The Rise of Aboriginal Forestry in Canada

In the last three decades, forestry has emerged as a new practice among Aboriginal communities in Canada to provide them with economic development. Without a historical perspective of the interrelatedness between Aboriginal communities and mainstream Canadian society, the implications of Aboriginal forestry cannot be analyzed. This book, therefore, examines changes in mainstream society that have impacted Aboriginal communities, such as Canadian resource-dependent economy, Aboriginal and treaty rights, and environmentalism. Also, burning practices in Canada, sacred groves of India, and Japanese mountain landscapes are reviewed to show how people with close connection to their environment have developed a unique perspective of forests. The latter part of this book analyzes how the Little Red River Cree Nation in Alberta has developed forestry in co-operation with governments and forest companies in order to advance their interests and assert their cultural values. The analysis should be useful for scholars in the field of forest management involving Aboriginal communities, for First Nations policy analysis, and for anyone who has an interest in the human-environment relationship.