A (Brief) Dissertation on the Pit Latrine

March 11, 2025.Reading time 21 minutes.

“Perhatian….! Dilarang kencing dilantai. Harap kencing dikloset. Trims.” “Attention! It is forbidden to pee on the floor. Please use the toilet. Thanks.” – Sign on the door of a hotel bathroom, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi We are the least trained for the Most Important Acts of our lives: Being born. Selecting a mate. Traveling to foreign […]

What does it take to transform a storyscape?

December 15, 2023.Reading time 15 minutes.

Fire is a key part of our storyscape in California. Depending on whom you talk to, stories about fire range the gamut from nostalgia to terror. For most people, fire is a thing either confined to a fireplace (or campfire pit) or a devastating force producing smoky orange skies and moonscapes. And for most government […]

Our ongoing fight for a once-invisible fish…now made visible

April 12, 2023.Reading time 12 minutes.

Fish fascinate me. Whether I meet them up close and underwater, or on the other side of a thick glass aquarium panel, they give off a chill, yet hyper-vigilant fishy vibe. A vibe that signifies they’re hanging out, being fishy with the other fishies, and my potential predatory self has been clocked, but not entirely […]

What does it take to reawaken a Native language?

November 28, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

This is a question that hardworking, dedicated tribal staff throughout California and many other regions are living every day. The ongoing efforts of my friends and colleagues Julian Lang in Karuk territory, Loren Bommelyn in Tolowa Dee-Ni, Nakia Zavalla in Samala[Chumash], and Jennifer Malone for the Wukchumni, are accompanied by hundreds of other people in […]

The Language of Silence

August 11, 2022.Reading time 15 minutes.

Why America’s oldest lake is in so much trouble Recently during a lunchtime conversation with a well-read, well-traveled friend, I mentioned Clear Lake. “Where’s that?” she asked. “California’s largest lake?” I responded, doing a quick calculation of how much contextual information I needed to share. “It’s in Lake County, a few hours from here. I […]