Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2006. / Supervisor: Wayne Warry. Includes bibliographical references (p. 154-164).

The deforestation of riparian areas is a major concern in southern Africa. These areas are characterized as fragile ecosystems which contribute largely to the regional and global biodiversity of the world. It is therefore important to restore these degraded areas along the natural rivers of South Africa to ensure the sustainability and biodiversity of riparian corridors. Riparian areas inside the National Parks of South Africa, and especially in Mapungubwe National Park, have a high esthetical value and should be preserved for future generations. The study was conducted in the Mapungubwe National Park, which is listed as a cultural world heritage site. Plans are in place to convert it into one of Africa's biggest Transfrontier Parks, called the Limpopo/Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), which will be situated between neighbouring countries Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The main purpose of this project was to establish a demonstration site for the restoration of degraded, previously cultivated lands in the deforested riparian areas in the Mapungubwe National Park, Limpopo Province. Another aim of the project was to evaluate the theoretical assumption that the growth of trees on so called "activity lines" in the environment due to geological and soil characteristics is enhanced. "Activity lines" were identified by Mr. Lynn van Rooyen of South African National Parks (SANParks) and trees of which the growth was tested, were planted both on and off "activity lines". The selection of the right type of trees for the restoration of the deforested riparian areas during active restoration applications is very important and depends on a multitude of factors. These factors include aspects such as the location with its specific vegetation, soil type and climatic conditions, the historical background of the management practices such as previous land uses, as well as other environmental impacts that previously occurred in the area to be restored. The latter can be gained through interviews with previous and present managers of the area, as well as maps, reports and aerial photographs. Ten different indigenous tree species that previously occurred in the area were planted in an experimental demonstration site of approximately 70ha, which was enclosed by an electrical game fence. The ten tree species that were evaluated included: Faidherbia albida (Ana tree), Acacia nigrescens (Knob thorn), Acacia tortilis (Umbrella thorn), Schotia brachypetala (Weeping boer-bean), Acacia xanthophloea (Fever tree), Lonchocarpus capassa, recently renamed Philenoptera violacea (Apple-leaf), Salvadora australis (Narrow-leaved mustard tree), Adansonia digitata (Baobab), Combretum imberbe (Leadwood) and Xanthocercis zambesiaca (Nyala tree). With the aid of aerial photographs, phytosociological studies, interviews with previous and present land users and managers, as well as existing surrounding vegetation, four different zones within the enclosure were identified according to ecotones. The establishment, growth and survival rate of the different tree species were monitored using morphological and physiological vegetation sampling techniques, as well as leaf component analyses on individuals of selected species. Soil physical and chemical analyses were carried out in the four different blocks identified within the experimental site. Data analysis was carried out on both the soil and leaf component analyses using the CANOCO-package. The establishment of the experimental site was successful, and important information was collected on various aspects of restoration activities. Positive growth effects were also observed in certain indigenous tree species concerning the "activity line" effect, especially with regard to Acacia tortilis and Combretum imberbe. However, the preliminary results obtained through this pilot study showed no conclusive evidence to what exactly stimulated the enhanced growth phenomena observed in certain individual tree species planted on "activity lines". Additional watering was identified as the most important factor contributing to successful establishment and growth of indigenous tree species in this semi-arid area. Various results showed a multiplying effect when a combination of additional watering and "activity lines" was applied. It was concluded that, should any further restoration work be conducted in the degraded areas of the Mapungubwe National Park, the planting of trees should be done on "activity lines" and with the addition of water. This will result in higher establishment rates of transplanted trees and speed up the succession processes involved in the natural "healing process" of degraded areas. Parameters that should be used for monitoring tree growth include the trunk thickness at the base, trunk thickness at 30cm from the base, and the length of the tree in its natural growth form. Recommendations were also made as reference for future restoration practices to ensure better and more successful and sustainable outcomes in the planting of trees. These include the use of nurse plants such as Acacia tortilis and Salvadora australis to establish a more favourable microclimate for climax species, as well as the establishment of a preferred herbaceous layer. Care should be taken in the period required for the cultivation of indigenous trees before they are transplanted into the field, as a prolonged cultivation period could lead to a circular growth form of the root system, preventing sufficient penetration ability of the roots into deeper, more nutrient rich soils. Before trees can be planted into the field, a hardening period must be applied to all seedlings for at least a three week period. This entails the exposure to more direct sunlight for longer periods as well as a reduction in the water applied weekly. Special attention should be paid to the stresses caused by herbivory, especially that of termites and porcupines. The maintenance of the exclosure is a critical factor contributing to the successful outcomes of this particular restoration project. Problem animals, especially elephants, should be kept out of the exclosure at all costs. The results of this project can be used in this ongoing restoration program, as well as in other related projects in semi-arid, degraded savannah areas over the long-term. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Botany))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

<p>This dissertation research explored how indigenous peoples have responded to increasing conservation and development pressures in Suriname using two case study communities. One, in West Suriname, faced a proposed protected area and large-scale mining operation on the communities' traditional lands. The other community, in East Suriname, has been involved in a long-term co-management arrangement over an existing protected area. Community responses to these protected areas and development projects were considered through the important influence of a national indigenous rights organization and its multi-scalar networks. A total of 68 in-depth interviews with indigenous community leaders, indigenous rights organization leaders, conservation NGO personnel, company, and government representatives were conducted over a period of 9 months. In addition, 13 documents including conference proceedings, editorials, letters, and presentations were collected and analyzed. Results showed that strategies in the form of scalar politics, information politics, accountability politics, and cultural politics that drew from international legal instruments, guidelines, and the larger indigenous rights movement were used. These strategies enhanced the power, knowledge, and negotiating ability of the communities and NGOs, leading to the eventual rejection of a protected area and a stronger role in the mining project. However, the larger goal of land rights for indigenous peoples in Suriname has not yet been realized, and remains the focal point of indigenous struggles there.</p> / Dissertation

Univ., Diss.--Kiel, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. [254] - 266.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 356-380). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users. Address: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p3018402.

Informed by research that connects transitional issues with assimilation, this practicum project focuses on how culturally-relevant education and service-based interior environments support the transition of urban Indigenous peoples. Eagle Urban Transition Centre (EUTC) in Winnipeg is studied as the client, providing specific examples of Indigenous service and educational frameworks employed to mitigate transitional issues. Spatial criteria for the adaptive reuse of 601 Aikins Street on Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, were developed through a photo-elicitation interview process, and a theoretical framework that connected urban Indigenous identity, Indigenous education, transition and resistance with interior environments. Representing and recognizing the diverse Indigenous cultures of the users of EUTC in the design required a formal analysis of examples of Indigenous cultural production, such as the eight-pointed star blanket and Métis beadwork, as well as precedents of Indigenous spaces. The interior design for EUTC supports their organization, facilitating transition and creating opportunities for resistance through spaces that respect and emphasize cultural (re)connection. / October 2015

On December 15, 1999, the people of Venezuela approved a new Constitution, which is the first Venezuelan constitution to entrench the rights of indigenous peoples. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the different theoretical issues raised by the problem of rights for indigenous peoples. It is argued that indigenous rights are collective rights based on the value of cultural membership. This implies both an investigation of the value of cultural membership and of the criticisms that the multicultural perspective has offered against that point of view. / Indigenous peoples have the moral right to preserve their cultures and traditions. It is submitted that indigenous peoples have a double moral standing to claim differential treatment based on cultural membership, because they constitute cultural minorities and they were conquered and did not lend their free acceptance to the new regime imposed upon them. Therefore, they constitute a national minority, with moral standing to claim self-government and cultural rights.

This thesis argues that the Ned'u'ten, an indigenous people, have the right to decolonize and self-determine their political and legal status at the international level. The Ned'u'ten are currently negotiating a new relationship with Canada and are considering various treaty models to achieve this goal. This thesis advocates principles for a peace treaty model that accomplishes both Ned'u'ten decolonization and self-determination. The first chapter of this thesis demonstrates that indigenous perspectives in legal culture are diverse and not homogeneous. My Ned'u'ten perspective on treaty-making contributes to these perspectives. The second chapter challenges the legitimacy of the Canadian state, over Ned'u'ten subjects and territories. This is accomplished through the rejection of dispossession doctrines that Canada has used to justify colonial and oppressive practices against the Ned'u'ten. Decolonization principles are prescribed in this chapter. The third chapter takes a historical view of the right to self-determination and shows how state practice, indigenous peoples' participation, and international scholars have attempted to articulate the scope and content of this right in the contemporary context of indigenous self-determination. A Ned'u'ten self-determination framework is proposed based on indigenous formulations of the right to self-determination. Self-determination principles are also prescribed in this chapter. The final chapter compares two cases where indigenous peoples in Canada are attempting to create a new relationship with the state: the James Bay Cree and "First Nations" in the British Columbia Treaty Commission Process. This comparison will show that the degree of participation that indigenous peoples have in implementing their rights to self-determination, will determine the parameters of any new relationship that indigenous peoples create with the state. Negotiating principles are prescribed for a Ned'u'ten-Canada relationship as well as a peace treaty process to accomplish this goal. It is my thesis that the Ned'u'ten and Canada can achieve a peaceful and balanced relationship through the peace treaty model I propose.

Introduction: The lifespan of Mi’kmaq First Nations men continues to be eight years less than that of other Canadian men. Therefore, this study examined the intersecting relationships between the social determinants of gender, health practices and other factors on the health of Mi’kmaq boys and men living in Elsipogtog First Nation. Goal: To promote the health of Mi’kmaq men living in Elsipogtog First Nation and to decrease the health disparities among Mi’kmaq men and other Canadian men. Objectives: (a) To explore how Mi’kmaq men construct their masculinities across the lifespan within Mi’kmaq culture; (b) To examine Mi’kmaq men’s perceptions of health and health practices and how their practices of masculinity influence these practices; (c) To explore how the experiences of illness and health influence Mi’kmaq men’s perceptions of their masculinity and the configuration of its practices; (d) To contribute to the scholarship of masculinities, health, culture, race, and inequity; (f) To build research capacity among members of the community of Elsipogtog; and (e) To identify strategies or programs that will support the health of Mi’kmaq men and their ability to care for their own health. Method: A community based participatory action research study based on an Indigenist critical social theoretical approach was used to gather and analyze the data. A research team of four Mi’kmaq people worked with me to analyze the data from an Indigenous perspective. A community advisory committee advised the research team regarding recruitment issues and the findings of the study. Thirty Mi’kmaq men and seven women were interviewed. Findings: The masculinities practices of Mi’kmaq men were: (a) respecting women, (b) fathering their children, (c) providing for their families, (d) caring for the environment, (e) respecting self and others, and (f) respecting sexually diverse family friends and self. During their lifetimes, many participants dealt with multiple losses, addiction, racism, sexual abuse, suicide attempts, and poverty. Their masculinity practices, culture, and spiritual health practices served as resiliency factors that contributed to their health status and practices Conclusions: The masculinity practices of Mi’kmaq men were strengths in their health.

This thesis probes the ways in which land-based and bodily violence inform contemporary North American Indigenous poetry. Since the “Oka Crisis” of 1990, English-speaking North American Indigenous writers have produced a substantial body of poetry that has significant implications in forwarding national sovereignty struggles. Gender violence enabled settler colonial land appropriation; resource exploitation also harmed Indigenous bodies. This project considers the ways in which Indigenous authors with diverse geographic, cultural and embodied experiences employ common strategies toward using poetry as an emancipatory tool. A poem is both whole, and a fragment of a larger body of work; engaging with the works of individual poets, and multi-authored anthologies allows for varied readings of the same poems and their engagements with the project’s key themes of homeland and embodiment. This paper is informed by the reading of many Indigenous theorists and poets, and aligns with an Indigenous-feminist critique that suggests that nationalist sovereignty struggles are meaningless as long as bodily violence against Indigenous women and Two-Spirit people is still prevalent. As such, contemporary struggles for reclaiming Indigenous lands must also be struggles toward a sovereign erotic, sovereignty over one’s sexuality and gender identity. / Thesis (Master, Gender Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-12 03:07:52.957