Posted on December 21, 2024
Post categories: Community Dean Equity, Diversity & Inclusion In the Media Research Students
In partnership with Polly Olsen, tribal liaison to the Burke Museum and member of the Yakama Nation, a cross-disciplinary team—including the Department of Landscape Architecture and the Burke Museum—led a cultural burn to support spring growth and uplift Indigenous land care practices.
The burn brought together students, faculty, staff, and community members to engage in traditional fire stewardship—a practice used for generations by Indigenous communities to care for native plants like camas and yarrow. The burn was the result of years of collaboration between UW students and faculty, the Burke Museum, UW Grounds, and Native leaders.
“This project reflects what’s possible when we come together with a shared commitment to care for place,” said Interim Dean Ken Yocom. “It’s not just about ecological restoration—it’s about rebuilding relationships with the land, with each other, and with the knowledge systems that have long guided these practices.”
Landscape Architecture students played a key role in preparing for the burn through a workshop focused on protecting young camas plants from grazing. The session was guided by Yakama and Paiute weavers Val and Gil Calac, whose leadership centered cultural knowledge throughout the process.
To learn more about the cultural burn and its broader impact, read or listen to the full Daily UW story.