Re-Indigenizing National Parks: Toward a Theoretical Model of Re-Indigenization (PDF)
Abstract:
National parks serve as important sites of cultural heritage and nature protection, yet they are also colonial constructs and can represent loss of traditional homelands and cultural heritage to the many Indigenous peoples who previously inhabited these now bordered spaces of nature. This has resulted in the near silencing of Indigenous voices, practices, and values related to the natural world. Despite ongoing problems, during the past decade there have been efforts to develop more inclusive policies and practices through collaboration between Indigenous peoples and non-native administrators. This shift in Indigenous engagement provides scholars a new opportunity to investigate their role within nation-states and conservation. This article addresses this urgent and timely topic within the emerging concept of re-indigenization, which is based on Indigenous ontologies and traditional ecological knowledge highlighting Indigenous agency, values and initiatives. I am approaching the topic from a cultural standpoint investigating forms of successful collaboration between Indigenous peoples and non-native stakeholders of protected spaces of nature as stages of re-indigenization.
Keywords: re-indigenization, traditional indigenous ecological knowledge, indigenous ontologies, national parks
Volume 2019 / Issue 2