The Two-eyed Seeing Garden is an ethnobotanical garden that is a living description of the interrelationships between land, plants and people that explicates two ways of seeing. The goal of the Two-eyed Seeing Garden is to combine two frameworks, one of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and one of Western Scientific Knowledge, in an attempt to create a bridge between the two knowledges in order for the inter-relationships between the two systems to be made visible. The Two-eyed Seeing Garden emphasizes the worldview of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge as an independent valid knowledge system that describes local knowledge in connection with other local knowledges, nearby and far away. These knowings can be thought of as layers that begin to intersect and eventually connect the same way as ripples do in a pond. Small and central, yet moving out. The physical garden is this too. It is a small place that is nested within a larger region. Although it may have walls and be distinct from it’s immediate surroundings, it can connect to the larger region. The Two-eyed Seeing Garden is an example of wholeness and connectivity from its most minute aspects to its situatedness in the larger context. The relationships make the invisible visible and describe the co-creation and co-existence of all those that inhabit this land now and since time immemorial.

The Two-eyed Seeing Garden is an ethnobotanical garden that is a living description of the interrelationships between land, plants and people that explicates two ways of seeing. The goal of the Two-eyed Seeing Garden is to combine two frameworks, one of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and one of Western Scientific Knowledge, in an attempt to create a bridge between the two knowledges in order for the inter-relationships between the two systems to be made visible. The Two-eyed Seeing Garden emphasizes the worldview of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge as an independent valid knowledge system that describes local knowledge in connection with other local knowledges, nearby and far away. These knowings can be thought of as layers that begin to intersect and eventually connect the same way as ripples do in a pond. Small and central, yet moving out. The physical garden is this too. It is a small place that is nested within a larger region. Although it may have walls and be distinct from it’s immediate surroundings, it can connect to the larger region. The Two-eyed Seeing Garden is an example of wholeness and connectivity from its most minute aspects to its situatedness in the larger context. The relationships make the invisible visible and describe the co-creation and co-existence of all those that inhabit this land now and since time immemorial.

This thesis argues that the First Nations and their material culture have been used as tropes in the construction of national symbols on Canadian money. The twenty dollar bill from the 2004 series of Canadian banknotes, Canadian Journeys, was the impetus for this inquiry. The art of Bill Reid is featured on this banknote. Reid is an artist who identifies, on his mother's side, with the Haida First Nations and his art takes its themes and style from the Haida crest imagery. The implications of utilizing a First Nations artist on a Canadian banknote becomes problematic when considering the antagonistic historical relationship Canada has had with the First Nations and the multiplicity of unresolved land claims. Therefore, I ask, how this Bill Reid banknote should be read. In answering this question I have divided this thesis into three parts. First, I analyze a historical precedent for this contemporary banknote. The 1870 two dollar bill is useful for it both gives an example of the use of First Nations as a trope in representing the nation and it helps expose the importance of money as a national symbol at the time when Canada was struggling to come together as a modern nation. In the next section I analyze the Bill Reid bill as both a part of a symbolic construction of nation and as a material practice which has regional or territorial implications. In the final section I argue that Bill Reid utilized the language commonly used for colonial justification to elevate his own practice. While carving out a market for his work Reid helped to reify nationally accepted histories concerning the First Nations—namely that they are culturally dead.

The development and management of heritage sites, including prehistorical and historical archaeological sites, trading posts and aboriginal traditional-use sites, is of interest to governments for their potential in the fields of tourism, youth employment and economic development. In Canada, the issues of rights, ownership and management decisions for such sites are still in contention as multiple cultures (Aboriginal, French, English) may have occupied and used these sites either successively or concurrently. The First Nations often have some claim to these sites as they are of the original culture, but the government ministries at national and provincial levels maintain some control via heritage legislation. Increasingly, the First Nations are exercising their claim to a voice in the development of such heritage resources, and co-management agreements appear to be the most successful arrangements. Examples of successfully co-managed projects will be evaluated with respect to future development in the cultural heritage sector and the prospects for a World Heritage site designation in the Great Lakes region will be examined.

Concerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and adverse health effects of polybrominated dipheyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently come to light. PBDEs are quickly becoming a ubiquitous pollutant and have been found globally in sediment, aquatic mammals, fish, bird eggs, human milk, serum, and adipose tissue. Due to their persistence and lipophilicity, PBDEs may biomagnify through the food chain and could pose a danger to those who consume these contaminated animals. Many First Nation communities in the James Bay region rely in part on a subsistence diet; therefore, these communities have the potential to carry high levels of PBDEs. Additionally, PBDEs have been shown to be preferentially deposited in the sub-Arctic, making this contaminant of particular interest to the James Bay region of northern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. By analyzing PBDE body burden (plasma), this contaminant was characterized with regards to its latitudinal variation and concentration. The study established a baseline PBDE level in the communities of the James Bay region and determined concentrations in the traditional foods of the First Nation communities located in the Mushkegowuk Territory of sub-Arctic Canada, to examine potential routes of exposure. The PBDE body burden was found to be low in the Mushkegowuk communities when compared to more northern communities in Canada. Similarly, PBDE body burden in the US and southern Canada is higher than those of the James Bay region. The body burdens of the James Bay Cree are similar to Japanese and Swedish levels. Analysis of traditional foods shows relatively elevated levels of PBDEs in certain game species such as whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos), and moose (Alces alces) compared to other traditional foods from the same area. Data in this thesis can be used for human biomonitoring purposes and the animal data can be combined with consumption data in order to assess the contribution of PBDEs to body burden from a First Nation diet as well as provide guidance when developing safety guidelines for the consumption of traditional foods. While the sub-arctic has been identified as an environmental sink for PBDEs, the levels found in this study indicate that long-range transportation and dietary biomagnification of the contaminant may not be the primary exposure pathway. This may be due to low bioavailability of the contaminant, rapid metabolism, or alternate sources of exposure and should be investigated in future studies.

For the past several years the issue of homosexual marriage has been at the forefront of an often intense debate in American political culture. Those who oppose the policy have, by and large, been in the majority. But in America, majority decisions are not automatically legal; such status is obtained only when policies are not in conflict with the Constitution. With that in mind, this paper aims to show how not allowing homosexual marriage can amount to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. To accomplish this I will first examine the main arguments presented against the policy by the defenders of “traditional” marriage and show how they fail. With the main arguments undercut, opponents of gay marriage must have either no real basis for their position, or make their arguments from within specific comprehensive (generally religious) doctrines- a phenomenon widespread enough to possibly constitute a violation of the first amendment.

Concerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and adverse health effects of polybrominated dipheyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently come to light. PBDEs are quickly becoming a ubiquitous pollutant and have been found globally in sediment, aquatic mammals, fish, bird eggs, human milk, serum, and adipose tissue. Due to their persistence and lipophilicity, PBDEs may biomagnify through the food chain and could pose a danger to those who consume these contaminated animals. Many First Nation communities in the James Bay region rely in part on a subsistence diet; therefore, these communities have the potential to carry high levels of PBDEs. Additionally, PBDEs have been shown to be preferentially deposited in the sub-Arctic, making this contaminant of particular interest to the James Bay region of northern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. By analyzing PBDE body burden (plasma), this contaminant was characterized with regards to its latitudinal variation and concentration. The study established a baseline PBDE level in the communities of the James Bay region and determined concentrations in the traditional foods of the First Nation communities located in the Mushkegowuk Territory of sub-Arctic Canada, to examine potential routes of exposure. The PBDE body burden was found to be low in the Mushkegowuk communities when compared to more northern communities in Canada. Similarly, PBDE body burden in the US and southern Canada is higher than those of the James Bay region. The body burdens of the James Bay Cree are similar to Japanese and Swedish levels. Analysis of traditional foods shows relatively elevated levels of PBDEs in certain game species such as whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos), and moose (Alces alces) compared to other traditional foods from the same area. Data in this thesis can be used for human biomonitoring purposes and the animal data can be combined with consumption data in order to assess the contribution of PBDEs to body burden from a First Nation diet as well as provide guidance when developing safety guidelines for the consumption of traditional foods. While the sub-arctic has been identified as an environmental sink for PBDEs, the levels found in this study indicate that long-range transportation and dietary biomagnification of the contaminant may not be the primary exposure pathway. This may be due to low bioavailability of the contaminant, rapid metabolism, or alternate sources of exposure and should be investigated in future studies.

The First World War left few untouched on Canada’s Native reserves: many councils donated money to war funds, thousands of men enlisted and their families sought support from the Military and war-specific charities, and most became involved in the debate over whether Native men could be conscripted and the implications that decision could have for broader Native-government relations. Much of the extant literature on Native participation in the war has paired enthusiastic Native engagement with the Canadian government’s shabby treatment. However, in many different ways and with many different goals, Native peoples achieved significant success in determining the parameters of their participation in the war. Yet, the resolution of these debates between Native peoples and the Canadian government, specifically the Department of Indian Affairs, inadvertently (from the Native perspective) cemented the Indian Act’s key role in Native peoples’ lives, displacing other foundational agreements and traditional organizational principles of reserve life. Native peoples’ varied participation in the First World War paradoxically saw Natives temporarily take control of their relationship with the Canadian government, but in the end brought them more completely under the authority of the Department of Indian Affairs.

In recent years we have witnessed an increase in the number of two unrelated phenomena in Canada collaborative partnerships and First Nations casino development. This thesis focuses on the integration of these two phenomena by examining the gaming partnership that the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the Province of Saskatchewan established in 1995. The thesis explores the factors that produced the partnership, the issues of negotiations that influenced the partnership arrangement, and the general nature of the partnerships framework from 1995 to 2002. In analyzing these aspects of the partnership, the thesis will address its fundamental question what is the precise nature of the regulatory framework and its implications for the gaming partnership in Saskatchewan? This study reveals that there were deficiencies in the nature of the partnerships framework, particularly with respect to the accountability provisions of the partnering arrangement. Those deficiencies created an accountability crisis in the year 2000, which caused problems both for and between the partners. Eventually, however, the partners decided to move forward in a relatively positive and constructive manner towards a sustainable and successful partnering arrangement.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of Aboriginal school-site administrators regarding effective leadership behaviors in First Nations schools. Thirteen Aboriginal educational administrators were interviewed over a period of one month and a half using a semi-structured interview approach. The sample of participants was drawn from a list of Tribal Councils and Independent First Nations in Saskatchewan. The interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes to 70 minutes. Participants were asked to reflect on: (1) what leadership characteristics an effective administrator of a First Nation school must possess; (2) whether ethnicity and gender of the educational administrator were important considerations in First Nations schools; (3) positive characteristics of role models of Aboriginal educational administrators; (4) personal and social problems on First Nations that affected the role of the educational administrator; and (5) what training activities were helpful in the preparation of potential educational leaders. <p>Findings suggested that the main characteristics of effective administrators in First Nations schools included being person-oriented and flexible. All thirteen administrators interviewed considered the ability to speak a First Nation language important, although not essential, if the major language spoken on the First Nation was English. Ethnicity of the administrator may not be a necessary consideration for administrators in First Nations schools. Being able to adapt to the cultural milieu of the First Nation was more important. Findings further suggested that gender of the administrator in a First Nation school was not an important consideration. Female administrators could be effective if given the opportunity. Role models in the lives of the participants played a major part in the overall success of the participants. <p>Findings of this study further suggested that effective administrators had definite plans and programming in place when dealing with social problems which exist on First Nations. Being knowledgeable about the types of support services available at the Band level was important. The main strategy employed by the interviewees involved the utilization of a team approach to problem solving. When dealing with student behavioral problems, most administrators followed policies set by the school board. Last of all, the participants made recommendations which potential Aboriginal educational leaders could use in order to move into administrative positions at the First Nation level.