This is BirdNode.

The Shinnock people have a long and storied relationship with the wetlands and birds of what is now Long Island, says indigenous water scientists Kelsey Leonard.

Birds are our witnesses. Their presence or absence signals whether the water, the land, are being cared for properly.

Kelsey says waterfowl hunters have helped to document that natural history.

In many indigenous hunting traditions, duck decoys are crafted to look so lifelike

that they could lure free-flying ducks to wetlands

where hunters lie in wait.

We at Shinnock, we carved those out of different varieties of wood,

and they represent just this broad swath of shorebirds, waterfowl,

different types of ducks.

We have some of those still in the cultural material record that are over 100 years old.

Some of these Shinnecock decoys depict species that are no longer found on Long Island.

These carvings, they're not just artifacts. They're a testimony to that relationship and how one individual had to have such a unique relationship with that bird

to understand how to draw with such meticulous care that they confused and deceived other birds.

And that is very important for how we document a loss of biodiversity and a loss in relationship to climate change.

Learn more about indigenous science and practices in the latest season of Bring Birds Back,

available in your favorite podcast app.

For Bird Note, I'm Joni's Franklin.