2020 Mellon Public Scholar Melinda M. Adams presents “Digital Storytelling through Fire: The Revitalization of Northern California Cultural Burns”, a public research campaign developed with her community partners at the Tending and Gathering Garden (Woodland, CA).

Melinda is an Indigenous scholar-activist, multidisciplinary researcher, community leader, educator and environmental stewardship advocate.

She belongs to the San Carlos Apache Tribe of Arizona and is a doctoral student in the Department of Native American Studies. Melinda also has projects within the Environmental Policy and Management department and is currently pursuing a designated emphasis in Environmental Humanities.

“Digital Storytelling through Fire” captured the lessons of Indigenous land stewardship with cultural fire practitioners, traditional gatherers, basket weavers and Native youth and elders. The storytelling campaign served as platform to build public awareness of 1) California Indians, specifically the Patwin [Southern Wintun] Peoples, whose traditional homelands Davis and The University of California- Davis currently occupies 2) the revitalization of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, centering storytelling and our reciprocal/ kinship relationships with fire 3) the importance of community public spaces like the Tending and Gathering Garden.

This public and Tribally engaged collaboration not only demonstrates exemplary community-engaged research, it also serves as a catalyst in moving beyond the UC Davis land acknowledgement statement, toward actionable futurity.

To learn more about Melinda and her work visit: https://nas.ucdavis.edu/people/mmadams

Contact information: mmadams@ucdavis.edu