I have always been interested in the traditional practices of indigenous communities (probably due to my fascination with wilderness survival techniques) and in fact, that interest of mine played a major role in shaping my love and appreciation for the environment. If someone spoke about environmental degradation, it would only be urbanites and city dwellers wielding weapons of destructions and causing havoc to the environment, who would flash through my mind. On the other hand, I only thought of indigenous communities as the custodians of mother nature. Only recently did I look into the possibility that certain indigenous groups might engage in not so sustainable practices that might affect the environment.
Alright, let us start by going back in time by about 600 years, when the majestic flightless birds, the moas, went extinct due to the arrival of the Polynesians, as we learnt in week 2’s ENV1101 lecture. By indiscriminately hunting the moas regardless of the stage of life they were at,[1] together(possibly) with burning vast spaces of land to alter the ecosystem to their advantage,[2] the natives of New Zealand wiped off moas from Earth’s surface. According to researchers, there is ample evidences that point to the fact that it was the overexploitation of moas by the natives, that had caused the tragic disappearance of these birds [1].
A few weeks ago, on my blog post, a fellow BES student, Marcus, had shared with me that there are certain indigenous communities that employ fish stupefying plants as part of their fishing practices. Upon further reading, I realised that such a technique could be detrimental to the environment. These ichthyotoxic plants, which are severely toxic to cold-blooded animals and insects, are often placed in water bodies. Non-target animals such as cattle are poisoned due to this strategy adopted by communities such as the Guyanese Amerindians [3]. Biodiversity can be in jeopardy as shown by the complete disappearance of certain fishes such as those from the Cichlidae and Polypetridae family, due to the use of ichthyotoxic plants in fishing, in the Businga district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo [4].
Also, I thought it would be interesting to share with all of you about an audio of a news recording that Dr Coleman had shared with me. The audio was about the ongoing dispute between the Sipekne’katik First Nation members and fishers in Nova Scotia, regarding the former’s self-handing out of lobster fishing permits. [5] Non-indigenous fishers are vehemently disapproving indigenous fishers’ methods. According to them, indigenous fishers are fishing when they are not supposed to, [6] and this issue is “an ecological disaster and an onslaught of illegal fishing”[5]. However, experts say that currently the practice seems sustainable and that if the out of season fishing is accompanied by policies, there might not be a need to worry. Of course the issue is more complicated than what I have just mentioned due to complexities associated with regulations and rights.
That is all for now! Catch you in my next post!
Cheers,
Divina
Disclaimer: In no way am I discrediting the pivotal role that many indigenous communities play in protecting the natural world. In my opinion, most indigenous communities are excellent conservationists and there is so much that we can learn form them!
References
- Morell, V., Why Did New Zealand’s Moas Go Extinct? 2014. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/03/why-did-new-zealands-moas-go-extinct
- Moas (Website: Bagheera).https://www.bagheera.com/moas/
- Andel, T., The diverse uses of fish-poison plants in Northwest Guyana. Economic Botany, 2000. 54. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257221266_The_diverse_uses_of_fish-poison_plants_in_Northwest_Guyana
- Ngbolua, K.-T.-N., et al., Impact of Ichthyotoxic Plants on Biodiversity in the Freshwater of Businga Territory, Nord Ubangi Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2018. 4: p. 45-51. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329221960_Impact_of_Ichthyotoxic_Plants_on_Biodiversity_in_the_Freshwater_of_Businga_Territory_Nord_Ubangi_Province_in_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
- Guardian, T., Why were Indigenous crews in Canada shot at with flares for fishing? 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/23/why-indigenous-crews-in-canada-were-shot-at-with-flares-for-fishing
- Singh, K., What’s Happening in Nova Scotia Right Now? 2020. https://www.flare.com/news/nova-scotia-fishing-dispute/
Hi Divina,
As I read your blog, week on week, it occurs to me to wonder how this exact topic might be tackled differently by a student in a country where indigenous issues aren’t even on the radar (i.e., you, a Singaporean), a student in a country where indigenous issues are constantly in the news (e.g., a Canadian) and by an indigenous student.
I wonder how / whether the work might reflect some romanticisation of the relationship betw indigenous people & Nature by ppl who are quite removed from the issues, some sense of guilt on the part of ppl who descended from colonialists and some sense of anger and indignation on the part of an indigenous writer.
Your disclaimer at the end of this post is what motivated me to post this comment. In many ways, it says (to me at least) quite a bit about what might be conflicting emotions this topic raises in you.
I will tell you that in recent years, especially with the light shone on the issues of residential schools and missing indigenous women & girls in Canada (and the moves toward reconciliation), I realise that much of what I learned in secondary school about the history of Quebec and Canada was highly biased and that in fact, I don’t understand the story and legacy of colonialism very well.
If you ever want to read historical fiction by an award-winning & incredible (IMO) author, look for Joseph Boyden’s books – especially the Orenda and Wenjack. One of my favourite authors, for sure.
jc
Hi Dr Coleman!
I do agree that different groups of people with varying degrees of exposure to indigenous issues, would all have different takes on it.
I added the disclaimer at the end of my post as I was afraid that if I didn’t, it might seem a little too aggressive and as though I am attacking groups that might perhaps have not adopted the most environmentally friendly practices and I really didn’t want to seem like I was doing that! To be honest, it is pretty scary at times as this is a really sensitive issue and I might not have the best understanding of it…
I always thought that the First Nations history was something that schools in the US and in Canada had made sure to accurately and truthfully incorporate in their curriculum. Thank you for sharing about the possible censorship regarding the indigenous history that was taught to you at school in Canada, Professor!
Interestingly (perhaps), Divina,
My husband (who is from Alberta) and I (from Québec) compared notes. We learned quite different histories of Canada, especially as it pertains to the First Nations. In fact, my sec school history course was called “history of Québec and Canada” and, as I recall, it was somewhat oriented toward glorifying the Catholic Church and the positive impacts on First Nations people, and to pointing out the division between Upper and Lower Canada (Lower Canada basically = Québec).
Canada has a complicated history, but if you want to learn more about the relationships between First Nations and European settlers (French & English), then I recommend a couple of Google searches.
1. First Nations + War of 1812
2. Coureurs des bois
Both searches will allow you to learn more about who Métis people are and interesting relationships between settlers and First Nations people.
But I shouldn’t overgeneralise because Canada has something like 600 distinct indigenous bands / tribes (I think only India has more diverse indigenous peoples). And each band’s historical interactions with settlers is, to some extent, unique.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Dr Coleman! Thanks for the recommended searches as well! I learned about the roles the Metis people played in the war as well as found out more about the French-Canadian fur traders and the relationships between them and First Nations people!
Hello Divina!
It’s pretty interesting to see that even indigenous people can have practices that are harmful to the environment since the general sentiment is that they are very tied to nature and their environment. I do want to ask, is it fair to ask them to stop these activities? There have been points raised about environmental issues, that larger corporations are the ones doing most of the collective harm, not the individuals. I would think it’s pretty unfair to fault indigenous people for such practices given that they are already treated unfairly by most of the countries they live in. Do you think it’s valid to let these practices slide?
~ Yalini
Hey Yalini! I am extremely late in replying to your comment and I am very sorry for this.
Your questions are always great and so important!
I do agree with you that considering that they are victims of environmental racism and are also bearing the brunt of the environmental crisis(which I would say they didn’t have much of a role in causing), it would really be unfair to pick on their traditional practices that they have been relying on for centuries. Do I think it is alright to let unsustainable practices slide? Well..I really think it depends on the severity of the impact of the activity and also if the indigenous communities have any methods of mitigating these impacts. For example, if a community does have in place their own system with laws(which many indigenous communities do have) that allow them to carry out these practices that we consider “unsustainable” but at the same time protects the environment from being degraded via specific restrictions to the practices and proper penalties, then we should not budge in. We should respect and trust their knowledge in these cases, especially since they have adopted most of these practices since ages ago and since their way of living would generally be more sustainable than all the unsustainable practices that the urbanized world has been carrying out.
However, I came across certain views that just because something has been working for a long time, doesn’t mean it should be allowed to take place now, especially with the issue of climate change at hand. For example, in the example of shifting cultivation, which sometimes is also known as “slash and burn”(some say that traditional shifting cultivation is actually sustainable and is unfairly demonized…but that’s another issue altogether..), that some indigenous communities have been practicing, can be said to be pretty bad for the environment. Hence, in Kalimantan, the Dayak Iban people have been stopped by officials from continuing with their practice (although indigenous communities are certain that the haze problem was not caused by their practices but by non-indigenous farmers). I really am uncertain about if this should or should not have been allowed to take place but all I know is that, it was extremely unfair to force them to stop their practices without compensating them or presenting them with an alternative method(which had been promised to them). Due to these unfair expectations, the community may be threatened with the issue of food security.
This is what the head of the community had said:
“They said they would provide paddy, but where is this paddy?”, “If they say we can’t burn ladang and there’s not paddy to farm, we won’t be able to eat” and “For us, the chance of a food crisis is extraordinary.”
References
https://news.mongabay.com/2016/09/no-fire-no-food-tribe-clings-to-slash-and-burn-amid-haze-crackdown/