at Oak Flat, joining other young Apache women in their family whose ceremonies took place there. Together they reflect on ceremony, family gatherings, the flooding rainstorm during Lozen’s dance, the emotional weight of the court case, and what it felt like to put their names on legal papers to help protect the land.

This conversation goes beyond headlines and court rulings, sharing the personal side of what Oak Flat means to families who pray there, gather there, and continue fighting for future generations.

Nicole Smith was a mother, sister, and traditional dancer whose life was taken on November 17, 2017, on the Manchester Reservation in Mendocino County, California. Years later, her family is still waiting for justice.

In this episode, Bernadette Smith speaks about her sister Nicole, the night their family’s lives changed, and the unanswered questions that remain. She shares how Nicole’s children and family have carried this loss, and how ceremony, prayer, therapy, and community have helped her continue forward.

Bernadette also talks about the larger MMIP crisis, lateral violence, the need for accountability, and why culture is an important part of healing and prevention in Native communities.

This episode was recorded at the May 5th MMIP gathering at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California. A live recording of Bernadette singing a traditional song from the event is included at the end of the episode.

Thank you to Indigenous Justice for bringing me out to Sacramento to help record these stories and for the work they continue to do for MMIP families throughout California.

Justice for Nicole Smith Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575519814315

Indigenous Justice: https://indigenousjustice.org

Please keep Nicole Smith, Bernadette, Nicole’s children, and their family in your thoughts and prayers.