The Medicine Wheel
Listed as one of the most anticipated books by Indigenous authors in 2020
“Marchand is the former Chair and Council Member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation. Together with eight other editors, most of whom are Indigenous and all of whom are deeply involved in ecological and Indigenous rights fields, Marchand has assembled a formidable (nearly 500-page) volume of essays that explores the inherent connection between people and environment. Using Indigenous frameworks of thinking and approaching ecology, ecosystems, and ethics, the book is a comprehensive tool for trying to define the problems and solutions around climate change. The kind of narrative and broad, interconnected knowledge this book brings to the table is essential as humans reckon with the consequences of the colonialist, imperialist, capitalist actions that are at the root of the climate crisis.” (link to review here).
March 2020 - The book is out! I had the great honor to contribute a small review section on two years of research I conducted regarding wildlife management and conservation in the Alaskan Arctic. I’m so happy to be published alongside such thoughtful and progressive people that are working hard to push the envelope in what is possible through Indigenous research, knowledge, and governance. Here is a abstract for my contribution:
“Alaska Native perspectives on the governance of wildlife subsistence and conservation resources in the Arctic”
Wildlife resource management in the Arctic is a collaborative effort across many governments, agencies, extractive industries, environmental organizations, and Indigenous communities. Many governments and environmental organizations recognize a need for wildlife conservation as the landscape undergoes rapid environmental change, but some conservation practices burden Indigenous communities that rely on access to wildlife as a means of subsistence and food security. Despite a collective desire for the continued proliferation of endemic species and sustainable population dynamics, many Indigenous Peoples continue to experience the failures of management efforts through inadequate consideration of their perspectives, needs, concerns, and strengths within the decision making process. Using several case studies and previous work done in collaboration with Alaska Native communities and other Indigenous Peoples, this study recognizes the widely-held perspectives of these groups in contrast with western environmentalism and typical natural resource management. Within the Alaska Native context, the five major challenges to the inclusive management of wildlife are, (1) cultural differences in definition and approach to natural resource issues, (2) disregard for the place of Indigenous knowledge alongside western science, (3) distribution of environmental impacts and the burden of conservation, (4) power imbalances, and (5) lack of trust and respect. Characterizing differences between these groups’ perspectives on environmentalism, decision making, and policy approach show clear evidence of a cultural divide and of shortcomings in current wildlife science and policy. In order to give Alaska Natives greater voice in wildlife decisions that impact their communities, management strategies must find a way to reconcile these differences and foster inclusive and engaging solutions that are both place-based and landscape-scale.
