New Season of KCET’s Indigenous Peoples Series TENDING NATURE Premieres in November Timed to Native American Heritage Month
CONTACT
Allison Gray
agray@pmgsocal.org
747.201.5298
Four All New Episodes Explore Environmental Knowledge of
California's Native Peoples
(TENDING NATURE. Heidi Lucero, Acjachemen, gathering asphaltum to create sealant for a new Ti’at. Images courtesy of KCET)
kcet.org/tendingnature
Burbank, Calif. – October 4, 2019 – KCET, a producer of award-winning and diverse original content for public media, announced today the debut of a new season of the KCET Original series TENDING NATURE produced in partnership with the Autry Museum of the American West. The series shines a light on the environmental knowledge of indigenous peoples across California by exploring how the state's Native peoples have actively shaped and tended the land for millennia, in the process developing a deep understanding of plant and animal life. The series examines how traditional practices can inspire a new generation of Californians to find a balance between humans and nature. KCET will premiere four, 30-minute episodes of TENDING NATURE starting Sun., Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. on KCET in Southern California. The series will also air on nationally independent satellite network Link TV on Wed., Nov. 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT (DirecTV 375 and DISH Network 9410).
TENDING NATURE will also stream on the free KCET app (available on Roku and Apple TV), the PBS Video app (available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, the App Store and Google Play), as well as on YouTube.
The unique partnership between KCET and the Autry that started with 2017’s Emmy® Award-winning documentary TENDING THE WILD has turned into a three-year commitment to explore California’s Native stories (and histories) through a second season of Tending Nature. Traveling across the state, the series allows viewers to hear first-hand from Native communities engaged in contemporary projects that revive their culture and inform western science. In this season the Paiute, Chumash, Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, Acjachemen and Tongva tribes generously give their time to guide content about subjects ranging from coastal conditions, holistic healing, river restoration and managing groundwater. California is home to more Native communities than any other state in the country and these communities have continued to maintain traditional knowledge against all odds.
The Autry Museum of the American West is dedicated to bringing together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire a shared future. The series connects to their Human Nature galleries and garden spaces dedicated to the California environment, making for a multiplatform museum-media partnership—and one that furthers critical conversations related to the future of California.
TENDING NATURE will be telecast as follows (subject to change):
“Rethinking the Coast with the Ti’at Society” - Sun., Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET / Wed., Nov. 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Short: Members of the intertribal Ti’at Society (that include the Tongva, Chumash and Acjachemen) are rebuilding their connection with the ocean and the Channel Islands by rebuilding a Ti’at, a traditional Tongva canoe.
Long: Climate change and urban development have significantly altered ocean conditions and the ability to access the coast, making it more and more difficult for the Tongva tribe to carry on their long-held seafaring traditions. Today members of the Tongva, Chumash and Acjachemen are rebuilding their connection with the ocean and the Channel Islands by rebuilding a Ti’at, a traditional Tongva canoe.
“Holistic Healing with the Syuxtun Collective” - Sun., Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET / Wed., Nov. 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Short: Members of the Syuxtun Plant Collective in Santa Barbara county gather and process traditional medicines offering a holistic understanding of health that includes tending to plants.
Long: Since the 20th century, Western medicine has focused on treating a patient’s symptoms, not the underlying cause. Today, scientists and doctors are realizing that we should be wary of a health system that relies on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising and are embracing alternative, preventive whole-body options, which start with a healthy mind, body, spirit. These are concepts California Native communities have practiced for thousands of years, by using medicinal plant knowledge that informed much our pharmacopeia.
“Restoring the River with the Yurok, Karuk and Hupa” - Sun., Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET / Wed., Nov. 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Short: Members of the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk tribes work with local and state organizations to revitalize forests, rivers and wildlife in Northern California.
Long: For the past two centuries, California has relied heavily on the natural resources of the North Coast region, exploiting its pristine watersheds for agriculture and its forests for timber. But today, the environmental costs of timber extraction and damming have reached a tipping point. Now the Yurok are working with local and state organizations to revitalize the forests, rivers and wildlife.
“Managing Groundwater with the Paiute” - Sun., Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. PT on KCET / Wed., Nov. 27 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Link TV
Short: Members of the Paiute in the Owens Valley are shepherding conversations around access to water resources, raising key questions about how our snowpack, streams and aquifers are used and maintained.
Long: In the wake of the recent drought, scientists and politicians are beginning to understand that reserving and maintaining groundwater is essential for addressing the state’s water needs. California’s Native peoples have lived with drought cycles for millennia and today, the Paiute are shepherding conversations around access to water resources, raising key questions about how our snowpack, streams and aquifers are used and maintained.
Encores of TENDING NATURE season two will air on PBS SoCal at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 20 and 27. A marathon of all eight episodes from seasons one and two will broadcast on Black Friday (Nov. 29) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on KCET.
Join the conversation on social media using #TendingNature
ABOUT KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps. KCET is a content channel of the Public Media Group of Southern California.
ABOUT LINK TV
Founded in 1999, Link TV is an independent viewer-supported media organization dedicated to providing programs that engage and inform its audiences with unique perspectives, and empower them to become involved in the world. Reaching more than 31 million U.S. satellite households nationally (DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410), Link TV connects American viewers with people at the heart of breaking events, organizations at the forefront of social change and the vibrant cultures of an increasingly global community. Select programming from Link TV is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube and Roku platforms. For additional information about Link TV productions, web-exclusive content and program schedules, please visit linktv.org.
ABOUT THE AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST
Located in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, the Autry is a museum dedicated to exploring and sharing the stories, experiences, and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West, connecting the past to the present to inspire our shared future. The museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and public programs—including lectures, film, theatre, festivals, family events, and music—and performs scholarship, research, and educational outreach. The Autry’s collection of more than 600,000 pieces of art and artifacts includes the Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, one of the largest and most significant of Native American materials in the United States.
