Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
This leads us to the dilemma that I described at the beginning of the topic:
who, then, holds the power to decide what, and whose, interpretation of the natural
world should be taken up as policy? And whose perspective is naturalized and
privileged as the “rightful” voice, which translates to the “rightful place”? The
traditions and beliefs outside of the Western scientific tradition have been historically
marginalized as Western beliefs are reified (and institutionalized) through policies
and nation-building projects (Harris, 2002). Newcomer worldviews define the
policies that have not only carved the physical landscape of the country, but also
defined human relationships with nature. The case of Luna is particularly powerful
because it brings the possibility of destabilizing constructed dualisms of humans
and nature, and identifying the power dynamics embedded in established
governance systems.
By embracing Luna as their chief incarnate, the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First
Nation was exercising their sovereign right over the seascape, but also challenging
Western worldviews where society-nature are separate entities. The controversial
and highly publicized Makah whale hunt off the Olympic Peninsula in the summer
of 1999 posed similar challenges to Western worldviews (Cote, 2010). Similarly,
for the Ojibwa communities of the Great Lakes, the wolf is an integral part of the
Anishinaabe culture.
The reaction of the Canadian government, halting its plans to move Luna,
indicates that a power shift has occurred - where the State no longer acts with
disregard to those “outside” the dominant structure. Thus, the story of Luna is not
just a story of a lost orca whale; it is a story of power, race, and privilege reified
through State policies and subverted through the First Nation's actions.
Whose story? Discourse analysis and discussion
Examining how Luna's story unfolded in the public eye sheds light on embedded
power dynamics. To better understand this dynamic, I analyzed the unfolding of
Luna's story in the print media between 2001 and 2006, representing 172 articles
from newspapers throughout North America (with a concentration in British
Columbia and Washington). I approached the articles curious to see how the story
unfolded, whose voice was being amplified, and whose voices were being silence d. 7
The exercise confirmed that the dominant narrative of the public unfolding of
Luna's case was presented mostly from a governmental agency perspective, with
minimal attention to inclusion of the First Nation's perspective (except for when
the story became “heated” with the 9-day stand-off).
Overall, of the 172 articles analyzed, 30 percent were told from the perspective
of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, while only 8 percent were reported
from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation's perspective. The breakdown was
as follows: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada (30 percent), National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. (21 percent), Whale conservancies,
U.S. (20 percent), Environmental Stewardship Groups, Canada represented (11
percent), Aquariums, Canada and the U.S. (10 percent), and the Mowachaht/
Muchalaht First Nation (8 percent).
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search