Nature’s Power and Native Persistence: The Influence of First Nations and the Environment is the Development of the Mattagami Hydro-Electric System During the Twentieth Century
To date, most analyses of hydro-electric development portray the environment and Aboriginal Peoples as victims unable to alter or resist its intrusion on to the landscape. However, an examination of the Mattagami river developments in northeastern Ontario illustrates that environmental conditions co...
| Published in: | Journal of the Canadian Historical Association |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada
1995
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/031092ar https://doi.org/10.7202/031092ar |
| Summary: | To date, most analyses of hydro-electric development portray the environment and Aboriginal Peoples as victims unable to alter or resist its intrusion on to the landscape. However, an examination of the Mattagami river developments in northeastern Ontario illustrates that environmental conditions constantly influence the shape and development of the hydro-electric system. Also, while the ability of the northeastern Aboriginal Peoples to affect hydro-electric development is limited for much of this century, by the 1990s, their persistence and perseverance coalesces with changing court decisions and legislation, empowering them to negotiate with Ontario Hydro a moratorium on further development on the Mattagami River. A ce jour, la plupart des analyses du développement hydroélectrique présentent l'environnement et les peuples autochtones comme autant de victimes incapables d'infléchir ou de contrer ce type d"intrusion dans un pays. Pourtant, l'histoire des ouvrages de la rivière Mattagami dans la région nord-est de l'Ontario montre que les conditions environnementales exercent une influence constante sur la forme et le déploiement d'un système hydroélectrique. De plus, la faculté des autochtones du nord-est de peser sur les décisions concernant les travaux est récemment sortie des limites dans lesquelles la plus grande partie de ce siècle l'avait confinée. La combinaison de leur acharnement et des changements judiciaires et législatifs a permis aux Premières nations de négocier avec Ontario Hydro un moratoire sur les futurs projets d'exploitation de la rivière Mattagami. |
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