1. Chapter 2 Living on the Land

2. Respect for the Land and Resources
First Nations people respect and co-exist with nature
Resources are viewed as more than food or materials, but as gifts from the natural and supernatural realms
thank animals and plants for sharing their gifts with the people

3. Respect Influences Land Use
This respect for the land influences how they use resources and why First Nations are on the front lines of environmental activism
Stewardship: care and management of the local resources. It implies a responsibility to respect and protect the resources in return for using them.

4. Swanson Occupation
A group of First Nations and environmentalists are occupying a salmon farm near Alert Bay, B.C., and say they won't leave until the provincial and federal governments revoke permits for illegal Marine Harvest Canada salmon farms in their territorial waters off the north end of Vancouver Island.
Farmed Atlantic salmon threatening wild salmon and herring stocks
-  fish appeared blind, deformed or diseased

5. The Threat is Evident
Unhealthy Farmed Salmon in Marine Harvest Canada salmon farms
Healthy Salmon

6. HARVESTING RESOURCES wide variety of technologies developed and used
high degree of skill to effectively use natural resources at hand

7. Gathering Plants Important for daily, ceremonial and spiritual life
provided food, medicine, tools, dyes, containers, fuel and fibre
most easily harvested by hand or with simple tools
woven baskets, digging sticks, adzes for chopping
some plants tended for better crop
Done mainly by women, but a group activity if picked during short season
usually involved spiritual element
First Fruit ceremony first berry welcomed and thanked for giving its bounty

8. Fishing Techniques Cooperative effort involving a family group
needed understanding of the water – tides, winds, currents
open ocean: trolling hooks or nets
tidal waters: beach seines, reef net
ocean river mouths: stone traps
rivers: weirs, spears, dip nets, basket traps, platforms, stages, gill nets, torch lights
needed understanding of the species
Oolichan: funnel-shaped nets, dip nets, rakes
Halibut hooks
Ice fishing: fishing lines of sinew
Sturgeon fishing: double-headed harpoon, large trawl net

9. Hunting Techniques
Required highly developed tracking skill, intimate knowledge of territory, and needed to understand animal behavior
Attract animals using sounds that mimic deer or moose
Individually hunted using bows and arrows
People worked together to hunt whole herds; hunting teams
Fences or corrals, Deadfalls, Dug Pits

10. PRESERVING AND USING RESOURCES
Most common preservation was drying – wind, sun, heat and smoke
structure built to dry or smoke meat: open air racks, smokehouses
Coast: stored food in bentwood boxes
Interior: raised caches, underground pits (winter)

11. Hides raw hide for cord and drums
valuable for clothing, footwear, shelters
tanning a complex technology needing skill and knowledge
tanning the skins:
skin the animal and scrape the hair and fat off
chemical process
timing

12. Textiles and Baskets
Plant fibres used for clothing, mats, baskets, rope and twine
women usually had role of gathering and processing plants
specialized knowledge of gather and process skills
weaving and basket making developed into complex art almost always done by women
robes signifying power, social status, spiritual
Coast Salish highly regarded

13. Making Tools and Household Goods
winter replenished tools needed
most knew how to make tools
some experts in to make sophisticated tools
great expertise needed to grind, pierce, and smooth material for utility and beauty
hunter’s most important tool – bow and arrows
Nothing wasted of resources – all parts used
Moose - parts not used for food:
skin - tanned for many uses
antlers - moose calls, knives, scrappers
bones - awls and needles
sinew – thread
stomach – bag
larger items specialized by men

14. Creating Shelter different architecture for summer and winter shelters
Interior
Tipis light and portable in summer southern interior
winter pit house : enter through smokehold ladder earth insulated and easy to heat, excavated into ground with conical roof, up to 30 people in a structure
coastal
longhouses or big houses
planks could be removed and transported
important cultural entity and part of social organization decorated with crests, hosted potlatches

15. Transportation
interior – usually walked until arrival of horse in 1700s
developed and maintained network of trails
-built bridges
Snowshoes
canoes
birch bark, dugout canoes of cottonwood, cedar, or ponderosa pine
canoe size to 18mcarry 20 passengers
streamlined to travel great distance and carry large cargo
North: skin canoes - frame of light wood covered with skins

16. MANAGING THE RESOURCES
The 1996 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples defined spirituality in terms of First Nations people in their relationship to the land and resource management: Spirituality, in Aboriginal discourse, is not a system of beliefs that can be defined like a religion; it is a way of life in which people acknowledge that every element of the material world is in some sense infused with spirit, and all human behaviour is affected by, and in turn has an effect in, a non- material, spiritual realm.
traditional way of life integrated social, economic, spiritual elements, natural world, and human world

17. Spirituality and Resources Interconnect
every element of material world is infused with spirit
human behaviour affected by and effects non- material, spiritual realm
example: celebration of earth’s annual rebirth
respect and appreciations for new season
thanked resources for sharing themselves and explained how they would be used
rituals followed when disposing of unused portions
months named after the seasonal activity or resource gathered
special spiritual ceremonies celebrated arrival of key resources

18. Administering Resources Varied
band would hold territorial rights, but share with other bands
example: a family hold rights to specific fishing spots, but once caught all fish needed, others could use the place
hereditary chiefs responsible for prosperity and safety of group
organized economic activities, maintained prestige and social position, lead spiritual pursuits
decisions made by consensus Elders and chiefs
Resources shared for the common good