36°

This column is a response to an Aug. 11 letter to the editor by Gretchen Goldstein.

Goldstein said, "Living in harmony with nature is not compatible with clear-cut logging," and "Unfortunately, the way (Sealaska Corp.) makes money often overrides their Native culture's traditional values."

Please do not insult Alaska Native people by simplifying our world into the black-and-white world of disaffected environmentalists. Why do anti-logging proponents think they feel the negative effects of logging more than Natives just because Natives are the ones doing the logging? This assumption is a failure to understand the plight of indigenous people.

No one understands the paradox of respecting the natural world and natural resource development better than us. We've been the stewards of our land for more than 10,000 years. We understand the concept of balancing our present-day needs with unforeseen future obligations.

I am a shareholder of three Southeast Native corporations; all three have practiced clear-cutting. I understand the realities my corporations faced and know our leaders have never taken land stewardship lightly. As a videographer, I have personally seen the healthy second-growth forest near the small communities of Prince of Wales Island. I have seen Sealaska Corp. silviculture practices firsthand, from tree planting to stream studies. Sealaska is a leading expert in forestry management in temperate rainforests.

Clear-cutting has such strong negative connotations that few take the time to learn about the practice. I suggest reading a front-page article published recently in the Seattle Times, "New strategy to save forests: logging."

In fact, I embrace our history of clear-cutting. Our trees have allowed us to be respected and relevant stakeholders in our own country. The foundations of Southeast Native corporations are built on the revenue from clear-cutting.

The timber business has provided enormous positive contributions to the Native community. Sealaska's timber revenue funded the creation of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. SHI is the primary driving force behind saving Alaska's endangered indigenous languages.

I understand some people believe that no amount of human benefit justifies the commercial harvesting of trees. I disagree. Some contributions such as language and culture are so vital to our existence, that their loss would be devastating. Trees grow back, but once we lose our language and culture, they may be gone forever.

We lost the Eyak language last year. We only have a handful of Haida speakers left. Tlingit, a language that once dominated Southeast Alaska, may be gone in my lifetime. Time is running out.

The late Frederica DeLaguna said to me, "Without language a culture will die ... It will be like what Roman culture is to us today." If we can somehow save our languages, our culture stands a chance to survive.

Environmentalists talk about the importance of biodiversity, but what about cultural diversity and language diversity? Southeast Alaska's hemlock and spruce may help Natives save our language and culture. Generations from now, our descendants will thank us for cutting our trees.

Ironically, we had to sacrifice our language to become citizens and vote. Now we've had to cut our trees to save our language.

These issues are complex and, similar to many times in our history, have made for tough decisions. Our Native culture's traditional values provide the ability to adapt and persevere through the rising tides of change.

• Morgan Howard is a Tlingit the Teikweidí Clan, Eagle moiety. He is a Sealaska, Goldbelt and Yak-tat Kwaan shareholder, the board chair of Yak-Tat Kwaan Inc., and a business owner of Morgan Howard Productions, CorneliaMarie.com and NativeCo.com. He lives in Kirkland, Wash.