“I have a deep respect for Native Americans and their connection to nature, to the land,” says environmental health researcher and professor Anna Harding. “Their lives are so intertwined physically and spiritually to the earth.” She has concerns about environmental exposures to indigenous populations, and those have led her to become an advocate for extra protection for tribes, working with federal agencies to clean up sites and protect tribal lands. “There are unseen hazards for tribes whose lifestyles include fishing, hunting, using wild plants for medicinal purposes, sweat lodges, basket weaving, and growing food. Much of the land they use for these practices has been ceded by the federal government, but sadly in Oregon and across the United States, significant portions are contaminated,” she explains. And this means the tribes are at risk fora host of health issues. “I want to empower tribes that are living subsistence lifestyles to understand the dangers of contaminated resources and encourage the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies to consider different cleanup standards for tribal nations who live off the land.”
Anna is conducting research with associate professor Barbara Harper, Environmental Health Program manager for the Umatilla Tribe, and Umatilla Tribal members to understand the contaminants in cattails, a source of food and leaves for basket weaving. They grow in wetlands that are often sinks for metals, lead, and cadmium. “We eat the rhizomes and shoots and make mats and baskets from the leaves,” explains Jan Jones, a member of the Umatilla Tribe. “The process includes passing the leaves through the weaver’s mouth to make them pliable.”
Anna is using this and other research to develop environmental exposure scenarios that estimate the risk of various exposures when practicing traditional activities. The scenarios can be tailored to tribal lands across the country. “We hope to provide them with tools to assess their environmental risks and consider options while continuing their traditional practices,” Anna adds. “They are handing down these sacred traditions to their children, and we hope this information will ultimately help protect them from contaminants.”