Wabusk of the Omushkegouk: Cree-Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Interactions in Northern Ontario

Lemelin, Raynald Harvey; Dowsley, Martha; Walmark, Brian; Siebel, Franz; Bird, Louis; Hunter, George Stanford; Myles, Tommy; Mack, Maurice; Gull, Matthew; Kakekaspan, Matthew

doi:10.1007/s10745-010-9355-x

Cited by 24 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Use of terrestrial foods by polar bears in the summer has commonly been reported in the literature for a number of populations (Russell, 1975;Derocher et al, 1993;Rockwell and Gormezano, 2009). Lemelin et al (2010) and Kakekaspan et al (2010) documented Cree observations of polar bears hunting beavers, and Slavik (2013) documented observations of polar bears scavenging on muskoxen, caribou, and grass in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Use of terrestrial foods was also previously reported for the CS population in Alaska (Kalxdorff, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…By connecting past and present knowledge, documentation of Inuit qaujimajatuqangit (IQ, a term for TK used in Nunavut) in Canada has sought to capture trends in polar bear denning (Van de Velde et al, 2003), local polar bear abundance, and distribution over time, and to discover how unfolding processes of climate change may be affecting these trends (Dowsley, 2005;Keith et al, 2005;Kotierk, 2010a, b). Studies in other parts of Canada, including northwestern Ontario (Kakekaspan et al, 2010;Lemelin et al, 2010) and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Slavik, 2010(Slavik, , 2013, have likewise built on TK and human -polar bear interactions to contextualize current indigenous observations about polar bears. In Greenland, Born et al (2011) examined interrelated changes in ice conditions, polar bear abundance, growing polar bear catch, and shifting local hunting methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>) in Northwestern Alaska

Voorhees¹,

Sparks²,

Huntington³

et al. 2014

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are an iconic Arctic species, but residents of Arctic coastal communities are among the few who have opportunities to observe their behavior for extended periods of time. Documenting traditional knowledge about polar bears is thus an important research approach, especially in light of recent rapid changes to summer sea ice extent. We interviewed polar bear hunters in seven Alaska Native communities along the coast of the northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea. Our study confirmed findings from similar research conducted in the mid-1990s and added information about the responses of polar bears to more recent environmental change. The distribution and local abundance of polar bears have changed over time, though different communities report different patterns. Polar bears arrive from the north later in fall than previously. Despite substantial changes in sea ice and other aspects of polar bear habitat, the animals generally appear to be in good body condition, and cubs continue to be observed regularly. While polar bears continue to feed primarily on seals, they have been observed eating a diverse range of foods, including eggs, greens, fish, berries, and other foods as available. Reduction in harvest levels due to environmental, economic, and social factors is the overriding trend; however, in years when bears are particularly abundant around villages, this pattern is temporarily reversed. Polar bears remain important spiritually and culturally for the indigenous communities of northern and western Alaska.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>) in Northwestern Alaska

Voorhees¹,

Sparks²,

Huntington³

et al. 2014

ARCTIC

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“…There is some limited information on polar bear TEK in the Southern Hudson Bay region based on a study conducted in the Ontario communities of Fort Severn and Peawanuck (Kakekaspan et al, 2010;Lemelin et al, 2010). However, little information has been compiled and published on the TEK of polar bear populations from the EMR communities in Québec (McDonald et al, 1997;Herrmann et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to document polar bear knowledge in the EMR. This interview method has proven appropriate in North American Arctic Indigenous groups (Ferguson and Messier, 1997;Huntington, 1998;Dowsley, 2007;Ferguson et al, 2012), as well as Cree communities in Ontario and Québec (Lemelin et al, 2010;Herrmann et al, 2012;Royer et al, 2013). The interview strategy is flexible and openended, and it allows for the expression of personal positions and beliefs.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Polar Bears in the Northern Eeyou Marine Region, Québec, Canada + Supplementary Appendix 1 (See Article Tools)

Laforest¹,

Hébert²,

Obbard³

et al. 2018

ARCTIC

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Polar bears are important socio-cultural symbols in the communities of the Eeyou Marine Region (EMR) in northwestern Québec, Canada. Members of the Cree communities in this region are generally not active polar bear hunters, but they encounter polar bears when fishing, trapping, or hunting during the ice-free season. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that reduced annual sea ice cover in Hudson Bay has led to declines in body condition of polar bears in the local Southern Hudson Bay subpopulation and to a population decline in the neighboring Western Hudson Bay subpopulation. In June 2012, we conducted 15 semi-directed interviews on the subject of polar bear biology and climate change with local elders and hunters in three communities in the northern EMR: Wemindji, Chisasibi, and Whapmagoostui. The interviews held in Whapmagoostui included informants from Kuujjuarapik, the adjacent Inuit community. The interviews addressed knowledge gaps in the Recovery Strategy for Polar Bear in Ontario. Transcripts of the interviews were coded thematically and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The interviews revealed important insights into polar bear distribution, terrestrial habitat use, denning, and foraging patterns. Participants were unanimous in their recognition of a warming climate and prolonged ice-free season in the area in recent years. However, communities differed in their observations on other issues, with latitudinal trends evident in observations of polar bear distribution, denning activity, and foraging habits. Communities also differed in their perception of the prevalence of problem polar bears and the conservation status of the species, with one-third of participants reporting that polar bears will be unaffected by, or even benefit from, longer ice-free periods. A majority of participants indicated that the local polar bear population was stable or increasing. Interviewees also identified future research priorities pertinent to the communities, and provided comments on the methods employed by polar bear biologists. Our results demonstrate that communities in the EMR have important knowledge about polar bear ecology and illustrate the unique opportunities and challenges of combining traditional ecological knowledge with wildlife science in the context of a rapidly changing subarctic environment.

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“…polar bears (Lemelin et al 2010 ) and dugongs (Johannes and MacFarlane 1991 ), birds e.g. ivory gulls (Mallory et al 2003 ) and reptiles e.g.…”

Section: Providing Additional Information For Resource Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oral Histories: Informing Natural Resource Management Using Perceptions of the Past

Thurstan

Buckley

Pandolfi

2016

Perspectives on Oceans Past

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Wabusk of the Omushkegouk: Cree-Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Interactions in Northern Ontario

Cited by 24 publications

References 47 publications

Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>) in Northwestern Alaska

Traditional Knowledge about Polar Bears (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>) in Northwestern Alaska

Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Polar Bears in the Northern Eeyou Marine Region, Québec, Canada + Supplementary Appendix 1 (See Article Tools)

Oral Histories: Informing Natural Resource Management Using Perceptions of the Past

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