Book Description
Based on three years of ethnographic research in the Yukon, this book examines contemporary efforts to restructure the relationship between aboriginal peoples and the state in Canada. Although it is widely held that land claims and co-management--two of the most visible and celebrated elements of this restructuring--will help reverse centuries of inequity, this book challenges this conventional wisdom, arguing that land claims and co-management may be less empowering for First Nation peoples than is often supposed. The book examines the complex relationship between the people of Kluane First Nation, the land and animals, and the state. It shows that Kluane human-animal relations are at least partially incompatible with Euro-Canadian notions of "property" and "knowledge." Yet, these concepts form the conceptual basis for land claims and co-management, respectively. As a result, these processes necessarily end up taking for granted--and so helping to reproduce--existing power relations. First Nation peoples' participation in land claim negotiations and co-management have forced them--at least in some contexts--to adopt Euro-Canadian perspectives toward the land and animals. They have been forced to develop bureaucratic infrastructures for interfacing with the state, and they have had to become bureaucrats themselves, learning to speak and act in uncharacteristic ways. Thus, land claims and co-management have helped undermine the very way of life they are supposed to be protecting.

This book speaks to critical issues in contemporary anthropology, First Nations law, and resource management. It moves beyond conventional models of colonialism, in which the state is treated as a monolithic entity, and instead explores how "state power" is reproduced through everyday bureaucratic practices--including struggles over the production and use of knowledge. The book will be of interest to anthropologists and others studying the nature of aboriginal-state relations in Canada and elsewhere, as well as those interested in developing an "ethnography of the state." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What we can learn when we take other people's ideas seriously
Nadasdy spent several years in the Yukon living with Kluane People. He lived in a cabin in town and he lived out of the land with them. He attended land claims meetings and other meetings on co-management issues, for example related to issues of conserving numbers of Dall sheep in the area. He describes how Canadian First Nations people are required to bureaucratize themselves in order to even start to engage with the Canadian state in various key fights. Thus, the title refers to two conflicting roles held by Indians/First Nations people, sometimes the same person.

The book is very tightly argued, and sometimes the theoretical points Nadasdy is making can be challenging for beginning students or non-anthropologists. However, he does write in a clear, accessible manner. Reading this book may get you interested in reading other anthropology gems, too. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in hunters, northern First Nations/Aboriginal peoples, indigenous rights movements, theories of the state, and theories of knowlege and 'traditional ecological knowledge'. ... Read more

Book Description
This important work brings the knowledge of the vascular plantsof the Yukon Territory up to date. Geology and vegetation are the focusof this well illustrated flora, which contains treatments of 1119species, representing 80 families. All species are illustrated and dotmaps depict known distribution within the Yukon Territory. It will beinvaluable not only to botanical scientists, students, and travelers,but also to those concerned with biodiversity, rare and endangeredspecies, resource management, wildlife management, and environmentalplanning. ... Read more