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Daniel's response is again multi-voiced. He pushes Justin's analysis to a finer
level of critique and returns to a content and practice level analysis of the forest
management program. He begins to locate himself and his family as people who
have been deeply connected to the woods for a long time. He narrates his iden-
tity in relation to the argument he is making at a more specific level of detail than
previously.
He states that the people who are deeply involved in the forest feel that the forest
is being experimented on. Daniel appears to defend some of the decisions that the
scientists are making, pushing on the distinct oppositional binary cast that has been
operating in the conversation up to this point. He says that some of the things people
were doing are correct by scientific standards, but he tempers that with cultural
standards. Here Daniel is struggling with the scientific rationale for the clear cut,
that he seems to approve of, but he also knows that the appearance of a clear cut sits
in deep opposition to cultural values. He refers to the buffer zone, a policy decision
to visually keep the clear cut away from community view by leaving a section of the
forest intact between the clear cut and easy viewing access.
Daniel also is struggling with Justin's all-encompassing comment that the com-
munity no longer feels a sense of ownership nor contributes to the decision making.
He says that the buffer zone decision was a good thing that the people contributed
to. Daniel continues to push on a collective stance that Justin puts forth when he
uses the phrase, “the best thing you guys did,” placing himself outside of the group
that contributed. (He does not say the best thing
we
did.) It seems in this exchange
Justin and Daniel are wrestling with their more specific identities and roles within
the community context (Justin has not been a logger nor worked for MTE but Daniel
has). It is unclear whether these are tensions with each other or merely a question
of different perspectives. Daniel's return to a larger collective framing suggests that
this specific identification is secondary. Daniel appears to reify the transformative
potential Justin implied at the end of his comment because he also places the power
within the community's hands. This agreement that the people have a voice moves
the conversation to articulating a goal for the forest unit.
Justin:
And instilling that in our kids is I think is one of probably the most important
attributes of this unit.
The conception of the unit becomes one about having children understand that
larger sociohistorical context and their role within this context in relation to science.
Young people should have a sense of sovereignty and voice, in Justin's view. Note,
however, that increasing language or knowledge of the scientific process of scientific
way of knowing has not been articulated yet.
Daniel:
Yeah, and lettin' them know everything, you know, that they have, they're the ones
who can be in charge.
Daniel agrees with Justin's comment but again wants to extend it. “lettin' them
know everything that they have” could be read as a reference to the knowledge and
history they have. Daniel further notes that the current positions are not static, but
rather that Menominees “can be in charge” of the forest.
