Abstract
Many Aboriginal groups, in northern Canada and elsewhere, recognize the strong relationship between the health and well-being of people and environment. Western science, including theory and literature related to forest ecosystem management, has been slow to recognize the complex and diverse values that Aboriginal people associate with their lands and resources. Through case study research on the berry-harvesting practices of Gwich’in women from the community of Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, Canada, we investigated the values that Teetl’it Gwich’in women associate with the land or nan kak. Nine different values, as well as a set of detailed measures, were identified during the research, including individual preference and well-being, family well-being, social connectivity, cultural continuity, land and resource use, stewardship, self-government, and spirituality. The commercial value of berries was not identified as important to women. This interdisciplinary research has the potential to contribute to several bodies of literature including that on social-ecological systems.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Teetl’it Gwich’in elders and others from Fort McPherson who were involved in this study as well as the contributions and support of the Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board, the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute, and the University of Manitoba. Special appreciation goes to Christine Firth for her hard work and commitment to the research project. The Teetl’it Gwich’in terminology in this article is thanks to Eleanor Mitchell-Firth and Berth Francis. The study was supported by the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN) through a research grant to Dr. Fikret Berkes.
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Parlee, B., Berkes, F. & Gwich’in, T. Health of the Land, Health of the People: A Case Study on Gwich’in Berry Harvesting in Northern Canada. EcoHealth 2, 127–137 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-005-3870-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-005-3870-z