If She Can Do It, You Can Too

In 2008, when I traveled 8 months to document women outdoor role models from around the world, I experienced many personal revelations that affected the way I saw this project. As result of these revolutions, the scope and goals of my project matured and led me in new directions. This time, I am letting my experiences to do the same. This flexibility leads this project to the new directions.

The 10-year reunion of the graduate program at Teton Science School gave me an opportunity to come to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. And yet, I felt that the universe brought me back here to point me into the new directions: to seek out Native American women activists who have been protecting the last remaining wild bison and restoring their connection to the land and animals in the parks of the West.

As I spent sometime in a quiet backcountry of the Tetons, I started to feel that I need to see more of a way of protecting America’s national park through Native Americans’ perspective. The way I learned to protect our national park is heavily influenced by white culture. When I was at the Teton Science School, I learned to see the Yellowstone bison management issue from the ranchers, land managers, and politicians view. The way I use the park is also influenced by how white culture interact with nature. I learned to recreate, watch wildlife in the parks and not to take anything but pictures from the parks. So, when Sarah James said, “We don’t recreate in the refuge. We just don’t go hiking for fun. When we go hiking or camping, we usually gather berries and medicines, or we hunt. We have been taking care of the land, so the land would provide us,” I realized that there is a whole different way of protecting our park. We need to honor many ways of how people from all cultures protect and use our parks, especially a way of those who have been subsisting on their home and protecting the resources for thousands of years before we decided to “protect” these places now we call national parks.

It has been a week since I started seeking out Native American women activists who have been protecting the wild bison and restoring their connection to the land and animals in the Yellowstone area. The Buffalo Field Campaign, an organization dedicated to protect Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd and to work with people of all Nations to honor the sacredness of the wild buffalo, has been very cooperative and pointing me to the right people. My friends in the area have also been a great support and resources. With all of these support, I think I found a perfect person. She is very busy as all the activists are but I am very hopeful. I will see if she is interested in being a part of this project. Cross your fingers for me!