Special Program: MAATHAAW: The Fire Within Us – Screening, Panel, & Workshop

Join the Fowler for a special screening and conversation centered on MAATHAAW: The Fire Within Us, an Indigenous-led documentary exploring the cultural, emotional, and scientific relationships Southern California Tribes have with the gift of fire. Featured in the exhibition Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology & Art, the film highlights the enduring resilience of Indigenous communities and the vibrancy of traditional ecological knowledge. As the greater Southwest faces intensifying wildfires and the escalating impacts of climate change, MAATHAAW foregrounds Indigenous leadership in climate adaptation, land stewardship, and cultural revitalization.

Following the screening of the extended trailer, director and producer Andrew Pittman will be joined by Indigenous experts Wes Ruise, William Madrigal, and Joelene Tamm for a panel conversation on traditional fire stewardship in Southern California, moderated by Daisy Ocampo Diaz and Lina Tejeda. Panelists will discuss cultural burning practices, tribal approaches to vegetation management, and how longstanding fire knowledge can inform contemporary strategies for resilience and ecological care.

The afternoon concludes with a demonstration and open workshop led by the California Indian Basketweaving Association (CIBA), exploring the relationship between fire, ecology, and traditional basketweaving.

Schedule*

12:30–1 PM – Curator-led walk-through of Fire Kinship

1:30–2 PM – Screening of the extended trailer for MAATHAAW

2:15–4 PM – Panel conversation in Lenart Auditorium

4:30–6:30PM – CIBA demonstration and open workshop on the Terrace

*Schedule is subject to change.

This program is presented in partnership with Condor Visual Media and the American Indian Studies Center at UCLA