California's Tribal Marine Stewards Network, with Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez

Coast Range Radio

On today’s show, we’re heading south to California to learn about the groundbreaking Tribal Marine Stewards Network.

The Tribal Marine Stewards Network, or TMSN, is an alliance of Tribal Nations working collaboratively to reclaim their right to protect and restore coastal and marine ecosystems in California.

Even in the modern era, government agencies have historically been either resistant, or outright hostile to, Tribal co-management and sovereignty, (google northwest fishing wars for just one modern example) and so I was really excited to see the State of California changing course and supporting a co-management strategy.

Of course, that is not the way it started. Tribes had to work for years to bring State agencies around to a collaborative approach, and I think there is a lot to learn from their success.

So I’m joined today by Chairman Valentin Lopez of the Aham Mutsun Tribal Band, which is one of the founding tribes of the TMSN.

There is way more to the Tribal Marine Stewards Network, and the history of colonizers and indigenous peoples in California in general, than we were able to get into in this conversation. So I highly recommend that you check out our show notes for links and resources.

And since all non tribal land in this country is stolen land, if you want to learn more about the history of whose land you’re on, a good place to start is https://native-land.ca/.

As always, email me with feedback, show ideas, or anything else at [e-mail].

And if you like what we do, please leave us a review in your podcast app and click the donate link in the podcast show notes. Your support really matters.

Research Links/Show Notes:

Tribal Marine Stewards Network website: https://tribalmsn.org/

Aham Mutsun Tribal Band: http://amahmutsun.org/

Aham Mutsun History: http://amahmutsun.org/history

Californian Native American Holocaust Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwgopN9lFpg

More California Native History: https://nahc.ca.gov/resources/california-indian-history/

California tribal map: https://www3.epa.gov/region9/air/maps/pdfs/r9-california-tribal-lands-reservations-air1100040_3.pdf

Native Land Map: https://native-land.ca/

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