ASFB and ASL 2014* Remobilizing Netukulimk: Indigenous cultural and spiritual connections with resource stewardship and fisheries management in Atlantic Canada (#56)
Recent global initiatives such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have brought the issues facing and needs of Indigenous peoples to the forefront of international attention. While underscoring respect for traditional practices, these initiatives have yet to appreciate fully the extent to which Indigenous peoples’ practices engage ways of being, living and believing that encompass a holistic understanding of the relations between humans and all facets of their ecosystems. The Mi’kmaq, the Indigenous people of Atlantic Canada, capture and express their holistic understanding through the concept of Netukulimk. In this presentation we review core attributes of Netukulimk. We also review key events that have impacted on Netukulimk and resulted in marginalization of the Mi’kmaq from policy and management processes. We close the presentation with an overview and discussion of recent developments wherein the Mi’kmaq are working to revitalize the place of Netukulimk in treaty-based rights and Mi’kmaq law-ways, particularly within self-governing resource stewardship and fisheries management initiatives. The Mi’kmaq experiences provide insights regarding the challenges and requirements for achieving respect for traditional practices and point a way forward for more effective and inclusive stewardship of natural aquatic resources into the future.
