Tom Little Bear Nason, born on his aboriginal homelands in Big Sur, CA, has been the Tribal Chairman of the Esselen Tribe since 1993. For 30+ years, he has been involved in the preservation of traditional landscapes, working with tribes, state agencies, land trusts and conservation groups to expand tribal land stewardship throughout the state.

In one of the first “Land-Back” achievements for a non-federally-recognized tribe in California, he helped secure the transfer of 1,200 acres of Esselen sacred land in Big Sur back to the tribe in 2020. He also played a central role in the removal of one of the largest dams in California history, effectively preserving salmon and steelhead trout populations in the region.

Little Bear is a traditional Cultural Resource Specialist, Tribal Archeology Monitor, and Wildland consultant. He is also a Culture Bearer, Fire Ecologist, and Bear Dance Leader. A long-standing faculty member of the Esalen Institute, a sacred site for the Esselen people, he has led a lifetime of retreats centered around initiation, ritual and ceremony between humans and their relationship to each other, land, and Spirit.