Recognition and use of indigenous knowledge in resource management can increase the
information available about the resource and facilitate establishment of a larger management role
for local resource users. This paper examines the use of indigenous knowledge in resource
management using the case of knowledge of Pacific salmon {Oncorhynchus spp.) among the
Upper St'at'imc, near Lillooet, British Columbia (B.C.). Salmon in the study area are currently
managed by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). This system was established
in the 1940s and overlays a traditional management system consisting of fishing site ownership, a
well-defined system of access to sites, rules of conduct at fishing sites for the catching and
processing of fish, and harvest restrictions. Recent DFO policy changes, signified by the
Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy, indicate a movement toward a larger management role for First
Nations. This study addresses what indigenous knowledge is available, how it compares to
knowledge used by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and how indigenous knowledge can
be used in modern salmon stock management. A literature review was supplemented by
interviews with elders, young Upper St'at'imc leaders, and both DFO and non-DFO biologists.
Current indigenous knowledge pertains to salmon stocks, habitat, and practices and
philosophy. Indigenous knowledge can be primarily distinguished from western scientific
knowledge on the basis of the following properties of the indigenous system: a greater amount of
qualitative vs. quantitative information; an obvious recognition and discussion of anomalies; the
perception of a wide range of variables in a region; the use of specific local technology; the
development of analysis based on both observations over a medium-sized area and traditional
ideologies; and differences in institutional arrangements for gathering knowledge. Differences
between indigenous and western scientific knowledge are related to the requirement that DFO
accumulate and process a large amount of information over a very large geographical area.
Several barriers exist to using indigenous knowledge in modern resource management,
including the fact that indigenous knowledge does not fit readily into established methods for
gathering and analyzing data. Using indigenous knowledge may be facilitated by innovations at
both the local and state levels. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/3724 |
Date | 05 1900 |
Creators | DeShield, Coral Ginger |
Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
Format | 7953944 bytes, application/pdf |
Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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