Indigenous caretaking of beargrass and the social and ecological consequences of adaptations to maintain beargrass weaving practices

Ecology and Society: a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability

article

Georgia M. Hart-Fredeluces¹  Morey Burnham¹  Mehana Blaich Vaughan³  George Hart⁶  Jo Ann Hart⁶  Elaine St. Martin⁷  June Ward⁸  Tamara Ticktin^1,10 

[1] Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminology, Idaho State University;Department of Life Sciences, University of HawaiÊ»i at Mānoa;Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa;Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program;Hui 'Ä€ina Momona, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa;Northwest Basket Weavers;Columbia Basin Basketry Guild;Northwest Native American Basket Weavers Association;Makah Tribe;School of Life Sciences, University of HawaiÊ»i at Mānoa

关键词: basketry;    biocultural conservation;    non-timber forest products (NTFPs);    resilience;    stewardship;    traditional ecologicalknowledge;    wildland fire;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ES-13588-270422

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Resilience Alliance Publications

【 摘 要 】

Indigenous ecologies have persisted through major social and ecological changes including settler colonialism.Adaptations have been a necessary part of this resilience, however little attention has been given to the consequences of these adaptationsfor Indigenous Peoples and ecologies. Without exploring these consequences, we are left with an incomplete understanding of adaptationthat potentially obscures social and ecological costs associated with resilience. Here we describe the contemporary caretaking of aculturally-significant plant used in weaving traditions called beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax Melanthiaceae), and discuss how adaptivepractices to maintain biocultural connections to beargrass have influenced both socio-cultural and ecological systems. We ask: (1) Howis beargrass stewarded and used today? (2) What are the adaptive practices that Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest haveused to maintain cultural traditions through changing conditions? (3) What are some of the social and ecological consequences ofthese adaptations? Through semi-structured interviews with cultural practitioners we identified multiple reciprocal practices that forma basis of the caretaking relationship. In order to compensate for a lack of access to beargrass and lack of ability to exercise sovereigntyin land management, practitioners described substituting other weaving materials for beargrass, as well as caretaking substitutions.These adaptations were not uniformly accepted and for some either represented significant cultural losses or placed additional burdenson communities. We also collected ecological field data on beargrass. Using structural equation modeling, we found that a key adaptivepractice, the substitution of tree pruning for cultural fire, can replicate key short-term benefits of fire for beargrass populations, butdoes not appear to replicate longer term benefits. In sum, adaptive practices have allowed beargrass traditions to persist throughcolonialism, but cannot fully substitute for social and ecological benefits of pre-colonial caretaking, and also result in losses and/oradditional burdens for communities. Investigating what adaptations to maintain resilience do in communities, and for whom, is necessaryin order to fully appreciate the costs and benefits of adaptations that support resilience through various forms of perturbation.

【 授权许可】

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