Indigenous Peoples have been land stewards since time immemorial. This truth has been shared with my class a number of times over this term in Ocean Conservation and Sustainability, which studies topics ranging from ecological roles of marine ecosystems and ocean pressures, to its economic significance and social relationships. Far from repetitive, I feel that this recurrence highlights the importance of these past, present, and future relationships to our oceans and really all parts of life. From this, I have learned about perspectives that are free from ecological hierarchy, unlike the one I have been raised with, that give and receive from the land in a way that is mutual, partnered, and packed with learning to understand the environment around you. This teaching is embodied in many lectures.
One of the most impactful classes I had this term was with Dr. Andrea Reid, Lauren Eckert, and Kasey Stirling in which we all shared our unique connection to our home waters, as well as explored the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing and its way forward in ocean conservation. The Two-Eyed Seeing framework accepts different knowledge systems as assets, calling on us to view the world and problems with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and that of western knowledge to lead us to the best outcomes (Reid et al., 2021). I believe this is the way forward in science, and should be applied in so many other aspects of our society. Not only does this framework change the way we see issues by learning from diverse epistemologies, it also changes the way that science should be done. I have learned about the importance of asking communities about their research interests before developing a project to ensure it is appropriate, of knowledge co-production, and that no study can be done on Indigenous Peoples without them. This has been a key lesson to me as a person of settler descent who is interested in conservation and research. I feel as though I have developed a different perspective on the scientific process over the term in order to prioritise employing this framework in my own career. An example of this is first building a relationship and trust with people before any other work. If I have the opportunity to conduct my own research, I want it to be done in a way that is developed and produced with a community’s own interests at its core, so it can be useful to those whose land I am a guest on and have the most well rounded understanding of science in all that it means.
The holistic perspectives and Two-Eyed Seeing framework I have been able to explore this term relate to another teaching I gained from Dr. Natalie Ban’s lecture and class discussion: conservation is much more a worldview than a separate action. I believe this perspective relates to another aspect of Two-Eyed Seeing that resonates with me, which is its consideration of environmental wellbeing seven generations ahead (Reid et al., 2021). This thinking motivates me in conservation action because I am reminded we have a world worth saving for the future, which is a topic we have even spoken of recently with Dr. Muhammed Oyinlola regarding climate change and species range shifts.
As I reflect on all I have learned this term about Indigenous issues in conservation, I think about my place and role in conducting science that upholds these values. It is not enough for me to only talk about adopting the Two-Eyed Seeing framework or say that I will aim to think futuristically, as there are barriers to Indigneous knowledge and people being recognized. In Rebecca Thomas’ Tedx Talk, her poem read: “Don’t feed us your good intentions/Carefully laid apologies will not get you a historical exemption”, while in Lee Maracle’s Goodbye Snauq, it is described that Indigenous People’s place at Canada’s banquet table is still the last seat despite there being talk of change (p. 27). These words remind me that there are true systemic and racist barriers to braiding Indigenous and western knowledge that need to be changed, even like in our own institution and how science is often defined. From inside the field of conservation science, I want to work with others to redefine what constitutes science in our institutions to make it more inclusive to differing epistemologies and axiologies. In the natural world we often talk about diversity making more resilient communities, and I think the same can be said in our own society.
After revisiting these conversations, one story in particular inspires me and I feel concludes my reflection by representing the new possibilities and growth that can occur as Indigenous and western ways of knowing come together in Two-Eyed Seeing. To me, this is mutualistic herring fisheries, like spawn on kelp. Herring are iteroparous organisms; they are repeat spawners that search for vertical substrate to lay their eggs so they may be fertilised in a milky bath to produce the next generation. Kelp is a naturally perfect bed for these eggs to be deposited, or sometimes in the security of hemlock branches that can be laid in spawning grounds by Indigenous Peoples. In my painting, Two Eyes, a fertilised herring egg lays on hemlock leaves under the living water. My dad and I have volunteered for a herring restoration project, and one clue that we learned of which means a herring egg is viable and growing healthy is when its eyes are visible. If marine conservation was this herring egg, it is enriched by Two-Eyed Seeing and made viable to grow into good science and society. This egg's two eyes will be visible.
Another Question to Reflect on…
How different will our environment look when Two-Eyed Seeing is used more broadly?
References
Maracle, L. (2010). Goodbye Snauq. In First Wives Club (pp. 13-28). Theytus Books. Retrieved from: http://jdyck.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/1/5/19153179/goodbye_snauq.pdf
Reid, A. J., Eckert, L. E., Lane, J., Young, N., Hinch, S. G., Darimont, C. T., Cooke, S. J., Ban, N. C., & Marshall, A. (2021). “Two‐Eyed seeing”: An Indigenous framework to transform fisheries research and management. Fish and Fisheries, 22(2), 243-261. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12516
Tedx Talks. (2016, June 13). Etuaptmumk: Two-Eyed Seeing | Rebecca Thomas | TEDxNSCCWaterfront [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9EwcFbVfg