The gift in the animal: The ontology of hunting and human–animal sociality

Abstract

Many hunting peoples conceive of hunting as a process of reciprocal exchange between hunters and other‐than‐human persons, and anthropologists have tended to view such accounts as purely symbolic or metaphorical. To the extent that our theories deny the validity of northern hunters' conceptions of animals and the ontological assumptions on which they are based, however, we legitimize agents of the state when they dismiss the possibility that aboriginal knowledge and practices might serve as the factual basis for making wildlife management policy. In this article, I argue that our refusal to consider aboriginal accounts of hunting as perhaps literally as well as metaphorically valid has both contributed to the marginalization of aboriginal peoples and foreclosed important avenues of inquiry into hunting societies and the nature of human–animal relations. I focus on human–animal relations as a form of reciprocal exchange and argue that the development of a theoretical framework that can accommodate northern hunters' ontological assumptions is warranted theoretically as well as politically.

Elephant and Mammoth Hunting during the Paleolithic: A Review of the Relevant Archaeological, Ethnographic and Ethno-Historical Records

“…Recent hunter-gatherer societies world-wide are practicing ceremonies and rituals aimed at negotiating the divide between the appreciation of animals as equal co-dwellers of the world on the one hand, and the hunting of the same animals on the other [57,151]. These rituals are oriented, in many cases, both towards negotiating with the specific "Lord of animals" regarding the hunt and for maintaining social order, equality and personal autonomy within the group.…”

Conservation and care: material politics and Atlantic salmon on Newfoundland’s Gander River

“…In Alaska, Fienup-Riordan (1994) has traced the conflict between Indigenous groups and recreational fishers, while Nadasdy (2003Nadasdy ( ,2007 examines similar conflicts in the Yukon. In both contexts catch-and-release is considered 'senseless abuse' (Fienup-Riordan, 1994, 184) and is a practice that fails to respect the fish who gives up its life for food consumed by humans.…”

Agency and Resilience: Teachings of Pikangikum First Nation Elders, Northwestern Ontario

“…For the Anishinaabe, then, there is one system of relations that must be navigated as opposed to two domains that must be articulated, such as social-ecological. The possession of life, i.e., agency, power, or creativity, as expressed through Pikangikum teachings is something that allows beings to grow, mature, develop, change physical form, and inhabit other physical forms and allows beings to influence their own and others' pursuit of a good life (Hallowell 1960, see Ingold 2000, Nadasdy 2007 for other subarctic examples). This attitude contributes to resolving the existential human paradox that sustaining life requires taking life (Martin 1982, Overholt andCallicott 1982).…”