M'sit No'kmaq published in FACETS
“Awakening the sleeping giant”: re-Indigenization principles for transforming biodiversity conservation in Canada and beyond
Authors: M’sɨt No’kmaq (all my relations), Albert Marshall, Karen F. Beazley, Jessica Hum, shalan joudry, Anastasia Papadopoulos, Sherry Pictou, Janet Rabesca, Lisa Young, and Melanie Zurba
“Awakening the sleeping giant” comes from the Mi’kmaw or L’nuwey Creation Story: “Creator taught him to watch and learn about the world. Kluskap learned that mutual respect of his family and the world around him was a key ingredient for basic survival. Kluskap’s task was to pass this knowledge to his fellow Mi’kmaq people, so that they too could survive in the Mi’kmaq world…. Legend says that he will return once again to the Mi’kmaq people when they need him most” (L. Young 2020)
Mi’kma’kik is the name for the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq or L’nuk (Young 2018). The Mi’kmaw concept of M’sɨt No’kmaq represents a kin-relationship with the land, waters and all living beings (Marshall 2020 (Supplementary Material 2); Young 2018). Roughly translated it means “all my relations”. We have chosen M’sɨt No’kmaq as lead author to honour the collective and to acknowledge that all stories, learning, and language come from the land. We are just the conduit. This follows Mi’kmaw cultural teachings to speak for collective intellectual rights. Elder A. Marshall is second author, and other authors are listed alphabetically. In the Mi’kmaw language there is no stronger intonation to first person versus collective. Consistent with this teaching, shalan chooses to not capitalize her name.
Abstract
Precipitous declines in biodiversity threaten planetary boundaries, requiring transformative changes to conservation. Colonial systems have decimated species and ecosystems and dispossessed Indigenous Peoples of their rights, territories, and livelihoods. Despite these challenges, Indigenous-governed lands retain a large proportion of biodiversity-rich landscapes. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded the land in ways that support people and nature in respectful relationship. Biodiversity conservation and resurgence of Indigenous autonomies are mutually compatible aims. To work towards these aims requires significant transformation in conservation and re-Indigenization. Key to both are systems that value people and nature in all their diversity and relationships. This paper introduces Indigenous principles for re-Indigenizing conservation: (i) embracing Indigenous worldviews of ecologies and M’sɨt No’kmaq, (ii) learning from Indigenous languages of the land, (iii) Natural laws and Netukulimk, (iv) correct relationships, (v) total reflection and truth, (vi) Etuaptmumk—“two-eyed seeing,” and “strong like two people”, and (vii) “story-telling/story-listening”. Although the principles derive primarily from a Mi’kmaw worldview, many are common to diverse Indigenous ways of knowing. Achieving the massive effort required for biodiversity conservation in Canada will entail transformations in worldviews and ways of thinking and bold, proactive actions, not solely as means but as ongoing imperatives.
FACETS 27 May 2021