Last December, I joined SGI’s Executive Director Dwayne Estes and Chief Science Advisor Reed Noss in representing SGI at the Volgenau Climate Initiative’s 2023 Elevating the Profile of America’s Grasslands retreat. As part of the event, each attendee was asked to bring an object that represented their work in grassland conservation. I was stumped. 

In a group of more than thirty conservationists—including scientists, artists, and philanthropists, among others—our goal over three days was to build a strategic plan for raising awareness, developing critical relationships, and unlocking potential for transformative action related to the grasslands of the United States. I questioned what I could bring to the conversation as someone very new to grassland conservation—I had only begun my role as SGI’s first Tribal Liaison in July and its work in restoration and conservation was new territory for me. 

It was ultimately an object I found on my parents front porch that I brought with me to the retreat: a small white oak and honeysuckle basket woven by a Cherokee artist.

I am not a basket weaver, nor am I a Cherokee cultural expert. But as I shared about this traditional Indigenous basket with my colleagues and peers at the retreat, I had an opportunity to share about the white oak baskets, their connection to grasslands, and my own family history. 

I was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina, just outside the Qualla Boundary, and I am a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. My great-great grandparents were born in Cherokee, North Carolina and were sent to Carlisle Boarding school in Pennsylvania before being allowed to return to their home state. They attended one of the over 400 Indian Boarding schools in this country, some of which are still operational today. Like my grandparents, many Indigenous people were not given the opportunity to grow up in their own culture, and the battle to pass down our cultural traditions to future generations is ongoing. 

My role as an SGI Tribal Liaison is to make connections and foster opportunities for Indigenous communities to be involved in the conservation and restoration of grasslands in the Southeast. Native voices have been ignored or overlooked in conservation for too long, and it’s important to ensure that SGI’s work includes understanding the needs of tribal communities and their homelands. There is a long history of environmental groups and government agencies entering Indigenous lands and communities to enforce practices and exploit resources without centering Indigenous perspectives. SGI is committed to collaborating with and respecting tribal resources and knowledge.

For example, on the 13 million acres that make up the Cumberland Plateau, there are seven tribes that have historical ties to the area: Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Shawnee, Coushatta, Chickasaw, and Euchee. Each tribe has their own unique culture, but together they share a history of colonization and stolen land. As an SGI Tribal Liaison, I work to ensure that each tribe is included in the assessment and conservation planning associated with the project, which as part of the America the Beautiful grant is working to target restoration and protection work in the Cumberland Plateau.

Learning more about Indigenous practices, like basket weaving, is important to understanding the conservation goals of these communities. Indigenous woven baskets are traditionally made with materials from White Oak, Rivercane, and Long Leaf Pine, which used to be prevalent throughout the Southeast. Today, these resources are becoming sparse and artists have to travel far to harvest materials. Some Indigenous artists have even switched to incorporating invasive species like bamboo in their basket making. With limited resources, it’s more difficult to teach the next generation of basket weavers the traditional practice, which includes splitting, dyeing, and weaving native materials. State and federal agencies have begun partnering with tribes to ensure that resources like Rivercane are prioritized in conservation efforts.

Basket weaving is just one testament to the resiliency and adaptability of Indigenous culture in the Southeast. The efforts to preserve this cultural practice aren’t just about conserving the materials needed to make these baskets; these efforts are closely woven alongside work to protect all culturally significant plants, create food security, foster tribal sovereignty, and end an era of exploiting Indigenous people, knowledge, and culture.

Representing SGI and Indigenous communities at the retreat in Tucson was extremely rewarding, educational, and inspirational for my work in grassland conservation. For me, being Cherokee means connecting with my history, my culture, and my homelands. It also means embracing the resiliency of those who came before me who fought to preserve our culture, and it’s because of them that I have this opportunity to connect with both my history and the important work being done to conserve our grasslands. 

corlee thomas-hill, TRIBAL LIAISON

Located in Cherokee, NC, Corlee is an SGI Tribal Liaison and an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). She’s been involved in Indigenous land movements and climate change activism since 2016.