Trail of Story, Traveler’s Path: Reflections on Ethnoecology and Landscape (review)

Trail of Story, Traveler’s Path is an important addition to the discussion of ethnoecology and traditional environmental knowledge in Canada. Leslie Main Johnson examines the cultural landscapes of the Gitksan and Witsuwit’en of British Columbia, the Kaska Dene of the Yukon, and the Gwitch’in of the Mackenzie Delta with the goal of uncovering opportunities for communication between Euro-North American constructs of “space” with indigenous perceptions of “place.” According to Johnson, Western mapping delimits and defines a specific physical space within a larger systems of grids. In contrast, indigenous place is complicated and multivalent, incorporating aspects of culture, history and belief systems in relation to both animate and inanimate beings. She contends communication between these two epistemologies is essential as indigenous peoples adopt or are forced to employ technologies such as GIS in support of their land claims and other legal and political endeavours.

The first chapters detail the various methods these northern peoples employ to inhabit and understand their landscapes. Johnson maintains that ethnoecological knowledge is encoded in language. She convincingly demonstrates this theory with tables of Gitksan, Witsuweit’en and Gwitch’in words. Each of these tables illustrates how the language combines root words to indicate concepts such as “big square boulders on the side of mountains” (45) and “where the water barely covers a rock” (46), or to distinguish various types of swamps. (70) Johnson continues with an examination of seemingly simple concepts such as a berry patch or a moose lick. Combining geographical descriptions with oral histories Johnson establishes that these areas have a significance that extends beyond the mere utility of a resource gathering area. Building on this ethnographic information, the middle section of the text envisions ethnoecology as a “movement through place and season.” (108) In successive chapters, Johnson provides a detailed investigation of the interconnections between the peoples and their lands. The strength of this section lies in the discussion of the seasonal variations in the landscape. A frozen river presents different opportunities and challenges than does a flooding or a nearly dry river, yet remains described as a river on a typical map.

Johnson builds to her central argument concerning the introduction of GIS technology in the field of land claims in the final portion of the text. She explains that after the success of the Delgamuukw case in British Columbia, GIS mapping became an important and expected component of First Nations’ legal arguments. However, Johnson outlines the many pitfalls of reliance upon this technology. First, she argues that GIS employs the structure of the polygon as the fundamental unit of measurement. Unlike a trail that can be described as “nodes in a matrix of movement” through a cultural and spiritual landscape, the polygon does not recognize the “fuzzy patches” of knowledge. (176) She observes, “The probability that caribou may be encountered in a given area …is neither spatially nor temporally determinate…but it may have considerable significance to the prepared and aware Gwich’in hunter.” (186) Further, she argues that GIS “makes land an abstracted thing, not a locus of power and agency.” (188) This technology constructs a limited interpretation of the physical world and does not accommodate crucial intangible information. She notes that for a Gwich’in man to “walk well” indicates competency not only in negotiating the physical aspects of the landscape, but also his understanding of place and moment, such as an ability to successfully hunt in the area and provide for his community. She maintains, “landscape… is a partner in the business of living.” (203)

Johnson admits she is unable to ascertain if the ethnoecological perspective she so passionately describes can be combined with the western scientific technologies in the communities she studied. (215) This is not only a question of the compatibility of epistemologies, but includes the political landscape involved in the many-faceted land claims processes. First Nations perceive the landscape as an integrated entity, yet are also expected to address specific issues...