Wide Open Spaces: How a White House Tribal Summit Could Impact Southern California's Treasured Parks and Wilderness

Wide Open Spaces: How a White House Tribal Summit Could Impact Southern California's Treasured Parks and Wilderness - Back To The Land

For many Native Americans, a return to ancestral lands represents far more than just reclaiming territory. It's about reconnecting with tradition, heritage, and a way of life that was disrupted and nearly destroyed over centuries of colonialism. That's why the proposed return of hundreds of thousands of acres of national park lands is so monumental.

In Southern California, tribes like the Chemehuevi and Cupeño peoples could regain access to lands in Joshua Tree National Park that they once called home. The park currently occupies lands that originally belonged to the Cahuilla, Serrano and Chemehuevi peoples before European settlement. Forced relocation and dispossession separated tribes from these homelands. Now, for the first time in generations, native peoples may be able to practice ceremonies, teach language, and pass down customs on their ancestral grounds.

For many tribal members, especially youth, experiencing their heritage on these lands allows them to connect to their roots in a more tangible way. Being able to gather plants for traditional uses, hunt small game, and practice cultural burning hands-on provides critical opportunities for cultural education and growth. As Rosalyn LaPier, an environmental historian and member of the Blackfeet Tribe, explained, “Living within traditional homelands allows indigenous peoples to maintain cultural and spiritual connections to the land.”

Tribes also see the return of national park lands as a chance to demonstrate that, as original inhabitants, they can serve as stewards and caretakers. In some cases, tribes have sustainably coexisted with and managed wildlife and ecosystems for hundreds of years. Their traditional ecological knowledge could make them uniquely equipped to oversee these lands. As Ann Marie Chischilly (Navajo) noted, “By returning to our homelands, we are coming home to fulfill our roles as caretakers of the environment.”