ABOUT THIS PODCAST: Kevin Madalena, an accomplished geologist and paleontologist from the Jemez Pueblo Nation, joins us in this Native Hope Podcast episode. Bridging the gaps between Indigenous awareness, spiritual obligation, and science is a lofty but worthwhile pursuit. What can be perceived as entirely separate and possibly conflicting human awarenesses happens to be the aspects of his personal life and calling. His natural love and “fascination for rocks and fossils” began at a very young age, as he recalls reading numerous books gained from his father's work at the Smithsonian. Kevin reminds us that Indigenous peoples were natural scientists, as the ancient Pueblo were entirely aware of the presence and power of the dinosaurs. This understanding was known long before it was “discovered” and accepted in the mainstream non-Indigenous realm. Madalena calls out heteropatriarchy and male dominance in academics within the larger Western world, as well as its effects on his tribal community; he aims to dismantle this structure, encouraging the realignment to the original matriarchal leadership practices. He works currently in the area of environmental justice for the Bears Ears National Monument with the Utah Dine Bikeyah as a Community Outreach and Field Researcher.
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