Ethnoecological perspectives on environmental stewardship: Tenets and basis of reciprocity in Gitxsan and nłeʔkepmx (Nlaka'pamux) Territories
Date
2024
Authors
Armstrong, Chelsey Geralda
Grenz, Jennifer
Zyp-Loring, Jennifer
LaFontaine, Jade
Johnson, Leslie Main
Turner, Nancy
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
People and Nature
Abstract
1. Local and Indigenous Peoples steward and protect a significant proportion of biologically diverse ecosystems globally. This fact is increasingly acknowledged by researchers and international organizations, offering both opportunities and challenges at the intersection of Indigenous and western knowledge production in the context of environmental management research and policy.
2. Drawing on half a century of ethnoecological research and personal experiences in Gitxsan and nłeʔkepmx Territories in the Pacific Northwest of North America, this research considers the role of reciprocity as an inherent philosophy and tenet for successful environmental stewardship.
3. Reciprocity is a legal responsibility and moral perspective that foregrounds many Indigenous worldviews. Such cultural drivers and obligations towards lands and biota appear to be unknown, marginalized or instrumentalized in mainstream and western science and policy.
4. We conclude that fundamental elements of reciprocity may not be adequately blended or braided into western environmental management frameworks. As such, alternatives to blending include acknowledging sole proprietary and self-determining rights for Indigenous Peoples to govern and steward lands outside of western infrastructures and value systems.
5. This study raises critical questions about the feasibility of reconciling reciprocity with western environmental management practices and regulations. It explores the implications for Indigenous rights and sovereignty, and climate change mitigation. By addressing these complex issues, we contribute to ongoing discourse on the integration of Indigenous and western knowledge in environmental stewardship research, and the ethical, historical and cultural challenges that come with it.
Description
We are all in debt to the knowledge holders, elders, mothers, family members and friends, who have worked hard to maintain and share their Gitxsan- and nłeʔkepmx-specific teachings on reciprocity. For their time, energy, struggle and campaigns, they are miracles, and we are grateful to stand beside them.
Keywords
environmental management, ethnoecology, Indigenous land stewardship, reciprocity, science and policy
Citation
Armstrong, C. G., Grenz, J., Zyp‐Loring, J., Lafontaine, J., Johnson, L. M., & Turner, N. J. (2024). Ethnoecological perspectives on environmental stewardship: Tenets and basis of reciprocity in Gitxsan and nłeʔkepmx (Nlaka’pamux) Territories. People and Nature. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10641