Wildfires have become an increasingly familiar problem for many populations on and around the West Coast. As these large-scale wildfires have become detrimental to many communities, researchers and the general public often look to climate change for answers to this phenomenon. However, there is another answer that is beginning to gain traction and recognition in the broader media and has been understood by Native Americans in this region since time immemorial. This answer lies in the use of fire and prescribed burns to promote the diversity of forest life, enhance the region's vital resources, and remove dense brush that would otherwise fuel high-severity fires. The article “What Western States Can Learn from Native American Wildfire Management Strategies” by Kari Marie Norgaard and Sara Worl of the University of Oregon further examines this relationship between banning Native ceremonial burning and increasing frequency and severity of wildfires. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The article focuses on northwest California and southern Oregon, where some of the most devastating wildfires in the region's history have recently occurred. This area is also home to the Karuk tribe and a large portion of its population. With the increase in severe fires that are seriously affecting the ability of the Karuk people to live and thrive, activists are illustrating how destructive a relationship with fire that involves fear and helplessness is in overall fire management. Rather, it should be a relationship that views fire as “inevitable and necessary in many ecosystems.” Native Americans used fire to manage forest ecosystems over time, allowing for vast biodiversity and reducing the buildup of fuels that create more dangerous fires. The use of frequent, low-intensity fires by the Karuk tribe was crucial in the evolution of flora and fauna and provided shade to cool the water temperature of the river, benefiting fish during the hottest months of the year. The abandonment of these traditional fire practices was first introduced and then perpetuated by Euro-American colonizers who, although amazed by the biodiversity, did not recognize that the use of fire in the region was responsible. . Through colonization, fire suppression was enforced, land burning ceremonies were banned, and "the greatest changes in fire behavior in California over the past 400 years" were observed. The authors explain that "the genocide of indigenous peoples is directly linked to today's catastrophic fires." This article, along with the attached videos, provide a comprehensive foundation on how the oppression of Native Americans forever changed lives and landscapes, and provide insight into how the reestablishment of traditional indigenous burning practices can play a decisive role in restoration processes. The authors outline some of the actions being taken to restore forests and protect the public, such as the Karuk Tribes' Climate Adaptation Plan. This is a problem that, if not resolved in the near future, will be detrimental to various peoples and ecosystems. The harms of institutional fire suppression are widely felt, but particularly affect members of the Karuk tribe. The Karuk people are afederally recognized tribe and is primarily located in the northwest region of California in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. Due to the detrimental effects of colonization, the tribe did not benefit from a true land reserve. However, the Karuk people have not let this stop them from continuing their culture and way of life. The Karuk Tribal Council is currently made up of nine members spread across three districts. The council's goal is to "promote the general welfare of all the Karuk people, to establish equality and justice for our tribe, to restore and preserve ancestral traditions, customs, languages, and to ourselves and our descendants the power to exercise the rights inherent in self-government.” Over the past fifty years, the tribe has "successfully acquired 1,661 acres of Aboriginal land [and] succeeded in having the United States grant trust status to 900 of those acres." Throughout their people's history, the use of fire was essential to cultivating "grasslands for elk, managing food sources such as brown and black oak acorns, maintaining quality basketry materials and produce smoke that can shade the river for fish.” However, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States Forest Service banned land burning ceremonies that essentially directly targeted indigenous peoples. Under the ban, indigenous people could be fined if they burned on their own land. Since the bans were lifted, they were quickly reintroduced. These bans have created a “socio-ecological trap” in which practices that contribute to ecosystem improvement become very difficult to implement due to current and historical legal and policy constraints. However, as awareness of this problem increases, the Forest Service has begun to recognize that fire suppression is not an effective or beneficial land management tactic and is reconsidering extent of the prohibitions. These bans had extreme effects and changed the way of life of the people of this tribe and region. The effects range from major loss of culture and practices to the creation of food deserts. Changes to the ecosystem from fire suppression have made traditional foods fundamental to a sustainable lifestyle, from acorns to fish, dramatically reduced in availability. Beyond access to food, the people of the Karuk tribe have also experienced a change in their relationship with the land. Many traditionally practiced land burning ceremonies were fundamental to their spiritual relationships and, therefore, to their identity. Norgaard and Worl's article explains how the accumulation of all these factors and effects demonstrates the use of "fire suppression as colonial violence." The indigenous Karuk people of this region have complex knowledge systems regarding the survival of their people and the only reason why fire bans would have been introduced is due to colonial and oppressive factors and mentalities towards the people indigenous. This was yet another way for the U.S. government to demonstrate its oppression and contempt for American Indians. High-severity wildfires bring many concerns and consequences that are felt across diverse populations, and while they have become a problem for many, the real problem lies in the creation and continuation of these fires. these practices.