In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Kymmie Scott has shared a few thoughts on what Native American Heritage means in emergency management, as well as in different parts of culture today. Kymmie is a Senior Emergency Preparedness Specialist for Tidal Basin Group,as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for Pierce College.
Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity for us to recognize the important role that indigenous lifeways and traditional knowledge can and should play in disaster risk reduction and recovery. The unique relationship that native peoples have held with their ancestral territories since time immemorial is too often overlooked in lieu of statistics and data sets. However, oral storytelling and song, ceremony, architecture, skill sets, and even taboos hold information about local hazards and mitigation measures that come from events and practices that pre-date recorded history.
The true Whole Community worldview takes a step back to understand the human role as part of a larger environment and it recognizes natural resources and cultural heritage as an important part of that environment.
As we move forward in 2023 let’s continue to develop our appreciation of the ways in which diversity, equity, and inclusiveness can make us all stronger together as we strive to increase the resilience of our communities.
About Kymmie Scott
Kymmie Scott is a Senior Emergency Preparedness Specialist for Tidal Basin Group, as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for Pierce College where she teaches classes in Historic and Cultural Preservation and Planning in Tribal Emergency Management. She has served as an emergency manager for both local and tribal governments and her career has included work as a first responder, trainer, policymaker, and public information officer.
Kymmie holds a BS in Organizational Leadership with specializations in Emergency Management and Public Administration from Colorado State University. She is an alumna of the Heritage Emergency and Response Training program and is a graduate of the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy.
