(InvestigateTV) — For Reno Keoni Franklin, his culture and his heritage is his world.
“I’m actually American Indian on my father’s side. And my mom is Native Hawaiian,” Franklin said.
Franklin is chairman of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians. To honor his ancestors, Franklin fights every day for the preservation of indigenous history and sacred ground throughout the United States.
Franklin says their knowledge of historic sites, passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years gets no respect from federal, state and local governments, or even private contractors.
“Our knowledge as Native or Indigenous people is always discounted. There are some really good archaeologist out there. Really good federal employees and there are also the other ones that just feel like hey, no matter what, just cause you’re Indian you’ve got to prove it. And if I tell you that rock is sacred…it’s sacred. And I shouldn’t have to explain why,” Franklin said.
It’s what spurred Franklin to get involved with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal agency based in Washington DC that is tasked with promoting the preservation of our nation’s most diverse historic sites.
“We wanted to make policy that could reflect what those teachings were handed down and how they were handed down, and then protected,” Franklin said.
After two years of hard work and consulting with over 200 Tribal and Native Hawaiians, Franklin is finally a step closer to ensuring Indigenous knowledge is respected Nationwide.
In March of 2024, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation approved what they’re calling a groundbreaking policy.
“It’s a proud moment, right, a little bit of tears. It’s a long time coming to tell Indian people that you know, your indigenous knowledge…it stands on its own,” Franklin said.
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One community this policy will help tremendously is Lahaina in Hawaii, a community devastated by the 2023 wildfires that killed more than 100 people. These new guidelines will help provide valuable information on indigenous knowledge to guide the rebuilding of Lahaina.
Sara Bronin is the former chair of the ACHP. She visited the devastation in Hawaii and says that their policy is a game-changer, by righting the wrongs of the nation’s past.
“We know that for far too long, Indigenous knowledge has not been part of the decision-making framework, and that’s why it’s really important for us to step up and to recognize that source of knowledge,” Bronin said.
Bronin says the policy statement is broken up into 12 principles for federal, state and local governments to follow before making any historic preservation decisions. Among them, understanding the knowledge of tribal, native, Hawaiian and indigenous people and the way they came to know the importance of their land and not requiring indigenous people to provide documentation to justify their claims.
“The policy statement urges federal agencies, state and local governments and private parties to recognize the value of understanding, understanding tribal, native, Hawaiian and indigenous people’s knowledge and their ways of knowing and not requiring them to prove to us that they’ve used particular, let’s say, documentation or particular background sources to justify their knowledge. What we say in the policy statement is that Indigenous knowledge is valid and self-supporting,” Bronin said.
Bronin added that there are things people can do if they want to know more information. It starts, she says, with educating
“So understanding if there are native tribes in your area, understanding if there are native Hawaiian organizations and communities that might be connected to your properties, other indigenous peoples as well. So, I would say the first step is getting the local context,” Bronin said.
Franklin says this is a monumental and major first step. He’ll continue working to ensure that native history and knowledge are preserved, no matter where in the country it is.
“I was given some knowledge when I first came up…and it was you know, leave it better than where you found it…that’s the message that I push forward to any of your listeners. There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s a little bit less, a little bit less today because of this vote,” Franklin said.
The ACHP says they’ll take a number of actions to implement the policy statement, including training staff and developing guidance and information resources.
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