InTheField: WANDA KASHUDOHA CULP on Rooted Lifeways of the Tongass /148

With arms outstretched in gratitude for those fighting on the ground to protect life and land, we humbly offer this first episode of In The Field, For The Wild’s new place-based storytelling series and fierce prayer for a wild and free future. Join us this week as we travel to the Tongass Rainforest, the largest remaining intact temperate rainforest on earth and the traditional territory of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples. The primordial heart of this place still beats to the rhythm of life, a kaleidoscopic turning of towering old growth trees, braided rivers, jumping salmon, eagle, bear, and glacier. In the wake of the Trump administration’s renewed attack on the Tongass—a plan that would end Roadless Rule protections on 9.2 million acres of land—we are honored to amplify the call of those who are courageously rising to protect this great northern forest. This episode features the powerful Wanda Kashudoha Culp, an Indigenous Tlingit activist and advocate, born and raised in Juneau and Hoonah, Alaska. A professional paper-pusher and artist by trade, Wanda is also a hunter, fisherwoman, and gatherer of wild foods. She is the mother of three children, and is recognized as a storyteller, cultural interpreter, playwright, and co-producer of the film Walking in Two Worlds. Make space this week to tune into this deep, visceral listening experience, as we step into the moss-cloaked forest and meditate on the scars and stories held by this sacred ground. Guided by Wanda’s indomitable warrioress spirit, we wind through the history of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Tlingit balance of Raven and Eagle, Indigenous food sovereignty, extractive tourism, and more. Wanda’s testimony moves us beyond the story of old-growth logging as it has been told, unearthing the ugly truth of colonial extraction in Alaska and the powerful resistance seeded in its wake. May her impassioned words ignite an honest reckoning of all that has been lost, all that we are losing, and all that we have left to stand for. ♫ Music by Cary Morin, Lea Thomas, Rising Appalacia, Hana Shin, Carter Lou McElroy, and the Tlingit citizens of Hoonah, Alaska. Support Indigenous stewards of the Tongass working on the ground by making a direct donation to Wanda Culp for her 30+ years of activist work and ongoing community organizing in Hoonah, Washington D.C. and beyond. Make a donation through our PayPal link below -or use the button- & add a note that clearly identifies Wanda Culp as the recipient of your donation (such as, “For Wanda Culp”). All funds raised will go directly to Wanda Culp. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=4CQdJPu7R7AczvWIx39CG5do7JmMngwO8p9-_H0VZwuvEItvsHNjFDOGqAkByrFFBoMdim&country.x=US&locale.x=US