Understanding the connection between people and the land: Implications for social-ecological health at Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 Independent First Nation (Ontario).

摘要

Iskatewizaagegan Independent First Nation (IIFN), in Shoal Lake, Ontario, has a rich history with the land. Living off the land is important to the Aboriginal people socially, physically, spiritually and economically for centuries. Over the years, the community has seen several culturally and historically significant sites deteriorate, physically and in significance to youth. Reaffirming the importance of these sites, the people sought out a process of social-ecological restoration. In the past, the people managed the land with prescribed burns and the harvest of non-timber forest products serving to increase the complexity of the ecosystem and create economic diversity. The research is part of a continued movement towards the achievement of that balance once more.; The purpose of this study was to document the cultural history of the five sites, determined by the community of Iskatewizaagegan First Nation, enabling the analysis of several media forms (audio, video, photographic) to be used to document the relationship between the health of the land and the health of the people and consider indicators for social-ecological health. The objectives of the research were: (1) to explore and document traditional ecological knowledge regarding the history, use, and cultural importance of the five sites; (2) to determine community level indicators of social-ecological health; (3) to facilitate an opportunity for intergenerational exchange and learning by linking community youth with Elders in an effort to bridge the generation gap; and (4) to develop a multi-media resource on the five sites for use by the community and their school with the various documented media forms and methodologies. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)