Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada
Although North American settler governments face scrutiny over the ecological, social, and ethical shortcomings of environmental policy, many Indigenous Nations are pursuing a resurgence of environmental self-governance according to ancestral principles and practices. On the west coast of Vancouver...
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Resilience Alliance
2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13702-280212 https://doaj.org/article/a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 2023-07-23T04:19:17+02:00 Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada Lindsey R. Popken P. Joshua Griffin Charlotte Coté Eric Angel 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13702-280212 https://doaj.org/article/a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 EN eng Resilience Alliance https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol28/iss2/art12/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-13702-280212 https://doaj.org/article/a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 Ecology and Society, Vol 28, Iss 2, p 12 (2023) conservation department of fisheries and oceans environmental policy first nations food security indigenous resurgence nuu-chah-nulth traditional ecological knowledge sea otters Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13702-280212 2023-07-02T00:34:15Z Although North American settler governments face scrutiny over the ecological, social, and ethical shortcomings of environmental policy, many Indigenous Nations are pursuing a resurgence of environmental self-governance according to ancestral principles and practices. On the west coast of Vancouver Island, the reintroduction and prioritized conservation of sea otters by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) actively impedes the harvest of culturally and nutritionally significant shellfish species by Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. Integrating a range of qualitative methods, we argue that structural inequities, divergent normative and material priorities, and ontological differences animate a divide between Nuu-chah-nulth and Canadian state governing bodies in sea otter management. The DFO’s unwillingness to accommodate Indigenous knowledge, principles, and priorities in its sea otter management scheme reproduces the unequal power relations of settler colonialism to the detriment of Indigenous food sovereignty and security. We propose to reframe sea otter governance around the Nuu-chah-nulth principles of hišukʔiš c̓awaak (everything is one), ʔiisaak (respect with caring), and ʔuʔaałuk (taking care of). This reorientation is in alignment with the efforts of Indigenous peoples throughout Canada and globally to enact multi-species caretaking through the resurgence of self-governance rooted in ancestral knowledge and wisdom. Ultimately, we argue that a sea otter governance structure centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles, ecological knowledge, and leadership would be well-positioned to lead collaborations and respectful engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Nations. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Ecology and Society 28 2 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
conservation department of fisheries and oceans environmental policy first nations food security indigenous resurgence nuu-chah-nulth traditional ecological knowledge sea otters Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
conservation department of fisheries and oceans environmental policy first nations food security indigenous resurgence nuu-chah-nulth traditional ecological knowledge sea otters Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 Lindsey R. Popken P. Joshua Griffin Charlotte Coté Eric Angel Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
topic_facet |
conservation department of fisheries and oceans environmental policy first nations food security indigenous resurgence nuu-chah-nulth traditional ecological knowledge sea otters Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Although North American settler governments face scrutiny over the ecological, social, and ethical shortcomings of environmental policy, many Indigenous Nations are pursuing a resurgence of environmental self-governance according to ancestral principles and practices. On the west coast of Vancouver Island, the reintroduction and prioritized conservation of sea otters by Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) actively impedes the harvest of culturally and nutritionally significant shellfish species by Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. Integrating a range of qualitative methods, we argue that structural inequities, divergent normative and material priorities, and ontological differences animate a divide between Nuu-chah-nulth and Canadian state governing bodies in sea otter management. The DFO’s unwillingness to accommodate Indigenous knowledge, principles, and priorities in its sea otter management scheme reproduces the unequal power relations of settler colonialism to the detriment of Indigenous food sovereignty and security. We propose to reframe sea otter governance around the Nuu-chah-nulth principles of hišukʔiš c̓awaak (everything is one), ʔiisaak (respect with caring), and ʔuʔaałuk (taking care of). This reorientation is in alignment with the efforts of Indigenous peoples throughout Canada and globally to enact multi-species caretaking through the resurgence of self-governance rooted in ancestral knowledge and wisdom. Ultimately, we argue that a sea otter governance structure centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles, ecological knowledge, and leadership would be well-positioned to lead collaborations and respectful engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Nations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lindsey R. Popken P. Joshua Griffin Charlotte Coté Eric Angel |
author_facet |
Lindsey R. Popken P. Joshua Griffin Charlotte Coté Eric Angel |
author_sort |
Lindsey R. Popken |
title |
Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
title_short |
Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
title_full |
Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
title_fullStr |
Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering Nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in Canada |
title_sort |
indigenous food sovereignty through resurgent self-governance: centering nuu-chah-nulth principles in sea otter management in canada |
publisher |
Resilience Alliance |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13702-280212 https://doaj.org/article/a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Ecology and Society, Vol 28, Iss 2, p 12 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol28/iss2/art12/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-13702-280212 https://doaj.org/article/a0bfb4affe004e0fb6f15859a1fecf51 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13702-280212 |
container_title |
Ecology and Society |
container_volume |
28 |
container_issue |
2 |
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1772182229854715904 |