FieldNotes

UBC Anthropology Prof Charles Menzies has posted four short videos on the Forests for the Future website. The videos are shot in the Gitxaała community (Tsimshian) on the British Columbia north coast. From the website:

… from 2007 to 2009 one of our research objectives involved the development of social indicators to assist in sustainable forest management …

The video segments … are part of our work developing social indicators. In the videos Gitxaała community members demonstrate and discuss important aspects of local cultural practices. Our indicators of social wellbeing were built upon understanding the importance of harvesting, fishing, gathering, processing and teaching about historical and contemporary Gitxaała practices that are demonstrated in these four video segments.

The videos depict Gitxaała people harvesting resources like cedar. They discuss their practices. ‘Stories from the Smokehouse’ shows the hanging of salmon in a smokehouse and the cutting of salmon into strips. No commentary is given in any video. The videos are very neat — very interesting vignettes into the food collection and processing practices of the Gitxaała.

Charles and the others at Forest for the Future are looking for comments on the videos. The website is set up for comments. Please do so.

(via Charles’ Twitter feed)