Indigenous Land-Based Approaches to Well-Being: The Amisk (Beaver) Harvesting Program in Subarctic Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The act of decolonizing knowledge systems involves recovering and renewing traditional, non-commodified cultural patterns, such as the sustenance of intergenerational relationships and traditional practices. A decline in beaver harvesting, which was once an integral part of the Omushkego Cree culture, has resulted in an overabundance of beavers and dams, which has negatively affected communities by increasing the local flooding events and impacting the water quality. The aim of the Amisk (beaver) program was to reconnect the Elders and youth to revitalize traditional on-the-land activities and, in the present case, beaver harvesting and associated activities within the community. The program and evaluation were built using a two-eyed seeing (Etuaptmumk) and community-based participatory research approach. Salivary cortisol, a biomedical measure of stress, was collected before and after participation in the program. Photovoice, along with semi-directed interviews, were employed to identify the key elements of well-being from a First Nations’ perspective. For the beaver harvesting activities, the changes observed in the cortisol concentrations were not statistically significant (p = 0.094). However, the act of beaver dam removal was associated with a statistically significant increase in the post-participation cortisol concentration (p = 0.021). It was noteworthy that increased stress during the removal of the beaver dams–as indicated by the elevated post-activity cortisol levels–were not reflected in a decrease in the qualitative measures (semi-directed interviews and photovoice) of well-being from an Indigenous perspective. In fact, there was a noted increase in the subjective well-being of the participants, which highlights the importance of multiple perspectives when assessing well-being, especially in Indigenous peoples. However, the cortisol findings of the present pilot project need to be interpreted with caution, due to the limited sample sizes.

Indigenous Land-Based Approaches to Well-Being: The Niska (Goose) Harvesting Program in Subarctic Ontario, Canada

“…The methods for this study were similar to the Amisk (beaver) harvesting program [ 13 ], which sought to address the issues of community flooding, an overabundance of beavers, and the intergenerational disruption of Indigenous knowledge within Fort Albany FN of subarctic Canada. Similarly, this Niska (goose) harvesting program was developed to address community concerns related to the decreased participation in harvesting activities.…”

“…Some of the main factors contributing to this are the increased cost of food, increased dependence on market foods, and the prohibitive costs (i.e., equipment) of participating in traditional land-based activities such as, hunting, trapping, and fishing [ 4 , 5 , 11 , 12 ]. Although the importance of traditional foods is widely recognized, a large portion of the dietary intake is from store-bought foods, especially for young people in the community [ 5 , 11 , 13 ]. The readily available prepacked, store-bought food is known to be higher in refined sugars and saturated fats [ 14 ], and could potentially lead to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease [ 3 , 15 , 16 ] as adults.…”

“…Communities are given scores ranging from a low of zero to a high of 100, which then aim to reinforce the importance of community-specific approaches when developing policies and programs. Notably, this index does not include culturally relevant variables, such as the relation to the land, which has been cited as an important indicator of well-being for Indigenous peoples [ 13 , 33 , 46 , 47 ]. The absence of these factors indicates a need for research into further understanding health and well-being in the context of social and cultural factors, and beyond the traditional biomedical approach [ 47 ].…”

“…Climate change [ 52 ] and colonization [ 31 ] have individually been identified as factors impacting the allostatic load, which can alter cortisol concentrations due to the cumulative burdens of chronic stress. The unequal exposure to stressful social and environmental factors impacts how the brain processes stimuli and has been shown to underlie health and well-being disparities, with stress being of importance [ 13 , 49 , 51 ]. There is a need for more studies that employ both the Indigenous and western perspectives to address the complex factors influencing the health and well-being of Indigenous populations.…”

“…Within Fort Albany FN, Elders and other community members have expressed the need for more programs following the seasonal harvesting practices of the Omushkego Cree to ensure the cultural continuity and increase the social cohesion [ 13 ]. One such program was the sharing-the-harvest initiative [ 3 ], in which the benefits of geese harvesting on food security, environmental conservation, and social cohesion were identified.…”