The Guardian North America
Indigenous scientists braid clam gardens and fire with western methods
Knowledge recapCleared for publication
Marine ecologist Marco Hatch surveys clam gardens with seven Indigenous communities in the Pacific north-west. These are rock-walled, terraced beaches that Native communities began building at least 4,000 years ago. His data helps the nations obtain the permits they need to restore them, and studies show clams are more plentiful inside the gardens than outside. The article describes similar work elsewhere. In Maine, Wabanaki practitioners showed in a comparison study how to harvest sweet grass with the greatest ecological benefit. In Michigan, the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians worked with US Forest Service researchers on more than 20 surveys making the case for reintroducing prescribed fire. "Western science can help, as long as Native people are still decision makers." — Suzanne Greenlaw, ecologist, Schoodic Institute
Why it matters
Researchers quoted in the article describe a shift from dismissing Indigenous knowledge to combining it with western methods. They also say Indigenous people must stay decision makers and be involved from the start of research.
Read the original at The Guardian
Origins, evidence and credits
Original headline: Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging
- Origins and holders
- Clam gardening, sweet grass harvesting and prescribed burning are practices held by the Native nations named in the article. Hatch describes clam-garden knowledge as "sleeping" knowledge that elders reawaken when they return to the beaches.
- What was checked
- The article reports that studies found higher clam productivity inside gardens. It also reports that a comparison study, and more than 20 ecology surveys, tested the Wabanaki and Sault Ste Marie practices against western assessments.
- Limits reported
- The article says Wabanaki harvest rights and the permissions to harvest restored marsh foods are still unresolved. Kisha Supernant warns that the burden of proof still falls on Indigenous communities.
People and institutions credited
Marco Hatch (marine ecologist, Western Washington University; enrolled member of the Samish Indian Nation); Kyle Whyte (professor of environmental justice, University of Michigan; member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation); Kisha Supernant (Métis and Papaschase; director, Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology, University of Alberta); Suzanne Greenlaw (citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians; ecologist, Schoodic Institute); Wabanaki practitioners; the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; Lela Nargi (reporter, The Guardian).