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Hello sust-mar list members, This is a posting (slightly edited), which I recently made to another list I belong to, "left bio". I thought it would also be of interest to members of this list. Critical and other comments from activists would be appreciated. Best, David Orton * * * * * * * * * * * * Deep ecology, animism and land ethics This post is about what kind of relationship there can be between "traditional" aboriginal thinking and deep ecology, and how this becomes reflected in land use practices. It is something that I have written on in the past (see for example the article in Wild Earth, Fall 1995, "The Wild Path Forward: Left Biocentrism, Park Issues and Forestry, A Canadian View", Green Web Bulletin #44), but it is really for me a continuing concern. I believe that this is quite important philosophically. If we can understand this, then one can attempt to deal with various practical questions and dilemmas in the environmental movement regarding aboriginal- related issues, from a consistent philosophical basis. In a nutshell, I find a traditionalist world view extremely attractive and progressive from the perspective of all I hold dear. But this view, although it is rooted in an animistic spirituality, remains in the end human-centered. Because of this, it seems to me, the "use" of Nature in a modern industrial context can ultimately be justified: for example, human usage of parks or natural areas, and support for commercial hunting and trapping. The following quote from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, shows one example of this human-centered and religious position, which one finds over and over again in traditional aboriginal writings: Elders believe there is only one solution: living life according to the Creator's instructions. The Creator's guidance ensured that the land, sea and sky, and all creatures dwelling there, would remain for future generations. The Creator's instructions provided for maintenance and care of the earth. Long before government imposed its rules and regulations, Aboriginal peoples had their own systems of territorial use and maintenance. Vol.4, pp. 140-141 Yet just underneath the above, the text goes on to show that Nature becomes ultimately a "resource": Most elders want to see co-management of natural resources such as wildlife, oil and gas, forests, water and minerals. p. 141 A further conundrum for me, is how, with the animistic traditional world view of aboriginal peoples, did the large faunal extinctions occur in, say, New Zealand and the Americas? These extinctions, if they occurred as claimed by some whose views I respect, for example, Paul Martin, Michael Soule and Jared Diamond, took place outside the influence of modern technology and eurocentrism. This remains a puzzle for me, which ultimately has to be resolved, if one supports aboriginal animism. I think occasions come up on environmental and social justice issues, where one supports aboriginals and on other occasions it could be necessary to oppose them. I would not see such differences as arbitrary but grounded in a basic Earth-centered thought-out position. We have an exchange of publications with _The Friends of Clayoquot Sound Newsletter_. The Fall/Winter 98/99 issue just came out. It illustrates this support and opposition position referred to above, as it comes up in practical situations. I have not had direct personal contact with FOCS, but have very much admired their work. That is, of trying to bring the legacy of industrial logging of old growth rainforests to a halt in the Sound, and to do this in alliance with the indigenous peoples of that area, showing sensitivity for their interests and concerns. The front page story "Interfor Leaves Catface" in the FOCS Newsletter, describes how a month long blockade of a new logging road being built on Catface Mountain, which started in September of 1998, eventually forced the company to leave: At issue was the company's Catface logging plan which does not remotely live up to the 'world-class ecosystem-first' forestry intended by the Clayoquot Sound Scientific Panel. Later in the article is noted the position of some aboriginal people from the area to the blockade: To our regret, the Hereditary Chiefs and the Band Council of the Ahousaht First Nation, whose territory includes Catface, opposed the protest. They issued two statements saying that the Ahousaht and all government agencies had approved the Catface logging, and demanded that the protest cease. We replied that, while we respect First Nations' jurisdiction over their lands, we have the right to oppose their decisions, just as we have the right to oppose any government's decisions. A delegation from the Chiefs also drove up to the barricade and demanded that we dismantle it, which we declined to do. A meeting with the Chiefs to discuss our different perspectives is still pending. The Newsletter also has an article "Connections" reporting on the work of Joe Martin, who I would assume is an aboriginal, detailing his fifth visit to Germany. We are told that Martin is a spokesperson for "native human rights" and two of these tours had him accompanied by Valerie Langer of The Friends of Clayoquot Sound. So what I see here in the FOCS Newsletter is support for aboriginals, but also the willingness to oppose when land use issues demand it. Like I have said above, a basic issue is the relationship of deep ecology to the animistic spirituality of aboriginal peoples. Below is part of what I wrote on this in the _Wild Earth_ article of Fall 1995. >My own preliminary position is that deep ecology is a >movement beyond indigenous attitudes to nature, which centre >around human use, however respectfully carried out. One might >characterize the best Native positions regarding relationships >to the natural world as "deep stewardship" - a position that >still remains human-centered. Although adequate for gathering >and hunting societies with little technology and small >numbers of people, it is not encompassing enough for the >survival of the natural world in the 1990s. > >David Suzuki and Peter Knudtson, in their book _Wisdom of the >Elders_, an examination of a number of aboriginal views, >write: > Aboriginal peoples' relationship with other life-forms > comes from a deep respect that is ultimately self- > interested. > >This native human-centered world view believes that animal and plant >life is on Earth for human use... -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- You received this because you are subscribed to "sust-mar", the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list. To unsubscribe, send email to <majordomo@chebucto.ns.ca> with "unsubscribe sust-mar" (without quotes) as the body of your message. 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