Aboriginals and Environment

Aboriginals and Environment				reserves. Others live and work in cities across
The environmental concerns have become growing in				Canada.
the modern world of industrial development. In fact, the				The Inuit lived and settled throughout the northern
environmental issue is a very broad one, as it touches				regions of Canada. They adjusted to the cold northern
not only the health implications of pollution, but the world				climate and lived by hunting seals, whales, caribou, and
security as well. The destruction of ecosystem and				polar bears. The majority of Inuit people live in the new
the extraction of limited resources might lead to the				territory called Nunavut and some still hunt for food
world epidemics and hunger. The majority of natural				and clothing.
resources are not reproductive. Thus, people have to				Many of the early French fur traders and some English
be very careful exploiting. Unfortunately, it doesn't				traders married First Nations women. Their children and
always happen. The most part of human-beings are				descendants are the Metis people. The Metis were an
used to neglect environmental issues trying to take				important part of the fur trade and they developed
advantage to the fullest extent from everything that				their own distinct culture on the prairies. When
nature gives.				Europeans arrived in what is now Canada, they began
There exists a common view that aboriginals are the				to make agreements, or treaties, with Aboriginal
best representatives of the latter group of people, as				peoples. The treaty making process meant that
they tie their whole existence with the nature itself.				Aboriginal people gave up their title to lands in
Thus, aboriginals use natural resources, including fishing,				exchange for certain rights and benefits, including
hunting, and harvesting in the biggest extent. In fact, the				continued rights to fish and harvest. It is worth noting,
Canadian society nowadays are faced with the major				according to Usher (2003), that the treaty boundaries
challenge: whether the aboriginals living in Canada				had little to do with the traditionally occupied territories
should or should not be allowed to hunt, fish or trap on				of the Indian signatories, but a lot to do with the needs
a self-regulated basis. This topic is very complicated as				of settlement and the emerging spatial configuration of
it includes moral, political and economical issues.				political control. The Indian understandings of treaty
However, Canadian society as well as Government				were somewhat different. While they had certainly
has to resolve the problem in order both to prevent				undertaken not to interfere with prospectors and
tensions and ensure efficient ecological policies.				government officials, they also considered that they
This article will attempt to argue that Aboriginals of				had secured the necessary guarantees of their
Canada should be allowed to hunt, fish and trap on a				traditional livelihood, and to continue to benefit from and
self-regulated basis, because Aboriginals feel a spiritual				manage their own resources and activities. In the
bond with their natural environment, and as a result are				territorial North, where well past the middle of the
morally and socially obliged to extract only what they				twentieth century no reserves had been selected,
need from their resource base. There are three main				many Indians understood the reserve concept to
assumption used to prove the hypothesis stated				mean areas almost as large as the traditional territories
above:				themselves, in which they would have exclusive
It is the growing economic development and capitalistic				harvesting rights.
system of nature exploitation that lead to substantial				The history of Aboriginals in Canada is the history of
environmental concerns.				survival and close interconnectedness with nature. In
Natural resources are highly utilized by both Aboriginal				fact what happened in the years following the treaties
and non-aboriginal communities, therefore, it is not only				was a process of progressive encroachment and
the concern and the guilt of the former.				restriction that led to the disruption of livelihood and
Self-regulation doesn't merely involve the issue of				community. Peter Usher (2003) gives the following
harvesting resources. The establishment of				example of ollution and contamination of river systems.
self-regulated practices should be the ground-base for				Perhaps the best-publicized example is the
broader self-government issue.				contamination of the English and Winnipeg Rivers by
Those are the major points discussed in the research				mercury discharged by local pulp and paper mills, and
paper with regard to the major topic. The main goal of				the catastrophic effects on the Grassy Narrows and
the paper is to show that civilized society of either				Whitedog Indian Reserves. The commercial fishery
ethnicity should gain more freedom including				was ordered closed in the spring of 1970, several
self-government, as the latter is the best way to				fishing lodges soon closed due to adverse publicity, and
enhance full personal responsibility concerning different				by the mid-1970s, Health Canada was advising
issues including this of environment.				residents not to eat fish. The rivers-- the source of
Capitalistic system and nature exploitation.				food and livelihood for Aboriginals--were declared to
Today, virtually everyone agrees that there has been				be poisoned. Prior to contamination the fishery had
a serious degradation of the natural environment in				accounted for about half of all personal income on the
which we live, by comparison with 30 years ago. I don't				two reserves, and had come to provide the material
take even longer period, because the difference would				focus of social and cultural continuity of Aboriginal
be amazingly enormous. And this is the case, despite				Population. Adverse effects of the loss were not
the fact that there have been continuous significant				simply economic, but medical, social and psychological.
technological inventions and an expansion of scientific				This tragical story shows how important it is for
knowledge that one might have expected would have				Aboriginals to keep up with nature, to live with nature,
led to the opposite consequence. As a result, today,				cause the latter is the only source of survival.
unlike 30 or 100 or 500 years ago, ecology has				Moreover, Aboriginal culture for centuries enhanced
become a serious political issue in many parts of the				closed ties with natural environment. It means that
world. There are even reasonably significant political				close interconnectedness with all living for Aboriginals is
movements organized centrally around the theme of				not merely a means of satisfaction of their basic
defending the environment against further degradation				needs. It is a spiritual thing, it is a magic that they've
and reversing the situation to the extent possible.				experienced for many years. To deprive Aboriginals of
Our life is a constant change. Ancient people were				their rights to fish and harvest whenever they want
different from those who lived in the Middle Ages. The				means to deprive them their spiritual roots. The latter, in
latter differed much from those of 19th century.				turn, are the origin, the inspiration of their life.
Contemporary informational society is surely quite				Yet, there is one more important implication of the
different from the one of the 19th century. All those				example described above. It has to do with the real
changes took place to gradual development of				interest that Aboriginals have in nature's extraction. It
civilization economic, political, technological. In fact, all the				was already mentioned that nature feeds Aboriginals.
latter factors are strongly interconnected: even subtle				Thus, if something happens, like in the case above,
change in one leads to the more substantial change in				they are left with nothing. The key difference between
the other.				Aboriginal peoples and most others in these situations,
The reason I have pointed this out is to understand				however, is that Aboriginals have no defense against
that changes in the environment we are so much				them.
concerned about didn't just happen themselves. There				Non-Aboriginal communities use natural resources in
was the chain of events preceding the phenomenon.				much bigger extent and get great profits, while
The most important one is the economic development.				aboriginals simply try to back up their existence. Even if
Thus, in order to discuss the issue of increased				they get profit, it is far less substantial that the one of
ecological danger, we actually need to identify the				transnational corporations. Moreover, probably the
most relevant source of this danger.				most influential justification of the Aboriginals' usage of
The story begins with two elementary features of				natural resources is the fact that they are trying to
historical capitalism. One is well-known: capitalism is a				preserve their community, their cultural and ethnic
system that has an imperative need to expand in				communities.
terms of total production, expand geographically in				In such a way, it is important to point that Aboriginal
order to sustain its prime objective, the endless				population of Canada has the only reason of active
accumulation of capital. The second feature is less				usage of nature attempt to survive and preserve
often discussed. An essential element in the				ethnic and cultural community. They greatly depend on
accumulation of capital is for capitalists, especially large				nature both physically (to satisfy their basic needs) and
capitalists, not to pay their bills. The expansion of				spiritually. They are closely tied with soil and all living
capitalistic system is obvious, especially if we think of				organism. To deprive them of these ties mean to
the realities of modern time globalization. The main vice				deprive them of their life. Non-Aboriginal communities, in
of capitalism and the pursue of financial benefits is the				turn, have much more mercantilist purposes in nature
ecology neglect. In fact, it is due to the goal of money				exploitation. Very often those purposes might even
pursuit that people started to accept the concept of				harm Aboriginal population. Thus, the task of the
"nature conquer". Now, to be sure, neither expansion				Government is to protect Aboriginal rights to fish and
nor the conquest of nature was unknown before the				harvest, but not deprive of them.
onset of the capitalist world-economy in the sixteenth				The importance of self-regulation with regard to
century. What historical capitalism did was to push				Aboriginal population of Canada.
these two themes the actual expansion and its				Self-regulation is more a political issue than any other's,
ideological justification to the forefront, and thus to				as it gives broader rights on the one hand, and
override social objections to such terrible actions.				encourages individual responsibility, on the other hand.
All the values of capitalist civilization are millennial, but				Self-regulation is probably the most vital and relevant
so are other contradictory values. What we mean by				issue if we are to talk about Aboriginals and their right
historical capitalism is a system in which the institutions				to hunt, fish and trap whenever they want.
that were constructed made it possible for capitalist				It is important to point out that while Canada has
values to take priority, such that the world-economy				moved beyond its colonial relationship with Great
was set upon the path of the commodification of				Britain, many argue that Aboriginal peoples in Canada
everything in order that there be ceaseless				continue to be entrenched in colonialism. In recent
accumulation of capital for its own sake. (Wallerstein,				years, self-government negotiations have been initiated
1997)				to redress this paradox. Problematic, however, is the
Certainly, the effects of capitalism didn't appear				fact that these negotiations are taking place in a
suddenly. It takes time to destroy nature, to cut trees				socioeconomic environment that is being transformed
and pollute rivers, to exhaust mineral resources.				by globalization. In this era of globalization, in which
However, these sad effects still take place in the				corporations assume a more dominant role in all
modern society. A lot of people declare they have				spheres of life, the Canadian government is involved in
broad rights. Yet, these rights mean the right to cut and				a process of significant restructuring driven by a
destroy. Interestingly that this does not stop many of				neoliberal agenda. (Slowey, 2001) In accordance with
these same people from also wanting to slow down				this vision of a minimum intervention of t state,
the degradation of the world environment. But that				self-government is being promoted as a means for
simply proves that we are involved in one more				political autonomy as well as for economic
contradiction of this historical system. That is, many				development in Aboriginal communities--all considered
people want to enjoy both more trees and more				critical elements of "decolonization."
material goods for themselves, and a lot of them				As Canada's Aboriginal people are already largely
simply segregate the two demands in their minds.				dependent on the state, native policy, and more
Moreover, another problem rooted from the capitalistic				specifically self-government policy, must be viewed
system is increasing production. From the point of view				within the globalization context. According to Slowey
of capitalists, as we know, the point of increasing				(2001), in Canada, government is trying to get out of
production is to make profits. It involves production for				the Indian business To this end, current native policy,
exchange and not production for use. Profits on a				set out in Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan, focuses on
single operation are the margin between the sales				reassigning powers and devolving administrative
price and the total cost of production, that is, the cost				responsibilities to Aboriginal communities, all under the
of everything it takes to bring that product to the point				guise of increased political autonomy or
of sale. Of course, the actual profits on the totality of a				self-government. This plan promotes aboriginal
capitalist's operations are calculated by multiplying this				governance, encourages new partnerships, and
margin by the amount of total sales. That is to say, the				promotes new fiscal relationships, all in an effort to
"market" constrains the sales price. At a certain point,				increase Aboriginal self-sufficiency.
the price becomes so high that the total sales profits				Some people might argue, however, that
are less than if the sales price were lower.				self-government is a political tool of Canadian
It is interesting to figure out what constrains this costs.				authorities designed on purpose to make Aboriginal
The price of labor plays a very large role in this. Under				population cooperate with transnational corporations,
the capitalistic system the labor was exploited as to				which desire to take over the former's land and exploit
decrease the overall costs. Such mere neglecting of				its natural resources in their own interests. Indeed, they
people's dignity can be vividly seen nowadays as well.				are right to some extent. The problems of Aboriginal
Employers pursue cheap labor, thus cheap production.				communities are so vast and financially consuming that
Environmental concerns and care are not included in				government alone does not have enough money to
their plans. Employees, in turn, seeking to survive				solve them. More and more often, government turns to
concern about their children and families in the first				corporations to assist in the financing of social services
place, rather than about nature and environment as a				previously delivered by government. In this spirit,
whole.				government now points to Aboriginals as the
Besides the issue of increasing production and labor				"readymade labor force, investment partner and
exploitation produced by capitalistic system, there exist				corporate neighbor for the private sector" (Slowey,
some political factors that also contribute to the overall				2001).
environmental issues how to arrange people and				Many Aboriginals, in turn, embrace self-government as
make them pay to restore nature. According to				a step to political autonomy and embrace corporate
Wallerstein (1997), the arrangement for states to pay				development as a step to self-sufficiency. Through the
costs can be done in one of two ways. The				federal strategy, First Nations are awarded degrees of
governments can accept the role formally, which				decision making power or land for their economic
means subsidies of some kind. However, subsidies are				development. At the same time, MNCs generally
increasingly visible and increasingly unpopular. They are				approach Aboriginal communities to assist in the
met with loud protests by competitor enterprises and				development of resources by promising job-training
by similar protests by taxpayers. Subsidies pose				programs, labor contracts, and scholarships, to build
political problems. There is another, more important,				congenial relationships with communities that have a
way, which has been politically less difficult for				voice in the development process.
governments, because all it requires is non-action.				However, the main issue of self-government with
Throughout the history of historical capitalism,				regard to Aboriginals still remains the issue of free
governments have permitted enterprises not to				fishing, harvesting, and trapping. Though the politicians
internalize many of their costs, by failing to require				of Canada had promised vast rights to Aboriginal
them to do so. They do this in part by underwriting				population, they are still not so much ensured. Despite
infrastructure and in part by not insisting that a				the number of initiatives the government has launched
production operation include the cost of restoring the				to try to achieve degrees of self-government and
environment in such a way that it is "preserved."				settle claims throughout Canada, most grievances
Here again, we've come to the important point				remain unresolved. However, when an agreement is
connected with economic development the increasing				reached, the government is portrayed as generous
activities of enterprises. The historical capitalism led to				and the Aboriginal peoples as land and cash rich. But
the fact that people accumulated money. The latter				neither is true. Yet, it is critical for First Nation to gain
was needed to be invested in something. Surely, the				rights to self-govern in fishing and harvesting in order to
best investments are factories and plants that produce				be able to build sustainable economic development of
different products to be sold to gain more profits. It is a				their small community. And they are trying hard to get
well-known fact that production can never be safe				that right.
enough. Dangerous and pollutive technologies are				In fact, Aboriginal peoples in Canada are working to
transferred all over the world. Huge transnational				keep their unique cultures and languages alive. They
corporations do not care about the environmental				are trying to regain control over decisions that affect
effects. Unfortunately, even when they are forced to				their lives - in other words, to become self-governed.
undertake some serious actions, they do this				Aboriginal peoples continue to play an active role in
reluctantly, just to avoid international organizations				building the future of Canada.
interference. They sign deals with national				It is fair to mention one more problem that pertains to
governments and pay bribes just to avoid responsibility.				the issue of Aboriginal self-governance. Though most
Thus, environmental issue became not solely the				Aboriginal peoples support self-government, they are
issues of health and security concern. They are				often divided on the topic of the resource-driven
involved in serious political manipulations. Nowadays				development of land. Despite the eagerness of some
environment is not merely the problem of survival. It is				Aboriginals, many others (in particular traditionalists and
a problem of profits and wealth. Big capital do not care				elders) fear development is simply "taking them for a
about nature. Yet, big capital needs to ensure that				ride." As Slowey (2001) assures, they recognize that
nature would not prevent it from gaining substantial				development does not accord with their traditional
profits. The best way to ensure this is to make friends				pursuits and only further entrenches them in an alien,
with big politics.				imposed system. This pressure has resulted in the
Thus, finally, we've come to the important point the				strong division of some communities. Though some
issue of people who do not have either political				promote the land-for-cash option, many remain
influence, or any interesting in nature's destruction and				determined to preserve and further develop and
exploitation for solely enrichment purposes versus the				transmit to future generations ancient land and culture.
rest of society. The former are the representatives of				However, globalization works forcefully against the
the group of Native Americans who live in Canadian				traditionalist element of Aboriginal communities. As the
area. Canadian Aboriginals are not the players of				sense of global interconnectedness intensifies, it
capitalistic system. The laws of capitalism discussed				becomes increasingly difficult to espouse traditionalism,
above do not apply to them. Moreover, they are				particularly in an era when many Aboriginal peoples
victims of such a system that is trying to damage the				are victims of non-Aboriginal assimilation, primarily
only thing that Aboriginals live from nature. Thus, the				through the education system and the media. Thus,
reasonable question arises why people who do not				resource development not only further divides
take part in capitalistic system of destruction and				Aboriginal peoples, but it threatens to conquer them.
exploitation should suffer to the fullest extent from it?				However, even despite those existing problems, the
Though Aboriginals of Canada actively uses natural				benefits of self-governance are undoubtful. Aboriginal
resources their purposes are far more humanistic than				people live in their tight traditional communities. The
the ones of those who are the key players of modern				interference of government in the form of any kind of
market economy.				regulation can easily undermine this calmness and
In such a way, we can see that environment is not				destroy the community itself. Environmental issues are
solely the issue of health care. It involves much				especially important for Aboriginal population in Canada
broader topics such as economics and politics. In fact, it				as they are the matter of survival. Therefore, granting
is the latter that gave birth to so-called capitalistic				Aboriginals right to fish, hunt and trap on the
system, which led to severe social and nature's				self-government bsis will become a great contribution
exploitation. It is the capitalistic system that contributed				to the overall rights of those people and preservation
to substantial production increase and put in danger the				of their unique culture and nation.
whole ecosystem. Moreover, it put in danger the				Conclusion
survival of those who solely depend on nature				The environmental issues gain more serious
aboriginals. Now, the Aboriginals of Canada have to				importance in the modern world of globalization and
face the problem of limit of resource usage due to				fast growth. However, the environmental concerns
possible governmental regulations.				root far deep in the history of different civilizations and
The interest of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal				systems. The historical capitalism is the main system,
communities in nature's usage.				which can be blamed for environmental concerns. The
It has been already told that economic development				former gave birth to rigorous exploitation of social and
led to production increase. In order to produce, it is				natural resources. Capitalism by its nature is concerned
necessary to have raw materials at disposal.				with maximum profit at any cost, whether that cost is
Therefore, the issue of natural resources extraction				human misery or environmental degradation. It seeks
becomes crucial. There exist many people that are				quick returns and is opposed to long-range social
highly convinced though that this kind of extraction in its				planning. People became mere tools for enrichment of
major part belongs to those who live from this nature,				others. Being hardly able to survive, they didn't think
i.e. Aboriginals. However, it can be arguable that				about nature preservation. Their primary concern was
aboriginals utilize nature thus harming it more seriously				how to survive. Moreover, the capitalistic system also
rather than modern non-Aboriginal communities.				gave impulse to increased production. The latter, in turn,
Aboriginal peoples in Canada are the descendants of				stimulated the rise of huge transnational corporations.
the original inhabitants of North America. According to				Their global business endangered the normal
the 1996 national census, Canada's Aboriginal				functioning of ecosystems worldwide. In order to
population stood at just over 790,000, or about 2.8				escape responsibility TNCs have been always signing
percent of the Canadian population of 28.5 million. The				deals with influential politicians. Thus we see that
Canadian Constitution recognizes three groups of				environment has always been not so much an issue
Aboriginal people: Indians (also sometimes called "First				of healthcare as an issue of wealth and politics. Yet,
Nations") who comprise 69 percent of all Aboriginal,				such flaws could be forgiven if they didn't affect one
Métis people (people of both Aboriginal and				of the most vulnerable group of people Aboriginals.
European ancestry) who represent 26 percent, and				In fact, Canadian Aboriginals have been suffered much
Inuit (Arctic people) with 5 percent. These are three				from TNCs trying to take over their land. But what is
separate peoples with unique heritages, languages,				even more discouraging for them is the fact that they
cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs. This very				still do not have absolute rights to take advantage of
diversified Aboriginal community has given rise to many				their natural resources whenever and wherever they
leaders and groups, which focus on their concerns and				want. This situation puts at risk their mere existence,
represent them in interactions with all levels of				as the dependence of Aboriginals upon nature is
government and with non-Aboriginal Canadians. The				obvious. Moreover, ties with the natural environment is
most vital concerns are, certainly, the ones connected				somewhat more than simple attempt to satisfy basic
with the possibility of fishing, hunting and trapping on a				needs. It is a spiritual context that deeply roots in
self-regulated basis.				Aboriginals ties with nature itself.
This issue is so important for them, because the				Thus, to help Aboriginals to preserve their ethnicity, their
majority of Aboriginals depend on nature. Natural				culture and traditions, moreover, simply to help them to
resources are the only possible way for them to				survive, it is absolutely important to grant this group of
survive. In fact, people of the First Nations lived in all				people self-governance. The government of Canada
areas of Canada. Those who lived on Canada's				has to ensure those rights as quickly as possible.
coasts depended on fishing and hunting while those				Moreover, it can be an important political tool to keep
who lived on the prairies moved with buffalo herds,				the country out of ethnical tensions and First Nation's
which they hunted for food, clothing, and tools. First				anger. Besides, self-governance is an effective
Nations people who lived in central and eastern				remedy to promote individual responsibility. Because
Canada hunted and grew vegetable crops. Today,				only conscious society can form a firm ground for
more than hald of the First Nations people live on				stable economic development and effective politics.

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Aboriginals and Environment