paul myrick and sarah brooks

Methow Descendant and Executive Director of the Methow Conservancy

Hummingbird Ranch, Methow Valley, WA

September 4th, 2025

Sun and smoke settling on our skin, the Westies stand in a circle on the x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam/Hummingbird Property in the Methow Valley, Washington—the ancestral land of the mətx̌ʷu/Methow Peoples that sprawls along the Chewuch River. In the late 1800s, the Methow People were forcibly displaced by white settlers to the Colville Reservation. After purchasing the former Wagner Ranch in 2021, the Methow Conservancy returned the land to the Methow People.

Sarah Brookes, the Executive Director of the Methow Conservancy, explained their reclamation work in the Valley and the complexities of partnering with a sovereign Nation like the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR)—work that requires patience, respect, receptivity, and often stepping back. Sarah works closely with the CTCR in the management of the Hummingbird land, frequently collaborating with Paul Myrick, a Methow descendant dedicated to preserving and teaching the history and ancestral practices of the Methow Peoples and the CTCR.

In his stories of cooking moss, salmon bakes, family and loss, Paul offered students insight into the significance of land—not solely as a resource of survival, but a site of traditional knowledge, cultural identity, and communal belonging. Paul spoke about bridging generational knowledge gaps, noting that while younger Native Americans risk losing their heritage without the guidance of elders, many elders struggle to share their knowledge due to profound trauma and violence inflicted by the U.S. government. Paul feels a responsibility to share cultural knowledge, finding hope in younger generations and in a community open and willing to listen and learn. Paul’s perspective is valuable in helping SITW students understand the impact of colonial systems in cultural erasure, environmental exclusion, and reclamation work.

by Maea Fleming