Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Metis Hunting Case

I have not paid much attention to the Metis hunting rights case in Manitoba. Perhaps I should start doing so, given the testimony about hunting and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) reported in the Brandon Sun (subscription required). Recent testimony describes Metis people hunting for subsistence and not for trophies. Maps of hunting and food collection sites, generated through interviews, are presented as evidence of the extent of subsistence hunting. (In British Columbia, these maps are often referred to as traditional use maps or maps of traditional use sites.) The article hints that the subsistence hunting argument is challenged by questions about Metis people who hunt for wages. I could well imagine a similar debate playing out in a BC courtroom where some might feel that hunting for food is incompatible with hunting for work, such as in the guiding industry.

The Neal Gordon trial is determining whether or not Metis hunter Neal Gordon is exempt from Manitoba’s provincial hunting regulations because of his Metis heritage. Gordon is alleged to have shot a duck illegally. Will Gordon tracks this case on his blog; the story to which I refer is reprinted by Will Gordon here.

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