Charlotte Rodrique is the chairwoman of the Burns Paiute tribal council.

There’s no real reason to change the status quo of land ownership out West. But if anyone should assume a greater caretaking role for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which a group of armed protesters are occupying, it's not the state, or private owners, but the Burns Paiute Tribe.

We were forcefully removed from this land (and much more) over the course of numerous bloody disputes. Negotiated ownership terms that came later — first agreed upon, but not ratified, in a peace treaty with the government in 1868 — were mostly ignored and unenforced, as ranchers and mining operators pushed further into Paiute territory over the following decades.

I am not sympathetic to a group of armed individuals who want territory we have lived on for thousands of years to be “returned” to the “people of Oregon.”

Our access to traditional lands has steadily eroded ever since, but the Malheur sanctuary, which is about 30 miles from our reservation, is of great cultural value to us still. Today, the Burns Paiute has a good relationship with the federal employees who work there: They have been a protector of our artifacts and history, which include petroglyphs and many natural resources that are culturally relevant to our needs. We can’t hunt on the parkland, of course, but tribal people still have a right to go in and gather certain plants, such as willow and tule.

Every one of my five children knows well the medicinal plants that grow on the refuge and how to live sustainably there if they needed to. The youth program takes kids out to the refuge for activities according to the season — maybe, making duck decoys or tule canoes. It's not just kids: Whole families go out there too, and one of the best boat makers I know is the lead archaeologist for the refuge.

Of course, it would be great if the Burns Paiute could just own this land outright, or manage it for the federal government. And we certainly oppose federal action that further prevents our tribe from traditional ways of life on public lands. There is a movement, for example, to designate a new wilderness area in the Owyhee Canyonlands — a prime hunting area for our tribe in the spring.

But I am not sympathetic when I hear that a group of armed individuals want territory we have lived on for thousands of years to be “returned” to the “people of Oregon.” I’ve certainly had the urge to yell and demand for respect of our ancestral land, but these individuals certainly aren't speaking for us, let alone the ranchers, who have rejected their support.

I will say, though, the armed group could use some advice on their survival skills. Had the Paiute staged a similar occupation, we wouldn't have needed to ask for snacks or winter socks. (Roots and berries hit the spot and rabbit fur is remarkably warm.)



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