California Indian Basketweavers Association
PO Box 1348 Woodland, CA 95776-1348
Office:530-668-1332 Fax:530-668-1386 • E-mail: ciba@ciba.org
CIBA seeks Administrative Director
Work Location: Woodland, California (Yolo County)
Hours: Full-time, exempt position.
Organization description:
California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA) is a 501c3 non-profit cultural arts service organization.
CIBA's vision is to preserve, promote, and perpetuate California Indian basket weaving traditions. CIBA is managed by an elected volunteer Board of Directors (11) who are traditional weavers of California Indian decent.
Download this full job description PDF; Applications are being accepted until the job is filled.
18th Annual California Indian Basketweavers Gathering
We are pleased to announce the 18th Annual California Indian Basketweavers Gathering was held June 27th to 29th at Santa Rosa Rancheria Tribal Community Center in Lemoore, California. Pictures and details will be posted soon.
Newly Proposed Policy Would Require Permits
for Gathering on National Forests: Write Chief Kimbell now to express your views!
The U.S. Forest Service received 140 comments on its most recent version of the national policy on Special Forest Products. A decision whether to revise the policy based on tribal concerns is forthcoming, and YOUR COMMENTS ARE NEEDED NOW to let Forest Service Chief Abigail Kimbell know your concerns about permit requirements for traditional tribal gathering.
This latest version of the national policy would require permits for personal use of all plants and mushrooms gathered in National Forests. It could supersede the statewide Traditional Gathering Policy enacted last year, which allows free access without permits for gathering traditional plants on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management within California. It could also supersede other local agreements between tribes and the Forest Service, since it does not include clear provisions for local officials to waive permit requirements.
Under current policy, gathering for personal use is free, and only commercial harvesting requires a permit. The proposed national policy recognizes the federal government’s obligation to provide products free and without permit requirements only to tribes with reserved treaty gathering rights. It does not include waivers for non-treaty tribes or non-federally recognized tribes.
Comments from individuals, as well as tribes and tribal organizations, are encouraged to let agency officials know the importance of gathering rights to tribal traditions. Although the formal comment period ended January 22, the new Chief of the Forest Service will be the ultimate decision maker on whether to change the policy to address tribal members’ concerns.
Send your concerns to:
Chief Abigail Kimbell
USDA Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-0003
Comments can also be submitted by e-mail to akimbell@fs.fed.us.
CIBA strongly supports adding language to this policy that would include permit waivers for all traditional use by American Indians, regardless of federal recognition or treaty status. Requiring permits invades basketweavers’ privacy, since information submitted on permit applications can be made public. Making public which plants are used or gathering area locations can threaten plant populations. Furthermore, we believe that the U.S. Forest Service has a trust responsibility to California Indians to promote free and unfettered access to culturally important plants.
CIBA supports the proposed free use for traditional gatherers, but have the following concerns with other aspects of the proposed policy:
Permits should not be required for traditional gathering for basketweaving, medicinal, or subsistence uses. Local officials should be able to make exemptions for permit requirements for traditional gathering purposes; such an exemption would protect local agreements, such as the statewide Traditional Gathering Policy.
Exemptions for traditional gathering activities should include all Indian tribes, including federally recognized, non-federally-recognized, and tribes with reserved treaty gathering rights. Requiring permits to gather plants for traditional uses interferes with the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act. Personal use should take precedence over commercial use, and traditional gathering should be considered separately from other types of personal use.
For more information on the proposed policy, visit www.ciba.org or contact Jennifer Kalt at jkalt@ciba.org. For tips on writing effective comment letters, visit the National Network of Forest Practitioners website.
Join CIBA...
Julia Parker has received nation's highest honor in the traditional arts: National Endowment for the Arts 2007 National Heritage Award. Click here to read more.
Other News:
Gathering Policy (384k PDF)
Public Lands Traditional Gathering Policy (64k PDF)