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ABSTRACT. Increasingly, federal environmental guidelines require developers to consider the "traditional knowledge" of aboriginal people in assessing the impact of proposed projects on northern environments, economies, and societies. However, several factors have limited the contributions of traditional knowledge to environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the North, including confusion over the meaning of this term, who "owns" this knowledge, and its role in EIA. The term "indigenous knowledge," which comprises traditional and nontraditional, ecological and nonecological knowledge, is proposed as an alternative that should allow aboriginal people, and the full scope of their knowledge, to assume integral roles in EIA.
Experience gained in attempting to give aboriginal people a voice and an assessment role in the diamond mine proposed by BHP Diamonds Inc. at Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories has led to the development of a multiphased, holistic approach to involving aboriginal people and their knowledge in EIA. Because of their in-depth knowledge of the land, aboriginal people have a particularly important role to play in environmental monitoring and distinguishing project-related changes from natural changes in the environment. However, the strengths of traditional and Western scientific knowledge in EIA will not be realized until both are recognized as parts of a larger worldview that influences how people perceive and define reality.
Key words: aboriginal people, indigenous knowledge, environmental impact assessment, traditional knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, valued ecosystem components, Western scientific knowledge, participatory action research
INTRODUCTION
Those who live on the land and harvest its resources have an intimate knowledge of the distribution of resources, the functioning of ecosystems, and the relationship between the environment and their culture. For many questions that are raised in the Guidelines, traditional knowledge will have as important a contribution to make as scientific and engineering knowledge. The proponent should fully consider local traditional knowledge and expertise in preparing the Environmental Impact Statement. (BHP Diamond Mine Environmental Assessment Panel, 1995)
For many centuries, the socioeconomies of Canada's aboriginal peoples have been based on an intimate understanding of and relationship with the natural world. However, only recently has their knowledge been considered a necessary component of environmental assessment (e.g., Johannes, 1993). Part of this acknowledgement stems from the pursuit of political and property rights by aboriginal groups around the world and...