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Richard Chalyee Eésh Peterson is the 4-term President of the Tlingit and Haida Council in Southeast Alaska. On today’s episode Mark and Richard talk about perseverance and resilience in the face of fear; real accountability & transformation; and of course, wild salmon. Richard is a stalwart leader and a brings hope in saving the things we love through his own deeply personal story of transformation.
ccthita.org
ccthita.org
Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) is a tribal government representing over 30,000 Tlingit and Haida Indians worldwide. We are a sovereign entity and have a government to government relationship with the United States.
Save What You Love with Mark Titus:
Produced: Tyler White
Edited: Patrick Troll
Music: Whiskey Class
Instagram: @savewhatyoulovepodcast
Save What You Love with Mark Titus:
Produced: Tyler White
Edited: Patrick Troll
Music: Whiskey Class
Instagram: @savewhatyoulovepodcast
Website: savewhatyoulove.evaswild.com
Support wild salmon at evaswild.com
Creators & Guests
Host
Mark Titus
Mark Titus is the creator of Eva’s Wild and director of the award winning films, The Breach and The Wild. He’s currently working on a third film in his salmon trilogy, The Turn. In early 2021, Mark launched his podcast, Save What You Love, interviewing exceptional people devoting their lives in ways big and small to the protection of things they love. Through his storytelling, Mark Titus carries the message that humanity has an inherent need for wilderness and to fulfill that need we have a calling to protect wild places and wild things.
Guest
Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson
Richard (Chalyee Éesh) Peterson is Tlingit from the Kaagwaantaan clan. Chalyee Éesh currently serves as Chair of the Alaska Tribal Unity, and on the Data for Indigenous Justice Advisory, Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation board, United States Forest Service Alaska Tribal Leadership and Tongass Advisory committees, and in various other appointed positions to represent tribal interest on Alaska Native issues.
What is Save What You Love with Mark Titus?
Wild salmon give their very lives so that life itself can continue. They are the inspiration for each episode asking change-makers in this world what they are doing to save the things they love most. Join filmmaker, Mark Titus as we connect with extraordinary humans saving what they love through radical compassion and meaningful action. Visit evaswild.com for more information.
00:00:00:12 - 00:00:29:03
Mark Titus
Welcome to Save What You Love. I'm Mark Titus. Today's conversation is with my friend Richard Petersen, who has served four terms as the president of the Central Council of Plunket and Haida Indians in Southeast Alaska. Richard is Tlingit from the Congo Anton clan, and his traditional name is Jock ish. We met in 2012 in his home village of Kasson out on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska, nestled in the Tongass National Forest.
00:00:29:05 - 00:01:09:15
Mark Titus
Kassan is a frankly magical place that feels like it's been held in time, and it's got profound beauty all around it. It's been the central point of contact and grounding for Richard during his life, and he's gone through a bunch. We talk about it on the program and we talk about the correlating streams of recovery that both Richard and I have gone through and how that has turned into a tremendous source of leadership for him and the work that he's doing, both personally and with the tribes that he represents and also with this incredibly special place in southeast Alaska.
00:01:09:17 - 00:01:28:01
Mark Titus
Hope you enjoy the show today if you get a chance. Give us a rating on Apple Podcasts or write a review in your own words. It helps us get our visibility up and out in the world, and it helps other people be able to listen to this podcast as well. Lastly, on Ava's Wild, today, we are launching a new summer grilling special.
00:01:28:05 - 00:01:49:16
Mark Titus
So if you're into grilling salmon and you want that taken care of for the entire summer, head over to Ava's wildcat. Com. That's safe spelled backwards. Wild dot com And inside you'll find an action kit to help protect Bristol Bay. You'll find both versions of the breach in the Wild and a three month subscription to Wild Bristol Bay sockeye salmon.
00:01:49:18 - 00:02:03:23
Mark Titus
A portion of the proceeds for every one of these kits goes directly back to United Tribes of Bristol Bay, working to protect Bristol Bay permanently right now. Thanks again. Enjoy the show. We'll see you next week.
00:02:04:01 - 00:02:40:08
Music
How do you save what you love?
When the world is burning down?
How do you save what you love?
When pushes come to shove.
How do you say what you love?
When things are upside down.
How do you say what you love?
When times are getting tough.
00:02:40:10 - 00:02:42:23
Mark Titus
Mr. President, welcome.
00:02:43:01 - 00:02:45:05
Richard Peterson
Hey, Mark. How's it going?
00:02:45:07 - 00:03:10:11
Mark Titus
It's good. You know, today as we record this, it's Earth Day. I say in air quotes, this is wildly oversimplified, but it seems to me like every day was and is Earth Day for indigenous folks, not just like one. But here's the rest of the world observing you know, this day in support of our home life system, this planet we're on.
00:03:10:16 - 00:03:12:12
Mark Titus
What do you think of all this?
00:03:12:14 - 00:03:54:15
Richard Peterson
Well, you know, as a president, I think it is hard to, you know, being an indigenous person and living and coming from a small village where, you know, it's really our way of life, great big man. Everything is dependent on the resources, our wildlife, our plant life and weather. So to me, it's pretty awesome that it's finally starting to get recognized at the level is it's also just tragically sad, right, that like here in the United States, in the year 2021, you know, we're finally kind of getting to the point where it's not voodoo or witchcraft.
00:03:54:15 - 00:04:11:00
Richard Peterson
We're talking about when we talk about climate change and all that. And, you know, I know there's still a lot of politics around things, but, you know, we have someone talking about, you know, the Green New Deal on. I feel like we're finally catching up with some of the other countries, you know?
00:04:11:02 - 00:04:42:13
Mark Titus
Yeah. And, you know, I've spent some time, a fair amount of time in Southeast. And I just got to say, your your home is the place. It's closest in my heart. I close closest, and I feel connected to something bigger than myself. And, you know, beyond all the politics, beyond all of the rhetoric and the policy, see, it's just like it just seems like it's the way things should be, you know.
00:04:42:15 - 00:05:03:22
Richard Peterson
Like, yeah, you know, I think sometimes I grew up in a really small village, about 80 people, you know, and when I grew up, we didn't even have road access. It was floatplane or boat. You had to really want to be there. And, you know, for me, I could take off my shoes and put my feet in the same sand.
00:05:04:03 - 00:05:27:00
Richard Peterson
You know, that my ancestors were 10,000 years ago. And that really impacts me when I take the time to stop and think about it and that way of life that, you know, we don't feel like we own the land. We feel like the land owns us. Right. And we have a sacred obligation to protect these resources. And it's really frustrating to see what's happened.
00:05:27:00 - 00:05:53:18
Richard Peterson
I come from Prince of Wales Island and, you know, I'm not necessarily against resource extraction or anything like that, but, you know, I've watched it happen in ways where, you know, my village, you know, we had to be put on boil water notice for over a year because our watershed was decimated because of the logging. You know, they they create buffers, but, you know, they don't stand up to the climate, to the winds.
00:05:53:18 - 00:06:30:21
Richard Peterson
And next thing you know, you have boulders and trees coming down your watershed, you know, So people don't think about those kind of consequences. And yeah, it's really tough to see. And I think of my village growing up there when it was just pristine, you know, to to sit in the Tongass, to walk through the forest. And, you know, the only trees that I saw taken down were by us for use to build our homes or even like a traditional cultural trees.
00:06:30:21 - 00:06:58:03
Richard Peterson
You could find stumps where they had cut them down over 100 years ago to carve a canoe or our totem poles or the long houses. And so now to look at a field of stumps is really tough. You know, you see the impact it has on our salmon streams. You know, when I was a kid, right in the village, you could catch, you know, 60, £70 king salmon all day long.
00:06:58:05 - 00:07:06:04
Richard Peterson
I haven't seen a fish that big in 20 years. You know, it's it hurts to see that.
00:07:06:06 - 00:07:37:08
Mark Titus
Well, we're going to really dive into some of the challenges facing Southeast Alaska and all of us, really. But first, I want to do a little bit of bragging about you because you're an extraordinary man and just going to give our audience here a little idea of who we're dealing with prior to being elected as president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian tribes of Alaska, which is what you're doing now.
00:07:37:10 - 00:08:00:22
Mark Titus
That was in 2014. You're elected to that. Richard served as CEO of Prince of Wales Tribal Enterprise Consortium, also the president of the Organize Village of Cassin. Where you are from and where I visited you, the mayor of the city Council and a city council member for the city of Cassian and a member of the Southeast Island School District Board of Education.
00:08:01:00 - 00:08:33:22
Mark Titus
Right now you represent over 32,000 Tlingit and Haida tribal citizens in Alaska and outside the state. Mr. President, when you you have been doing a lot in your short life here and makes me feel grateful to know you and a little envious and congratulations on everything you've been doing. And I know that the people that I know in the wider world are speak so highly of you.
00:08:33:22 - 00:08:44:22
Mark Titus
And it's really something to to see your achievements and in your your community thrive due to your leadership. So congratulations.
00:08:45:00 - 00:09:09:14
Richard Peterson
Well, I'm going to shower for that kind of embarrassed. You know, I just blessed to grow up where I have to have the foundation of my culture. I think that really makes me up. You know, I've been really, really blessed to be in a position to do what I'm doing and to serve our people. I look at it as a service.
00:09:09:15 - 00:09:43:02
Richard Peterson
You know, I consider myself a service leader. You know, I know I'm not the boss. Those 33, 33,000 tribal citizens are who I answer to, you know, And we're just trying to make sure that we have every opportunity to make sure that our citizens can be the best versions of themselves. And so we utilize our tribal status and the tools given to us to, you know, make sure we can do that, to make sure that we're advocating, to make sure that we're providing opportunity.
00:09:43:04 - 00:10:08:18
Richard Peterson
And then, you know, looking at our resources, our lands and waters, the animals, and making sure that we're doing what we can to advocate for those. And I take that as a really sacred response. And really, I know you're going to hear me say blessed a lot. I really feel blessed. You know, not no perfect person by any means has made my fair share of mistakes.
00:10:08:18 - 00:10:32:00
Richard Peterson
But, you know, every time, you know, I've dealt with everything you can take of in my life from, you know, coming from, you know, dealing with historical trauma, dealing with some of the things that folks just shouldn't have to and then go into. Even my own addiction. And, you know, and that's something I open we talk about 17 years clean.
00:10:32:00 - 00:10:54:07
Richard Peterson
And that's important to me because it was my culture that got me through. It was my culture that lifted me up. And I think that's, you know, we live by our cultural values and we are one of those cultural values is lift each other up. And I'm here today because so many have just lifted me up sometimes when I felt like nobody should even acknowledge me, let alone lift me.
00:10:54:09 - 00:11:03:15
Richard Peterson
They did. And so I feel a really sacred obligation to continue doing that and to pay it back and paying forward.
00:11:03:17 - 00:11:29:03
Mark Titus
And I can say for one, as a beneficiary of this, that you are and congratulations on 17 years. That's that's a miracle. That's wonderful. I'll be celebrating for one day at a time here next month. And I have exactly the same reflection that it is just absolutely upon being blessed with grace and with a community that loved me when I couldn't love myself.
00:11:29:03 - 00:12:09:21
Mark Titus
So I am hearing you all day on that. I want to also go further and beyond the public leadership and the public figure that you are. Here's how I know you. This is the first time we got to me, and this was in 2012 and was in Alaska filming for the Breach, my first documentary, and you generously invited me and my two teammates to come to the village of Kazan and film to an interview and to also check out the Whale House and the incredible cultural center that is there.
00:12:09:23 - 00:12:35:15
Mark Titus
And we got down, totally miscalculated on the map how far it was from Craig on Prince of Wales Island to get to Kazan and what kind of a road it was. So we got there at just before dusk and this is summertime. So been driving and working all day and finally got some images out at the gorgeous whale house, which I'm going to let you explain in a minute.
00:12:35:17 - 00:12:58:14
Mark Titus
But we're starving. And I remember coming back to the village and I asked, you know, I asked you on the phone if there was a restaurant and you just you laughed at me. And then we came to your house and we were going to set up to do an interview with you and we're all beat and we're all exhausted.
00:12:58:14 - 00:13:31:05
Mark Titus
And I came around the corner in the kitchen, and there you were. And you. You were preparing this meal for us with smoked salmon and mayo and pilot bread. And it was such a simple thing and it was such a beautiful, generous thing. And it's the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. I was so hungry and I was so grateful for that act of generosity and kindness and hospitality that you showed me and my crew.
00:13:31:07 - 00:13:57:18
Mark Titus
And I'll never forget that. That that's who I got to meet first as the president of the Lincoln and Haida people and the it's something I want to pass and pay forward as well. That that's just such a generous thing that you did. And I will never forget that till the day I die. But this is this place that you come from, Kazan on Prince of Wales Island.
00:13:57:18 - 00:14:12:22
Mark Titus
It's a very special place. And the whale house that I mentioned, can you can you talk to us a little bit about what it was like growing up there and why it's so special and what what somebody would see if they were to walk into that very special place?
00:14:13:00 - 00:14:40:18
Richard Peterson
Yeah, it's kind of like when you walk out the trail to the whale house. It's kind of like going through time and, you know, it sounds like I'm romanticizing it, but I think I actually do it no justice. You know, you walk through this wooded trail and and you said amongst these, you know, hemlock and spruce and cedars, you start seeing these figures start to kind of pop out and kind of almost transforming.
00:14:40:18 - 00:15:06:18
Richard Peterson
Right. And all of a sudden, you realize you're seeing totem poles amongst the the timber. And then you come around the corner and there's this giant house and it's completely traditional. There isn't a single modern convenience about it, right? There's no nails in it. It's it's literally built it was built in the 1800s. It was restored several times just a couple of years ago.
00:15:06:18 - 00:15:43:19
Richard Peterson
I think I want to say 2017, The Village celebrated its most recent restoration station and a crew of local Haida men and a few ladies jumped in, really restored that folk service, and Armie Hammer, Eric Hammer, Harley Bell Holder, these young these guys came together and they did it old school and they packed those lumber is up the beach, I mean, huge timbers to knock two by fours or four by fours.
00:15:43:21 - 00:16:15:22
Richard Peterson
I'm talking like 20 by, you know, huge timbers. Packed them up on their backs and put them back in their place, carved hand-carved. They're all adds to which people know adds is a traditional tool of civic northwest carving tool kind of looks like an elbow with a blade and and they adds every single piece of that. And you know it's originally the chief's son in that home and who is one of the last chiefs and Kishan.
00:16:15:22 - 00:16:48:14
Richard Peterson
And so it's pretty spectacular. It's kind of like this magic place in the middle of nowhere. And, you know, Kishan is one of two hydro villages in Alaska come in from Haida Gray and B.C. And so it's a pretty special place. It's the oldest village, you know, Haida village in Alaska and has just this amazing history. And I think if you're fortunate enough, if you really extend the place you want to have to be right.
00:16:48:14 - 00:17:20:19
Richard Peterson
You said it in your intro, you miscalculate how long it is to get there. It's a track, you know, and nowadays you can drive, but, you know, it's either a boat or airplane from Ketchikan or you can drive to the rest of Prince of Wales. But it's a pretty magical place. I think. I really grew up very special, blessed to be there, to kind of run wild and free and not have to worry about anything, any of the scary stuff that happened outside.
00:17:20:19 - 00:17:35:19
Richard Peterson
You know, you could just run wild. And I got to grow up in that long house. I got to play in it and camped. And it it's probably one of the most special places in my life to this day.
00:17:35:20 - 00:17:52:13
Mark Titus
I, I can't imagine, honestly, I've only spent a little time there and it's there's a few places you go to in your life and you know, you're in the presence of something very special and.
00:17:52:15 - 00:17:53:17
Richard Peterson
So.
00:17:53:19 - 00:18:25:08
Mark Titus
Bigger than ourselves. And it's a place of reverence and something mystical beyond my comprehension. We have we're going to put some pictures up in our Instagram feed about what this looks like, and they won't even do it justice. But I'd love to hear from you, too, about what your story is, what it was like growing up a little bit more, and and how you found your path to leadership that you are in.
00:18:25:09 - 00:18:38:23
Mark Titus
I know it didn't come easily and it rarely does. Could you give us a little bit of a more in-depth view of what what it's been like to have to find your way into this role of leadership?
00:18:39:00 - 00:19:01:08
Richard Peterson
Sure. In this day and age of talking about things like racial inequities and things, you know, you hear the word privilege a lot, and it's usually not one that we're used in on ourselves. But I feel like I grew up privileged. I was privileged to grow up in a traditional place as an indigenous person and feel that connection and always know who I am.
00:19:01:10 - 00:19:31:12
Richard Peterson
So many people don't know who they are beyond, you know, right now. And even then, you know, a lot of people deal with stuff because they're disconnected. And I was really blessed, you know, to grow up. There have so many opportunities. You know, when I was a kid, we used to run around in 16 foot skiffs. And, you know, I mean, I was nine, ten years old and running around in a skiff and having adventures, camping, hunting, fishing.
00:19:31:14 - 00:19:51:21
Richard Peterson
And you know, I think now of my nieces and nephews, I see they're that age. It's like, my God, I never let them run around for themselves, you know, do these things. But, you know, it wasn't without its hardships. My parents worked really hard to provide, you know, and they just had to make a lot of sacrifices to provide and work.
00:19:51:21 - 00:20:20:19
Richard Peterson
And my dad had to travel because there's a lot of work. So he you know, he went and built roads, logging roads of all things. And, you know, and then our school I grew up in a11 room schoolhouse, K-12. Right. And my parents had decided at a certain point they wanted more opportunity for me. So I went off to Mount Edgecumbe and Sitka, which is a boarding school and traditionally been a native only boarding school.
00:20:20:19 - 00:20:44:06
Richard Peterson
But, you know, back in the eighties the state took it over. So it was open, but it was still predominantly, even to this day, majority native from villages all across Alaska. So I also feel blessed there because I really got to meet a lot of different people, people that, you know, 30 years later are still some of my best friends in life and their leaders in their villages.
00:20:44:06 - 00:21:05:07
Richard Peterson
And I think that's kind of what set it up for me. And that's not anything I ever wanted. In fact, I thought I wanted to move to the Lower 48. And, you know, I was supposed to go to Harvard and, you know, my path deviated and I didn't end up going. But, you know, I think that set a lot of foundation for me.
00:21:05:07 - 00:21:31:22
Richard Peterson
And then just growing up in a small village, you know, my mom was on every board. You know, she our our Indian health board, she was on there for over 25 years. So, you know, I grew up with that sense of responsibility. I think of, you know, you have to give to your community. So that happened. But I had taken a breather and moved home and, you know, it was pretty wild.
00:21:31:22 - 00:21:57:11
Richard Peterson
My best friend's dad was the mayor and he died. And I'm sitting there and like, you're talking about who's going to replace him? And someone says he will. And I kind of look behind me like, Who is that and how is against the wall, you know? So I kind of got thrust in there and I was like the youngest mayor in state history for over 20 years.
00:21:57:13 - 00:22:15:23
Richard Peterson
So, yeah, you know, I just got kind of thrust into the service and there is always this will, I'm going to leave and I'm going to go back to school, I'm going to do the season and just kind of I kept kind of getting more and more involved. And at a certain point in my life, I realized I had been put on the path I was meant to be on.
00:22:16:04 - 00:22:42:04
Richard Peterson
You know, I thought I wanted other things in life and wanted to live in the Lower 48 and this and that, and realized I can't stand to be away from the ocean. I don't want to be anywhere where there's not trees all around me. That's where I feel comfort at home. And so I just kept doing that. And, you know, for some reason I could never say no to anything either.
00:22:42:04 - 00:23:12:11
Richard Peterson
So as I was kind of serving, you know, mayor, tribal president in the village, you know, hey, we need somebody on the school board. Okay, I'll do that. And then, hey, you should be the president of school. Okay, I'll do that. And. And then we got our tribe had an opportunity. We got into government contracting, and I really cut my teeth on that and learned about government contracting and and bringing money back to our tribe and supporting and having some economic sovereignty.
00:23:12:13 - 00:23:33:00
Richard Peterson
You know, because one thing you'll hear me talk about is we're only as sovereign as we can afford to be. You know, unfortunately, that's just the reality and especially as we have to defend our resources. You know, I think the tribes that are, you know, in Bristol Bay that have to deal with fighting Pebble, which every time we think that's a dead beast, they just keep coming back.
00:23:33:00 - 00:23:54:06
Richard Peterson
Right. And it takes so much money. It's really sad that it takes money, you know, to fend off and to protect our resources, our ancestral homeland. And it's really all about money. So I kind of got the mindset, okay, well, we'll make our own money and do our own things. And that kind of drove me for a long time.
00:23:54:06 - 00:24:19:12
Richard Peterson
And then back in 2000 and became a delegate to Haida, which was our regional tribe. And gosh, about I guess 17 years ago now, I ran for vice president just kind of wanting that experience to see what it was like. I didn't think I was going to get on and then I did. And then I served for about ten years as a as a vice president with our tribal council.
00:24:19:12 - 00:24:41:18
Richard Peterson
The good height is made up of six vice presidents and then our president and our president had announced he was going to retire. And and we were kind of like, gosh, who's going to do this? You know, And and I honestly, it's not something I sought out. And some people say you need to do it. And I was like, no, I did not do this.
00:24:41:20 - 00:25:12:04
Richard Peterson
And I decided, okay, one of the things that we talk about in our culture is when you're asked to stand up, you stand up. And so I did. And again, really kind of surprised that I became President Clinton Haida back in 2014. And and now I think I'm in my fourth term every two years. And it's been the hardest the toughest thing I've ever done.
00:25:12:04 - 00:25:36:22
Richard Peterson
But the most rewarding and fulfilling. And I feel like we're I was really left a legacy to work from. You know, I didn't have to rebuild. Our tribe wasn't in trouble, but it gave me a lot of freedom to kind of start doing new things and taking the philosophy of economic sovereignty, you know, and my mantras I keep preaching, if you hear me speak, is healthy.
00:25:36:22 - 00:25:58:17
Richard Peterson
Try to make healthy communities, you know, and I think that's really important. It's not an us versus them. Our sovereignty doesn't threaten anybody else's. We can all happily coexist and we should and we should all thrive together. And so that's been my mantra. And, you know, we have nearly 33,000 citizens across the world, a majority no longer even in Alaska.
00:25:58:17 - 00:26:26:07
Richard Peterson
And so it's like, how do we how do they feel connected to us? How do we serve them? And so now one of my new mantras is we need to meet them where they're at. And so just recently we opened an office in Seattle. We have an Indian child welfare attorney there and some caseworkers we just are signing on a property in Anchorage and we're going to open an office in Anchorage and by next year we're going have an office in California.
00:26:26:09 - 00:26:53:13
Richard Peterson
And those and those are large population centers for us, which sounds really strange to people. You know, a southeast Alaska tribe back in the day, they had the I had these relocation programs and they'd move our people, you know, for they'd kind of dangle the carrot of education and jobs and say, you need to move away. It was really their way to get rid of us and assimilate us and get us out of their way so they can access the resources.
00:26:53:17 - 00:27:14:17
Richard Peterson
But, you know, but be that as it may, a lot of our folks are living across the world. And, you know, one of our tribal citizens is the mayor of San Diego, another one of our tribal citizens, Deborah elect, now is in the Washington state legislature. You know, we have really high performing folks and and how do we connect to them?
00:27:14:17 - 00:27:43:13
Richard Peterson
How do we bring them back? You know, and I think we've gone through this pandemic, and one of my commitments is being stronger on the other side of it than when we went in. And I think technology is allowing us that. You know, we've been doing things through Zoom and connecting, and I think we're going to start doing a lot of our classes through our vocational center and our cultural classes and all those things we'll start being able to do through technology and reach our people where they're at.
00:27:43:15 - 00:28:13:01
Mark Titus
I'm so inspired by everything you just talked about. It really is inspired work as an indigenous leader. What and you've been in this for a little while now for terms that's that's incredible. What are the the three biggest challenges, two or three biggest challenges to your people as you see them navigating a post-COVID world, as you just said, What are you prioritizing right now?
00:28:13:03 - 00:28:46:03
Richard Peterson
You know, I think one of the biggest obstacles, honestly, is ourselves and just how we see serving our people. And we've had this mindset of this is how it's always been. So that's how it should always be. And so we really need to change how we're doing that. And that's, again, that meeting our citizens where they're at. But I think access is huge, you know, and I live in southeast Alaska and I live in Juneau, which to me is a big city, 33,000 people, 32,000 somewhere around there.
00:28:46:05 - 00:29:11:09
Richard Peterson
You know, I come from a village of 80. So this is a metropolitan to me. But but, you know, the Alaskan Marine Highway, which I'm sure you're very familiar with, has really been sacrificed to politics. And, you know, last year we saw communities that have no access other than the marine highway, basically, or floatplane or real plane and just denied access.
00:29:11:09 - 00:29:35:00
Richard Peterson
The only way to get a car into your community is this ferry system for some people with medical conditions, can't get out for appointments without the ferry system. And and they went over a month without service. So access both physical transportation but then also, you know, we're living in a digital age and we don't want to be left behind.
00:29:35:00 - 00:30:03:09
Richard Peterson
You know, we're trying to catch up to the digital age and make sure that we're bringing high speed Internet to our communities so our our kids are given I read occasional opportunity telemedicine, but, you know, we have a lot of amazing artists, as you well know. And, you know, for some of them who are able to figure out how to market themselves and market their art, the Internet's a very valuable and exciting tool.
00:30:03:11 - 00:30:23:13
Richard Peterson
And if you would have asked me, Hey, I want to work for Pinkerton Hydro two years ago, but I don't want to leave my village or I want to live. You know, I live in Utah, You know, whatever. I'm making that up. I would have said no, sorry. But now we have over 300 employees and we send everybody home to work from home.
00:30:23:15 - 00:30:46:19
Richard Peterson
And that was a real challenge. So now we've learned we can do it. And so why not create jobs and opportunities for our citizens wherever they are, if they have Internet? And, you know, we've seen the outmigration in our villages and it's been devastating. We've seen really vibrant rich communities, you know, starting to suffer because folks are having to feel like they move.
00:30:46:22 - 00:31:10:19
Richard Peterson
They feel like they have to move away for jobs, education, whatever opportunities they think they're not getting. And I think we can turn the tide on that if we start creating, you know, and hiring in our villages, you know, and you give somebody, you know, a solid $60,000 an hour a year job. Well, in Juneau or Seattle, that might be a low wage in the village.
00:31:10:19 - 00:31:43:02
Richard Peterson
That can be a huge wage and it could turn the tide and keeping families and keeping kids in for school. You know, I think so access And that is a challenge. And then, you know, the probably the third is just kind of like government advocacy, right? We're at the whim of our politics and government to, you know, we get people who are elected and there there's a sacred promise and trust made by the federal government to tribes that some people don't understand that or they think that debt should be paid.
00:31:43:04 - 00:32:11:14
Richard Peterson
And, you know, so we're constantly having to educate and advocate and we're at the whim of the politicians. And so for me, you know, a lot of it is ignorance and some racism, but mostly ignorance. It's what people don't know. So my job is to educate people to the to that sacred promise to who we are, to, you know, why does Alaska need so much money for infrastructure?
00:32:11:16 - 00:32:37:14
Richard Peterson
Well, when you have to when it costs, you know, $11 for a gallon of milk, you know, just because of transportation costs and remoteness and things, you know, But it's my job to educate people even here in Juneau. You know, I've had elected leaders tell me, well, Richard Juneau wasn't even a native community. And I'm like, well, gosh, that's funny, because this building is on top of our village site.
00:32:37:16 - 00:32:58:09
Richard Peterson
And if you walk in the hallways of this building, there's pictures of those. Okay, So, you know, we've been here for 10,000 years and we have people who move here, you know, two years ago and want to have that Alaskan experience and, you know, want to change everything. And so we're going to educate people. And so I used to frustrate me, used to make me angry.
00:32:58:09 - 00:33:20:22
Richard Peterson
But now I take it as opportunities. You know, even Mark, what you're giving me today is a platform to just tell our story and who we are. And hopefully somebody hears it goes, I'm trying to know more about that. I'd like to visit kissing and I'd like to go there and and maybe I'll buy some artwork or now we do have a restaurant there and maybe they'll support that restaurant and help keep some people in.
00:33:20:22 - 00:33:43:04
Richard Peterson
There's village, right? Or maybe, you know, they see some laws being talked about and they might call their congressman or their senator and say, you know what, I really believe that Indian child welfare is an important law and we need to keep it. Hey, we believe Native Americans should be included in the Violence Against Women Act. You know, things like that.
00:33:43:04 - 00:33:48:13
Richard Peterson
You know, we got to take the opportunity to educate people.
00:33:48:15 - 00:34:21:11
Mark Titus
I am just blown away at the vision that you are painting here. And I'm hearing that accessibility is a huge thing. I honestly can't even imagine trying to figure this this out, untying this not about preserving cultural heritage and keeping people in these very sacred places like in where folks want to be, but also dealing with the reality of a commerce based economy.
00:34:21:11 - 00:34:58:04
Mark Titus
Now, how are how are you what are some other examples of you finding ways to square up? What was a gift culture for millennia and then all of a sudden took a crash dive right into a capitalist society, you know, less than 200 years ago. What are some of the other things that you're thinking about to address these challenges of maintaining this distinct and beautiful and vibrant cultural heritage, but also addressing the reality of this financial serenity?
00:34:58:06 - 00:35:31:07
Richard Peterson
You know, I'm really glad you brought that out because, you know, oftentimes our culture gets so romanticized, you know, And people ask me, well, why economic development? That's that's not very cultural, that's not tribal. And I'm like, Are you kidding me? My people invented commerce doing don't get it mistaken, right? Because we would literally go to war with each other over trade routes and access and ability to trade and to harvest and to make sure that areas weren't over harvested.
00:35:31:09 - 00:35:58:02
Richard Peterson
So we we invented commerce. You know, I come from Clark Kent how the people who we navigated the Pacific Ocean, we were going to places like Hawaii and New Zealand and Asia. Thousands of years ago. We were trading up and down the coast to what is now Mexico, you know. So we had a vibrant system of trade and barter commerce.
00:35:58:04 - 00:36:21:23
Richard Peterson
And so to me, I think it's a makes make no mistake about it, we should be in it today. You know, we should be leaders. You know, this there's this weird idea of like, if you're so worried about your culture and you really want this and that, then give up your outboards and modern technology and go back to canoes and and I'm like, That is such an ignorant statement.
00:36:21:23 - 00:36:40:10
Richard Peterson
Please. We're we're vibrant and thriving now, you know, don't you? I don't let others talk about us in the past tense. And I sure as heck don't like it when we talk about ourselves in the past tense. I get asked, Well, how would your people deal with this? And I'm like, Well, this is how we are dealing with this, you know?
00:36:40:12 - 00:37:08:13
Richard Peterson
And it's kind of funny how people really want to talk about us in the past tense, Like we're we're romanticize you. And I think they've watched The Last of the Mohicans one too many times and realize that, you know, our tribes are across the nation, are vibrant and thriving today. And, you know, I think one of the things that we struggle with is that cultural revitalization where our languages are endangered and without our languages, who are we?
00:37:08:15 - 00:37:30:13
Richard Peterson
And I struggle with that. I'm native speaker and, you know, I'm in a position of leadership and, you know, I think, you know, I should be a speaker, but I also know it's not my fault that I wasn't the speaker that was taken from us. You know, literally beaten out of respect from through church groups, through school groups.
00:37:30:15 - 00:37:55:15
Richard Peterson
You know, a few years ago, at the last confederation of NATO's, which is a huge gathering of all the natives in Alaska, pretty much, you know, the Presbyterian Church got up and apologized for their role in extinguishing our traditional languages. And, you know, you can get up and say you're sorry to me. That to me, you know, show me your sorry, what is the Presbyterian Church done to fix it?
00:37:55:17 - 00:38:18:19
Richard Peterson
You know, I'm the president of largest tribe in Alaska. They haven't reached out to me. They said, you know what? We were a part of this atrocity. We apologize for it. But how can we help normalize your languages in the school system today? How can we help make sure that teachers are readily speaking and available? How do we make sure your people are accredited as teachers?
00:38:18:21 - 00:38:44:03
Richard Peterson
What are they doing about it? Because apologies are meaningless if your actions don't speak to it right. And I hope I don't offend anybody and I'm sorry if I do, but you know what? I'm offended that out of 33,000 crickets and haters, there's less than probably 100 fluent speakers live. There's about six or seven fluent Haida speakers left in the United States.
00:38:44:05 - 00:38:59:23
Richard Peterson
Hey, I'm offended. So step off here. Come to me. Tell me or your friend. Hey, look, I'm a product of being offended. You can see that one gets my blood up a little bit.
00:39:00:01 - 00:39:20:02
Mark Titus
Okay? Absolutely. And with good reason. And these are these are turbulent waters. And I think we are in a time of of change. And I spoke to Kali, Neko Hockey, who's running for Seattle City mayor here.
00:39:20:04 - 00:39:21:19
Richard Peterson
My beloved friend.
00:39:21:21 - 00:39:49:05
Mark Titus
Yeah. And, you know, and I asked her about allyship and what does that mean? And she, she kind of cut me off and said, Hey, you know what? There's, there's, there's being an ally, but that's okay. But what we really need are coconspirators. We need people to and this is this is speaking to what you just said, Richard, about taking action, saying words are fine, saying you're sorry is fine.
00:39:49:05 - 00:40:25:15
Mark Titus
But in the recovery world, we make amends. We we must make amends for the things that the people we have injured, the things we have done to harm ourselves or others. And in your mind, speaking to a larger audience, how can we be coconspirators? How can we live in a meaningful, intentional way that honors the past, but more importantly, is paving the road to Confluence in the now and in the future?
00:40:25:17 - 00:40:48:14
Richard Peterson
You know, I think as a coconspirator, you stand up and you're demanding the same things and you demand action. If you're an elected official, you listen and you respond. You know, look, I live in Alaska where the state of Alaska, there's a bill, House Bill 123 that's in the House right now, too, for the state to actually recognize there's tribes here.
00:40:48:16 - 00:41:14:18
Richard Peterson
We have 229 tribes in Alaska. That's nearly half of the tribes in the nation are right here. Right. And our own state don't recognize us. And then, you know, we have I think it's 21, 22 traditional languages, indigenous languages, you know, like seven years ago, they just recognized that these languages exist here and that they they matter. But again, what are they doing about it?
00:41:14:18 - 00:41:48:01
Richard Peterson
Great. You recognize we are here. While they still don't recognize we're here, they recognize our languages. To graduate high school, you have to take a foreign language. Why not say as a prerequisite to graduation here required classes one of your indigenous languages, you know. And can you imagine the transformation, the paradigm shift that would make? What would happen is that schools would be required to provide teachers, to provide teachers.
00:41:48:01 - 00:42:13:08
Richard Peterson
I mean, they'd have to pay language folks to teach. That could save the languages right there. You know, and it's simple things. It's like one one credit requirement could change everything. You know, Clinton had it right now we have it immersion like preschool. And it's pretty crazy and fantastic. We had three and four year olds and they're speaking Klingon.
00:42:13:10 - 00:42:35:00
Richard Peterson
And, you know, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and heard in Heidelberg. We have same thing happened with the hydro language. And, you know, it's taken people to stepping up and saying, look, you can help this or not, but we're doing it. And these these teachers are giving up their lives to teach, to make sure their language lives.
00:42:35:02 - 00:43:02:08
Richard Peterson
And so as coconspirators, men step up, contribute You know, one of the beautiful things we're seeing here in southeast, there are a lot of non-Native people starting to take the languages to the university, other things. And and that keeps those available to the university system, right? Because unfortunately, it's how are you going to pay to play? And they offer the classes to pay the teachers they need to make money.
00:43:02:08 - 00:43:28:03
Richard Peterson
And so when a non-native coconspirator signs up and takes that class, I think that's a pretty bold statement of support and allyship. And, you know, those are the kind of things we need. But, you know, hey, if I go to the Presbyterian Church, I'd start demanding. All right. You apologize for your role in this. How about we step up and start contributing to it?
00:43:28:05 - 00:43:56:21
Richard Peterson
You know, I think that's something that could happen. And I think, you know, just started building bridges with each other, communicating. I think, is key to everything. You know, it's amazing calling the world away. But I'm a huge supporter and fan of what she's doing. You know, her man. There's something about those echo honks because everywhere you look, there's one of them doing just like epic things on every level.
00:43:56:21 - 00:44:29:19
Richard Peterson
It's pretty wild. I'm a huge fan of Abigail Clark calling sister. He's, you know, doing some really heart wrenching and necessary work on, you know, statistics on murder and missing indigenous women and people. Right. You know, I went to a presentation in Seattle a couple of years ago, and Abigail was presenting. I had no clue. And it almost knocked me over to find out when Native American in Washington State goes missing or is murdered.
00:44:29:21 - 00:44:55:04
Richard Peterson
They can be classified as Latino or African American. They don't even care enough about us to classify us as whatever tribe we are, let alone Native American, Alaska, Native. And so it's really hard to show statistics to back up the work. And and so Abigail has been that force of change. You know, Colleen is making such a difference for our homeless population.
00:44:55:04 - 00:45:22:22
Richard Peterson
So it's unfortunate Allie is a huge segment of Seattle. Right. And, you know, when I work with those ladies so, you know, Alaska Natives make up the largest segment of their populations there. Serving in Seattle is crazy to me. Right. And then when you even drill down further over the Alaska Natives, the largest population is Clinton Heights. So that's how I've gotten to know those ladies.
00:45:22:22 - 00:45:44:06
Richard Peterson
And they're also they grew up in Alaska. So we have those ties and but they're doing tremendous work and we need to be a part of that. And again, that's meeting our citizens where they're at. What can we do to support the work of the Seattle Indian Health Board and what can we do the workers to support Colleen's efforts at Seattle Club.
00:45:44:08 - 00:45:53:07
Richard Peterson
And right now, it's certainly not enough. But I hope eventually we're going to be really strong partners with their work.
00:45:53:09 - 00:46:28:23
Mark Titus
Well, look, I'm so enthusiastic about all of these ideas, meeting people where they are seeing each other, making inroads into one another, finding a seat at the table. I'm inspired with this network. You may have heard of Salmon Nation. We're just a group of people trying to do these these things. And what I'm struck with when listening to you is you're up in Juneau, you're up in this gorgeous little archipelago in southeast Alaska.
00:46:29:01 - 00:46:51:13
Mark Titus
I'm down here in Seattle and traditional Duwamish territory. We share salmon, we share trees, we share mountains. We we share this this water that connects us all. Do you feel like we're emerging into a time in this bioregion that we're in where we're going to be able to learn from each other and replicate things like you were mentioning?
00:46:51:13 - 00:47:09:02
Mark Titus
Chief Seattle Club, that Colleen is the executive director of. I feel like we're in a time where we can where we can grow and we can grow as a bioregion, not just in these more defined and micro boxes that we've created. Are you seeing that opportunity as well from where you sit.
00:47:09:04 - 00:47:32:06
Richard Peterson
Brother, you're singing from the same sheet of music as me. You know, I think if we're going to be the change that we need to see, we've got to take down these silos that we're put in, right? We've got to start working together. And, you know, I talked about our history. You know, we travel up and down the coast to Mexico.
00:47:32:08 - 00:47:58:14
Richard Peterson
We should maintain that today. We you know, these borders, these invisible lines that have been drawn are the silos that separate us. And we got to remove those. And, you know, I think technology is something that's going to do that. We're having this conversation now. And now people, you know, I'm kind of intimidated a little bit because I know and people are going to listen to this and you think, wow, this guy's a real loon or wow, I can believe what he said and this is awesome.
00:47:58:16 - 00:48:17:09
Richard Peterson
But, you know, people are going to hear it and start knowing. And we we've got to work together. We got to hold each other up, you know, and we've got to build those networks and we've got to stand on those. You know, we work really closely with salmon down borders. We work with a lot of these other groups.
00:48:17:09 - 00:48:44:23
Richard Peterson
Chris. We're really concerned about the transboundary mines that are happening in Canada that, you know, bleed right out into our waters. And we know some of them have been already contaminated. You know, they've been mined and they're leaching contamination into our systems. Now that impacts our salmon runs. And look, I'm more concerned as a quiet man, that salmon be here forever.
00:48:44:23 - 00:49:19:19
Richard Peterson
Right? But there's so many other people who depend on salmon economies and fisherman restaurants, and we should all be in this together. And I think that's kind of the message you're starting to hear. But, you know, I have a sacred obligation that I have to step up and protect these resources and be that voice. But if I don't have these, as colleagues says coconspirators, like, you know, my friends Joe White and and Chris Zimmerman and some of these other folks, then we're not going to be successful.
00:49:20:01 - 00:49:43:08
Richard Peterson
We we've got to reach across. We've got to educate, we've got to communicate, we've got to work together. And I think we can and I think we will. And we're seeing more and more of it. And it's really exciting. And I'm starting to realize, you know, as big as the world seems, how small it really is, you know, it's funny how you and I met, you know, gosh, probably more years ago.
00:49:43:10 - 00:50:02:13
Richard Peterson
And we've got a lot of the same friends, right? And we've got people that we run in the same circles. And how do we take advantage of that? How do we build on that? I think that's a platform in itself. And, you know, everything is about relationships and how we treat each other, how we hold each other up, the respect we show.
00:50:02:15 - 00:50:26:07
Richard Peterson
That's how we're going to get things accomplished and we're going to get through to these elected officials. You know, Clinton is really divided by these borders, right? So we represent Connecticut and Haida and the Haida are in British Columbia and they're in the Yukon and we're divided. You know, these lines didn't exist for us and now they do.
00:50:26:08 - 00:50:49:11
Richard Peterson
And we're trying to build relationships. We've taken trips to Haida Gwaii because we need the support if we're going to make a difference in this trans boundary. The Canadian government doesn't have any reason to listen to us, but they do have every reason to listen to our brothers and sisters in B.C. as they do our brothers and sisters in the Yukon.
00:50:49:12 - 00:51:07:05
Richard Peterson
And so, you know, literally right before the pandemic, we're supposed to take a big trip into the Yukon to visit our friends there. And I'm fortunate, didn't happen. But as soon as we can, we're going to. But we we've got to build these bridges and take down the silos.
00:51:07:07 - 00:51:14:14
Mark Titus
We had a big week here in the United States of America. There was a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
00:51:14:16 - 00:51:17:14
Richard Peterson
Yeah.
00:51:17:16 - 00:51:54:20
Mark Titus
And incredibly powerful. Do you feel like we're at a turning point for bipoc people in this country? We've had some false starts. We've had some moments of crisis that have been followed by more of the same I, for one, and I know many other people and I know it's talked about in the mainstream now feel that Indigenous leadership is critical to navigating out of this disconnection with the Earth and back into balance things.
00:51:54:22 - 00:51:57:15
Mark Titus
Do you agree with that? And and if so, why?
00:51:57:17 - 00:52:25:13
Richard Peterson
I totally agree with that. But I do I think this may be controversial, but I think I disagree that we're at a turning point. I don't I don't think we're there yet. You know, I think that I watched the news. I was so relieved to see the verdict, but I kept seeing people comment about justice being served. And, gosh, I think it might have been calling a clerk who said, you know, Justice had been served, this would have never happened.
00:52:25:15 - 00:52:47:02
Richard Peterson
And that resonates with me big time. Right. And I think I don't mean this in some pessimistic way, but think the work is still ahead of us. Do you know how often I have to argue with my own people about Black Lives Matter? And they were like, All lives matter and you're just furthering the divide. And I'm like, No, I should matter.
00:52:47:04 - 00:53:10:08
Richard Peterson
But until you can say Black lives Matter without getting a visceral, angry response, then it just proves the point that they don't, you know, And we're we're so quick to divide and condemn and fight rather than stand up for each other to say, you know, if you really believe our lives matter, then stand up for them. You know?
00:53:10:08 - 00:53:32:14
Richard Peterson
And I think that's what's necessary. I think we have to stand up for each other. And look, I think all lives matter. Of course, it ends right. But I think as a social movement, you can't say all lives matter until you can say things like Black Lives Matter or, you know, look, we're happy with our Asian community right now.
00:53:32:16 - 00:53:59:17
Richard Peterson
And I mean, it's ridiculous over these are people born in America, whether they're or not shouldn't matter. Maybe they just moved here. I don't care. They're a human being. I know to be clean. It literally means to be a human being. Everybody should be treated with love and respect. Everybody deserves that. And, you know, we're getting into these social arguments over what kind of man George Floyd was.
00:53:59:19 - 00:54:30:23
Richard Peterson
I don't care what kind of man he was. I care that he was a man. I don't care if he was intoxicated. I don't care if he was resisting arrest. He was in custody. The video shows it. These are trained officers and I wouldn't want their job. Don't get me wrong. I mean, you know, they're putting in possible situations where sometimes they're the wrong people, put an impossible situation that do heinous things and make it worse.
00:54:31:01 - 00:55:02:00
Richard Peterson
And that needs to be called out. That needs to be dealt with. And, you know, the idea that you can say that justice has been served really kind of rankles me. Is it light something in me that's really upsetting to me? Like it kind of disrupts my kind of Zen for I'm just like, you know what? No person should feel persecuted because of their color, their skin, or who they are.
00:55:02:00 - 00:55:31:10
Richard Peterson
And there's such ignorance out there. I mean, you know, I'm very pale skin. I've had people look to. Right to be a tribal leader here. Like, come on, we're supposed to be in the year 2021. And it feels like we're still like in the 1960s. And, you know, my grandparents, my parents grew up when they were still signs that said no dogs, no Indians in Ketchikan where they grew up.
00:55:31:10 - 00:56:00:01
Richard Peterson
Wow. You know, their their parents really lived it and dealt with it. So, you know, when people make those comments, it's really disturbing. But I also know racism is born of ignorance because nobody's born racist. And I think that we've got to lead with love. We have to forgive. You know, we talk about recovery. A big part of recovery is forgiveness.
00:56:00:01 - 00:56:25:13
Richard Peterson
Right. And oftentimes forgiving ourselves is the hardest part. But, you know, we've got to forgive and we've got to believe that somebody can have ignorant ideals. But it's because they don't know. They don't have that education. And we've got to educate them. And I think that if we don't, it's not going to change. And I think you've got to call call out when you see it.
00:56:25:15 - 00:56:58:10
Richard Peterson
But I think be hard on the issue, not the person on one of the most precious people I know. Cheryl Fairbanks is really authority and and tribal courts and healing. And she always says be hard on the issue, not the person. And that's that's slowly becoming a mantra of my own. If you follow me on social media, you'll probably hear that or you'll see that I've been doing cold water dips, and that's part of my healing, right?
00:56:58:12 - 00:57:14:10
Richard Peterson
And I go in with intent and I carry these issues in that are weighing me down. And one of the things that I keep telling myself is be hard on the issue, not the person. And so I'm trying to carry Sheryl's mantra into my heart.
00:57:14:12 - 00:57:41:03
Mark Titus
I am so glad you said that, because we're right in the same wave here. I was just going to turn the conversation a little bit into wellness, and you've inspired me on a myriad tons of fronts. I follow along with you cold water dips. I've been doing two minute cold showers to sort of. Right. You know, that's a city, guys, where they emulate what you're doing.
00:57:41:03 - 00:58:10:16
Mark Titus
And I'd much rather be doing it in Kazan or or Juneau. But listen, I have watched you transform. You look incredible right now. And when we met in Kazan were twice the man physically that you are now. And I have seen you and I've watched you on social media and talked to our our mutual friends. Can you please describe for us your wellness transformation that you are still continually in?
00:58:10:16 - 00:58:15:22
Mark Titus
We all are, but you are in right now and what it means to you today?
00:58:16:00 - 00:58:52:01
Richard Peterson
Yeah, I went to a really rough patch in my life and went down a road. I was not proud of. Right. And it led to some real trauma and that was addiction and getting into drugs and I went through some pretty scary stuff through that. And when I got clean, you know, I turned our culture right and also really didn't do the work I needed to on myself as far as counseling and things and to kind of shelter myself and protect myself.
00:58:52:03 - 00:59:20:03
Richard Peterson
I gained an enormous amount of weight beyond beyond unhealthy. I mean, right now I'm still overweight and unhealthy, but for those that know me, I don't go anywhere right now or people don't stop me to tell me how good I look. You know, I've dropped £265 today. I mean, which is almost embarrassing to say, but right now, you know, I've come to a place where I own it.
00:59:20:03 - 00:59:41:15
Richard Peterson
I'm not embarrassed by it anymore. You know, one of the crazy things is when I was like I knew I needed to lose weight. I didn't want people to see me struggle. I didn't want them to see me, like, out of breath or all these stupid things that, like, Are you kidding? They saw you at your worst. I think everybody would cheer you on to see you put some effort into getting healthy.
00:59:41:15 - 01:00:11:03
Richard Peterson
And and that's been the case. So, you know put in the work, counseling, culture, everything. And so I just started moving and moving and losing weight and eating right. And, you know, it's a constant battle, but it in a way, in a lot of ways it gets easier. And the other is how social media is such a weird thing because it can be so negative.
01:00:11:05 - 01:00:37:01
Richard Peterson
But for me, I use it as my accountability piece. And so I'm very open about my story, all of it from addictions to, the weight issues and everything else, because I think if you're going to be in leadership, you have to be honest not just with yourself but with everybody else. And and I think people need to see you're vulnerable and you're human.
01:00:37:02 - 01:01:04:05
Richard Peterson
And then the struggles and that we can overcome them. And like today might be a bad day, but it don't make a bad life, you know? And so I'm just really to do that. And, you know, you see, I put all these positive mantras on on Facebook and different things. And a lot of people, you know, people really appreciate some may not, you know, but it's it's a constant reminder to myself and an example to others.
01:01:04:05 - 01:01:31:22
Richard Peterson
And, you know, I've traveled and had complete strangers come up to me and thank me because they see it and people share it, you know? So people I don't even that aren't my friends see it and they were like, I really appreciate your positivity. I really appreciate you telling your story. And, and yeah, I've been so uplifted by everybody else that But one of the things I keep telling or people keep telling me is how much it uplifts them.
01:01:31:22 - 01:01:59:18
Richard Peterson
And, you know, it's kind of a humbling experience to take you can do can positively affect others and what a gift that is. And you know, you talk about a men's, you know, through my recovery, I carried a lot of guilt, you know, to be in leadership and to do those things in the fall. I was really hard on myself for a long time, and I've learned to forgive myself.
01:01:59:18 - 01:02:26:15
Richard Peterson
And, you know, when you met me, I would have never looked in the mirror and said, I like me. I would have never said I like who I am. And I've learned to do that and I mean it. I'm not perfect. And every day I wake up and it sounds kind of funny and but it's the truth is, a number of years ago, one of our programs brought our elders together and they put down on paper what our tribal values are.
01:02:26:17 - 01:02:49:23
Richard Peterson
If you can Google it, it's our Southeast, traditional tribal values. And I try to live my life by those. And it's what keeps me kind of going forward. And I just kind of every morning I kind of center myself, okay, what did I do yesterday? Did I follow those? If I didn't if I made a mistake or treated something bad, if I did this, how do we do it better today?
01:02:50:01 - 01:03:12:17
Richard Peterson
Forgive myself for yesterday. Do it better today. Right. And you know, Mark, you talk about your recovery. I think you probably understand exactly what I'm talking about. You got to forgive yourself. You got to forgive those you might think wronged you, because if you hold on to that, you'll never get better. And that was for me. I had to forgive.
01:03:12:19 - 01:03:40:00
Richard Peterson
I had to move on. And, you know, it's a hard thing to do, but it rewards like I'll just tell you, man, I have some autoimmune issues. I've learned that actually they are better when I eat right. I've lost weight as a byproduct. I feel better every day, man. There is a time where I was like taking 20 different medications a day.
01:03:40:02 - 01:04:04:00
Richard Peterson
Now I'm down. Now I'm down to four or five. You know, it's for me, that's pretty miraculous. My blood sugar numbers, I was they were like, you're going to be diabetic, There's no question. And now got my numbers down to a level where they're like, Hey, you're a healthy human guy, you know, And that's I didn't you know, when you met me, you mentioned I was twice the man.
01:04:04:02 - 01:04:21:23
Richard Peterson
I didn't think I'd ever get to this to this day. And I still got a ways to go. But for the first time in my life, I can visualize that in that end point where I'm going to be at that healthy level. I want to be. And, you know, I think people need to know, right? You can do it.
01:04:21:23 - 01:04:26:01
Richard Peterson
If I can do it, God knows anybody can.
01:04:26:03 - 01:04:49:17
Mark Titus
I'm so inspired by you, man. I thank you so much for sharing this. I know exactly what you're talking about in terms of looking in the mirror and not I couldn't. I had a counselor tell me that you got to learn this. Can you say that you love yourself? And I honestly couldn't. And not. Not at all. And I've learned in recovery there is there is a way to do that.
01:04:49:17 - 01:05:17:20
Mark Titus
There is a way for hope and to live a life without resentment and without shame and guilt, and to live in a place that is rooted in the moment and in love and service for ourselves and for one another. And in all sincerity, your story, your continued journey, has been a absolute bedrock for me in my. So I just want to take a moment to thank you for.
01:05:17:22 - 01:05:20:02
Mark Titus
Yes, thank you. Thank you.
01:05:20:04 - 01:05:27:15
Richard Peterson
Can I ask you something? Yeah. Do you find now that you have more empathy than you ever did?
01:05:27:17 - 01:05:54:20
Mark Titus
Yeah. Because it's not all about me. You know, the classic alcoholic, You know, it's completely self-centered and which is, you know, most of all of this stuff is rooted in fear. But when you get out of this fear and then you get out of this self-centered trap, then lo and behold, wow, you really care about the people around you, the planet that you're on the air that you breathe, the water you drink.
01:05:54:20 - 01:06:10:08
Mark Titus
And I mean, I think, you know, clearly we've we've had a proclivity for that anyway. But the level of feeling is exponential. And I I've never felt it in my whole life really this way.
01:06:10:10 - 01:06:39:18
Richard Peterson
Yeah, I found that I feel like this level of empathy and compassion I just didn't know I was capable of. And it really makes loving and forgiving and all that so much easier when you embrace it and you know, the things that when I was a young guy who is quick to go to hands right now, I'm just like, I would never imagine like, I need to go, you know, kick the crap out of this guy.
01:06:39:19 - 01:07:02:23
Richard Peterson
I could never even imagine being that guy. Now, you know, I'd be like, Hey, man, can we talk about anything? And, you know, just, just such I feel like a better person, which makes it being able to say I like who I am easier and yeah, and it just, I think creator gives us the path through social beyond.
01:07:02:23 - 01:07:27:18
Richard Peterson
Sometimes we don't recognize it. And I think that creator gave me these experiences so I can do what I'm doing now. Yes. In a better way. And you know, I've always considered myself a service leader, but now I understand what it means. You know? And so I don't know. I feel pretty blessed to do what I do.
01:07:27:20 - 01:07:48:21
Mark Titus
Yes, you're here. And I echo that, too. I feel the same way. And about all of it, I couldn't possibly appreciate it like I do now, sincerely in my heart, without going through the gantlet. All right. One couple couple of big important questions here as we wrap this up for today. And by the way, I think this is this is definitely part one.
01:07:48:23 - 01:08:10:17
Mark Titus
We're going to continue this because I need to draw inspiration from what you're doing. And frankly, I think you've got a lot of ideas that are going to benefit the rest of the country, not just Salmon Nation in southeast Alaska. So first off, probably the most important question of the day here is how are the Seahawks can do this year?
01:08:10:18 - 01:08:28:04
Richard Peterson
I think is going to be a great year. I'm so excited and I'm really hopeful this is going to be a year. I get to go in person again. It was really hard to not be there this year and it's one of the things in my recovery. I decided to do things for myself and going to games was one of those.
01:08:28:04 - 01:08:32:11
Richard Peterson
So and thank God it looks like we've got Russell back, so.
01:08:32:13 - 01:08:44:12
Mark Titus
Yep. Yeah. All right, man. Well, that's where I can meet you. We if we can do this thing, I'm all Vaxxed up second dose this last Saturday. Super stoked. If we can make this thing happen, we're going to go to a game this year.
01:08:44:15 - 01:08:47:07
Richard Peterson
Let's do it. I'm totally back.
01:08:47:09 - 01:08:59:17
Mark Titus
All right, man. Here's the. Here's the rapid fire. Let's pretend that your house was on fire and you could only grab one physical thing out of the house. What would it be.
01:08:59:19 - 01:09:06:19
Richard Peterson
I have this bag of my regalia. I would grab that.
01:09:06:21 - 01:09:16:16
Mark Titus
Perfect. Okay, now it's your spiritual house. What are the two characteristics about you that you would pull out from the flames.
01:09:16:18 - 01:09:18:05
Richard Peterson
To keep.
01:09:18:07 - 01:09:22:08
Mark Titus
You up to to pull out of the fire? If you could just keep the two.
01:09:22:10 - 01:09:23:19
Richard Peterson
My empathy.
01:09:23:21 - 01:09:27:16
Mark Titus
Yep.
01:09:27:18 - 01:09:31:22
Richard Peterson
And just my love for people.
01:09:32:00 - 01:09:39:11
Mark Titus
All right. You know, if there is one one thing that you could you would leave in the fire to burn, to be purified, to to let go of. What would that be?
01:09:39:16 - 01:09:41:11
Richard Peterson
You go.
01:09:41:13 - 01:10:03:12
Mark Titus
Boy, you're good at this, my friend. Richard Peterson, president of the Ticket. Haida People, Southeast Alaska. What an honor to get to connect again today. Thank you so much for your time, your empathy, your wisdom. I can't wait to continue this conversation further down the trail. We got a lot to talk about. Thank you so much for being here.
01:10:03:12 - 01:10:13:09
Mark Titus
And and where can people find what you're doing? If people want to look you up on social media and check out the incredible work that you're doing, how can people find you?
01:10:13:11 - 01:10:38:13
Richard Peterson
Well, I think you can start with clicking this Google link at the height of our Facebook social media website, you can see that I'm looking forward to part two because I feel like I really you know, you gave me a lot of credit today and I would love to talk about the people that I owe a lot of credit to, the people I served with my council, man, you know, I don't do any of this alone.
01:10:38:15 - 01:10:57:22
Richard Peterson
And so really blessed with that. But yeah, check out the work we're doing. We have a series on YouTube. If you look at it and we have a channel there, we've done some really great kind of lunchtime chats and different discussions that you can check out some celebration stuff and just who we are. It's it's it's pretty interesting.
01:10:57:22 - 01:11:12:23
Richard Peterson
I think. And you can learn one of our best episodes is when we did the one with the Black Lives Matter community and got to talk about that. And, you know.
01:11:13:01 - 01:11:18:04
Mark Titus
And how about if people want to follow on with your story and on social?
01:11:18:06 - 01:11:41:21
Richard Peterson
It's under my name. So if it's I know if you guys can put it in there because it's pretty hard. But I go by and I click a name pretty much on everything, I think. I'm not sure what my TikTok is. I recently I did Tik Tok because a friend of mine suggested that we needed to normalize our cultural practices, like the cold water dipping.
01:11:41:21 - 01:12:02:10
Richard Peterson
So I didn't start doing it to say, Hey, look at me. It was like more like, Hey, look what we're doing. But I was stopped and I had a medical appointment. And their lab technician, she looked at me and I was expecting her to say, Hey, are you that quick and hide guy? And she goes, Hey, are you the guy who walks in the water?
01:12:02:12 - 01:12:09:17
Richard Peterson
And I was like, I didn't know really that people really do follow you on TikTok and things like that. So that's.
01:12:09:18 - 01:12:10:11
Mark Titus
Fantastic.
01:12:10:11 - 01:12:16:01
Richard Peterson
I can share that. I'll send you an email and if you want to share all that you can.
01:12:16:02 - 01:12:23:15
Mark Titus
Great. Well, thank you again. What an honor. What a treat. And we'll continue this conversation down the trail so long for now.
01:12:23:17 - 01:12:26:00
Richard Peterson
I think you'd be. Well.
01:12:26:02 - 01:12:33:16
Music
How do you say she.
01:12:33:18 - 01:12:36:03
Music
How do you say.
01:12:36:03 - 01:13:07:00
Mark Titus
Thank you for listening to save what you love. If you like what you're hearing, you can help keep these conversations coming your way by giving us a rating on Apple Podcasts. You can check out photos and links from this episode at Ava's Wired.com. While there, you can join our growing community by subscribing to our newsletter, you'll get exclusive offers on wild salmon shipped to your door and notifications about upcoming guests and more great content on the way.
01:13:07:02 - 01:13:46:02
Mark Titus
That's at Ava's Wired.com. That's the word Save spelled backwards Wild Tor.com. This episode was produced by Tyler White and edited by Patrick Troll. Original music was created by Whiskey Class. This podcast is a collaboration between Ava's Wild Stories and Salmon Nation and was recorded on the homelands of the Duwamish. People. We'd like to recognize these lands and waters and their significance for the people who lived and continued to live in this region whose practices and spiritualities were and are tied to the land in the water, and whose lives continue to enrich and develop in relationship to the land waters and other inhabitants today.