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Papers by Nancy Turner

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2011

... etnobiología como disciplina logre una mayor influencia científica y social, es necesario que... more ... etnobiología como disciplina logre una mayor influencia científica y social, es necesario que los etnobiólogos hagan un ... the Bolivian Society of Ethnobiology (Sociedad Boliviana deEtnobiología) and strengthened the Peruvian Ethnobiological Forum (Foro Etnobiología Peru). ...

This article provides an overview of the diverse plant resource management strategies of First Na... more This article provides an overview of the diverse plant resource management strategies of First Nations of British Columbia. Management practices range from relatively large-scale (geographically) and longterm activities – such as the use of fire to clear prairies and subalpine meadows – to very focused actions, such as the pruning of individual shrubs. We describe plant resource management practices and the diverse methods used to identify them, and focus on three case studies to augment this description. These case studies exemplify the range of plants and ecosystems that were managed as well as the combinations of strategies and outcomes encompassed within these systems. While we focus our review on coastal British Columbia, we recognize that these are practices that occurred throughout northwestern North America. We also recognize that plant management is nested within a larger continuum of management practices that encompassed terrestrial and aquatic animals and their ecosystems...

La región de Magallanes es reconocida como uno de los rincones más remotos y singulares del mundo... more La región de Magallanes es reconocida como uno de los rincones más remotos y singulares del mundo e incluye también una de las 37 ecorregiones más prístinas del planeta: los bosques magallánicos subantárticos (o subpolares). Sin embargo, Magallanes no ha quedado al margen de procesos de homogeneización cultural y biológica iniciados desde la colonización europea del extremo sur, que cobran hoy mayor intensidad con los fenómenos de la globalización. En el marco de la amplia problemática de lo nativo y exótico planteado por los actuales procesos de globalización y urbanización, este artículo aborda un aspecto particular de la biota y cultura urbana de Magallanes: la

A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (inst... more A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (instrumental values) or for nature’s (intrinsic values) (1). We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being, or “what is right,” with regard to nature and the environment. Without complementary attention to other ways that value is expressed and realized by people, such a focus may inadvertently promote worldviews at odds with fair and desirable futures. It is time to engage seriously with a third class of values, one with diverse roots and current expressions: relational values. By doing so, we reframe the discussion about environmental protection, and open the door to new, potentially more productive policy approaches. You can access the full paper HERE: http://www.pnas.org/content/113/6/1462.full

Lessons in conservation are often seen as resulting from cycles of overexploi-tation and subseque... more Lessons in conservation are often seen as resulting from cycles of overexploi-tation and subsequent depletion of resources, followed by catastrophic consequences of shortage and starvation, and finally, development of various strategies, including privatization of the commons, to conserve remaining resource stocks. While such scenarios have undoubtedly occurred on many occasions, we suggest that they are not the only means by which people develop conservation practices and concepts. There are other pathways leading to ecological understanding and conservation, which act at a range of scales and levels of complexity. These include: lessons from the past and from other places, perpetuated and strengthened through oral history and discourse; lessons from animals, learned through observation of migration and population cycles, predator effects, and social dynamics; monitoring resources and human effects on resources (positive and negative), building on experiences and expectations; obse...

Davidsonia is published quarterly by the Botanical Garden of the University

Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples, 2020

This article presents practical guidelines for healthy and ethical collaborative research with tr... more This article presents practical guidelines for healthy and ethical collaborative research with traditional knowledge holders (TKHs) and local/ traditional communities. Experience indicates that, in a majority of cases, research on indigenous knowledge or traditional knowledge systems (TKSs) in India and elsewhere also is pursued with very least follow-up of ethical guidelines and prior informed consent (PIC) of community partners and knowledge holders. Although, in the last 20 years, there has been considerable exploration of TK and grassroots innovations through applying PIC by SRISTI and NIF-India, Ahmedabad. However, there is a general lack of awareness and skills among Indian researchers regarding use of proper ethical protocols in conducting research with TKHs. Here, an attempt was made to provide some guidelines on important aspects of ethics in TKS research, which may be helpful to raise awareness around ethical issues and educate researchers working on various dimensions of ...

up the rest of our party. We had been planning this trip for many months-the first of a series to... more up the rest of our party. We had been planning this trip for many months-the first of a series to be undertaken over the next two years to document Kwaxsistalla's unique and detailed knowledge and experiences of the food harvesting and other resource-based activities of his Qawadiliqalla Clan of the Tsawataineuk people of Kingcome Inlet. Kim Recalma-Clutesi coined the name "Singing Through the Seasons", because for every activity in Kwaxsistalla's memory, no matter where it took place, there was a song that went with it. Over many years of working together, he had shared many of his recollections, songs and stories with us. But now, to actually travel with him over the water to the sites where he himself learned the songs-many from his grandfather-as a small child, this was the chance of a lifetime for all of us. Under a drizzling sky that soon turned to hail, our boat headed alongside Quadra Island. Although the day was overcast, our sense of adventure was high. Before long, large flakes of snow began to fall. "Q'wistiyala! (It's snowing)!" Kwaxsistalla said, and explained to us that it often snows like this at this time of year. "Olaxstyála! (It's really snowing now)!" And, "páqwmaxala* (big snowflakes) are coming down." We watched along the shore, where the evergreens were drooping over the water. Kwaxsistalla pointed out the long line of dense boughs, cut off by the highest tide, extending all over the coast. This line, called wáwelgamix (high water mark), scarcely noticed by most of us, is an indicator for the people who live and work along the coast of the level above which goods can be safely stowed and will not be touched by even the highest tide.

Virtually every human society holds a rich body of knowledge regarding herbal medicines. Through ... more Virtually every human society holds a rich body of knowledge regarding herbal medicines. Through a study of medicinal plants used by Indigenous peoples in Northwestern North America, as well as plant names and medicinal applications, I investigate the ways in which such knowledge is acquired and shared across cultural and geographic space. Not only are there many similarities in medicinal plant traditions among the region’s Indigenous cultures, there is also evidence of exchanging medicinal plant knowledge – and even the medicines and plants themselves – between newcomer Europeans and Asians and Indigenous peoples. As well as introducing their own herbal medicines from their homelands, the newcomers acquired herbal medicinal knowledge from First Nation practitioners, adapted this knowledge to their own needs, and incorporated it into their official pharmacopoeias. This process of medicinal knowledge transmission can enrich our lives and increase our resilience in the face of ongoing...

For centuries, First Peoples in B.C. have harvested a variety of wild plant foods. Berries, nuts,... more For centuries, First Peoples in B.C. have harvested a variety of wild plant foods. Berries, nuts, roots, greens, mushrooms, lichen -- all were important components of their diets. They learned which plants and plant parts to eat, the best seasons for gathering them, the most efficient methods of harvesting, and the best ways to prepare them for eating and storage.In this companion book to Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, the author describes more than 150 plant foods used by first Peoples in the interior of British Columbia and northern Washington. Originally published in 1978, this new edition is expanded and updated.Nancy J. Turner is a professor of Environmental studies at the University of Victoria and a research afffiliate at the Royal British Columbia Museum. She is the author of many books and articles on ethnobotany and is a leading authority on the subject.

The paper describes the traditional food systems of indigenous peoples of western Canada (British... more The paper describes the traditional food systems of indigenous peoples of western Canada (British Columbia) and documents how they have changed over the time, especially since European newcomers arrived in the region. The impacts of dietary change on the health of indigenous peoples, providing a case example of edible camas (Camassia spp.; Liliaceae) to illustrate how traditional food use has declined have been discussed. Ten major factors are identified as influencing dietary change: loss of territory for accessing traditional food, loss of traditional management practices such as landscape burning, introduction of new foods, land degradation and transformation, barriers to intergenerational knowledge transfer, colonial policies privileging agriculture, regulations against indigenous cultural practices; and globalization and domination of mainstream food systems. Efforts to reclaim and recover food traditions are ongoing, and will hopefully be successful in improving the overall he...

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2020

Abstract. At least 50 different plant foods in Indigenous Peoples' traditional diets in north... more Abstract. At least 50 different plant foods in Indigenous Peoples' traditional diets in northwestern North America—including berries, root vegetables, greens, and tree sap and inner bark—are known for their sweet taste. Some were, and are, appreciated as confections themselves and others were used to sweeten foods and medicinal preparations. These sweet foods were remembered fondly by many elders from childhood times. However, many of these original sweet foods are no longer widely consumed, having been largely replaced by imported molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, syrup, and honey, which were readily incorporated into Indigenous Peoples' food systems following their introduction by Europeans in the past couple of centuries. This shift in use of sweeteners—as well as the adoption of wheat flour, and other introduced and refined carbohydrate foods—has had both positive and negative implications for First Nations' health and well-being. Today, Indigenous cultural revitalization movements in northwestern North America are drawing on the elders' knowledge and memories of their healthy, time-honored foods to recreate and celebrate ancestral dishes, especially those fondl remembered for their sweetness

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2011

... etnobiología como disciplina logre una mayor influencia científica y social, es necesario que... more ... etnobiología como disciplina logre una mayor influencia científica y social, es necesario que los etnobiólogos hagan un ... the Bolivian Society of Ethnobiology (Sociedad Boliviana deEtnobiología) and strengthened the Peruvian Ethnobiological Forum (Foro Etnobiología Peru). ...

This article provides an overview of the diverse plant resource management strategies of First Na... more This article provides an overview of the diverse plant resource management strategies of First Nations of British Columbia. Management practices range from relatively large-scale (geographically) and longterm activities – such as the use of fire to clear prairies and subalpine meadows – to very focused actions, such as the pruning of individual shrubs. We describe plant resource management practices and the diverse methods used to identify them, and focus on three case studies to augment this description. These case studies exemplify the range of plants and ecosystems that were managed as well as the combinations of strategies and outcomes encompassed within these systems. While we focus our review on coastal British Columbia, we recognize that these are practices that occurred throughout northwestern North America. We also recognize that plant management is nested within a larger continuum of management practices that encompassed terrestrial and aquatic animals and their ecosystems...

La región de Magallanes es reconocida como uno de los rincones más remotos y singulares del mundo... more La región de Magallanes es reconocida como uno de los rincones más remotos y singulares del mundo e incluye también una de las 37 ecorregiones más prístinas del planeta: los bosques magallánicos subantárticos (o subpolares). Sin embargo, Magallanes no ha quedado al margen de procesos de homogeneización cultural y biológica iniciados desde la colonización europea del extremo sur, que cobran hoy mayor intensidad con los fenómenos de la globalización. En el marco de la amplia problemática de lo nativo y exótico planteado por los actuales procesos de globalización y urbanización, este artículo aborda un aspecto particular de la biota y cultura urbana de Magallanes: la

A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (inst... more A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (instrumental values) or for nature’s (intrinsic values) (1). We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being, or “what is right,” with regard to nature and the environment. Without complementary attention to other ways that value is expressed and realized by people, such a focus may inadvertently promote worldviews at odds with fair and desirable futures. It is time to engage seriously with a third class of values, one with diverse roots and current expressions: relational values. By doing so, we reframe the discussion about environmental protection, and open the door to new, potentially more productive policy approaches. You can access the full paper HERE: http://www.pnas.org/content/113/6/1462.full

Lessons in conservation are often seen as resulting from cycles of overexploi-tation and subseque... more Lessons in conservation are often seen as resulting from cycles of overexploi-tation and subsequent depletion of resources, followed by catastrophic consequences of shortage and starvation, and finally, development of various strategies, including privatization of the commons, to conserve remaining resource stocks. While such scenarios have undoubtedly occurred on many occasions, we suggest that they are not the only means by which people develop conservation practices and concepts. There are other pathways leading to ecological understanding and conservation, which act at a range of scales and levels of complexity. These include: lessons from the past and from other places, perpetuated and strengthened through oral history and discourse; lessons from animals, learned through observation of migration and population cycles, predator effects, and social dynamics; monitoring resources and human effects on resources (positive and negative), building on experiences and expectations; obse...

Davidsonia is published quarterly by the Botanical Garden of the University

Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples, 2020

This article presents practical guidelines for healthy and ethical collaborative research with tr... more This article presents practical guidelines for healthy and ethical collaborative research with traditional knowledge holders (TKHs) and local/ traditional communities. Experience indicates that, in a majority of cases, research on indigenous knowledge or traditional knowledge systems (TKSs) in India and elsewhere also is pursued with very least follow-up of ethical guidelines and prior informed consent (PIC) of community partners and knowledge holders. Although, in the last 20 years, there has been considerable exploration of TK and grassroots innovations through applying PIC by SRISTI and NIF-India, Ahmedabad. However, there is a general lack of awareness and skills among Indian researchers regarding use of proper ethical protocols in conducting research with TKHs. Here, an attempt was made to provide some guidelines on important aspects of ethics in TKS research, which may be helpful to raise awareness around ethical issues and educate researchers working on various dimensions of ...

up the rest of our party. We had been planning this trip for many months-the first of a series to... more up the rest of our party. We had been planning this trip for many months-the first of a series to be undertaken over the next two years to document Kwaxsistalla's unique and detailed knowledge and experiences of the food harvesting and other resource-based activities of his Qawadiliqalla Clan of the Tsawataineuk people of Kingcome Inlet. Kim Recalma-Clutesi coined the name "Singing Through the Seasons", because for every activity in Kwaxsistalla's memory, no matter where it took place, there was a song that went with it. Over many years of working together, he had shared many of his recollections, songs and stories with us. But now, to actually travel with him over the water to the sites where he himself learned the songs-many from his grandfather-as a small child, this was the chance of a lifetime for all of us. Under a drizzling sky that soon turned to hail, our boat headed alongside Quadra Island. Although the day was overcast, our sense of adventure was high. Before long, large flakes of snow began to fall. "Q'wistiyala! (It's snowing)!" Kwaxsistalla said, and explained to us that it often snows like this at this time of year. "Olaxstyála! (It's really snowing now)!" And, "páqwmaxala* (big snowflakes) are coming down." We watched along the shore, where the evergreens were drooping over the water. Kwaxsistalla pointed out the long line of dense boughs, cut off by the highest tide, extending all over the coast. This line, called wáwelgamix (high water mark), scarcely noticed by most of us, is an indicator for the people who live and work along the coast of the level above which goods can be safely stowed and will not be touched by even the highest tide.

Virtually every human society holds a rich body of knowledge regarding herbal medicines. Through ... more Virtually every human society holds a rich body of knowledge regarding herbal medicines. Through a study of medicinal plants used by Indigenous peoples in Northwestern North America, as well as plant names and medicinal applications, I investigate the ways in which such knowledge is acquired and shared across cultural and geographic space. Not only are there many similarities in medicinal plant traditions among the region’s Indigenous cultures, there is also evidence of exchanging medicinal plant knowledge – and even the medicines and plants themselves – between newcomer Europeans and Asians and Indigenous peoples. As well as introducing their own herbal medicines from their homelands, the newcomers acquired herbal medicinal knowledge from First Nation practitioners, adapted this knowledge to their own needs, and incorporated it into their official pharmacopoeias. This process of medicinal knowledge transmission can enrich our lives and increase our resilience in the face of ongoing...

For centuries, First Peoples in B.C. have harvested a variety of wild plant foods. Berries, nuts,... more For centuries, First Peoples in B.C. have harvested a variety of wild plant foods. Berries, nuts, roots, greens, mushrooms, lichen -- all were important components of their diets. They learned which plants and plant parts to eat, the best seasons for gathering them, the most efficient methods of harvesting, and the best ways to prepare them for eating and storage.In this companion book to Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, the author describes more than 150 plant foods used by first Peoples in the interior of British Columbia and northern Washington. Originally published in 1978, this new edition is expanded and updated.Nancy J. Turner is a professor of Environmental studies at the University of Victoria and a research afffiliate at the Royal British Columbia Museum. She is the author of many books and articles on ethnobotany and is a leading authority on the subject.

The paper describes the traditional food systems of indigenous peoples of western Canada (British... more The paper describes the traditional food systems of indigenous peoples of western Canada (British Columbia) and documents how they have changed over the time, especially since European newcomers arrived in the region. The impacts of dietary change on the health of indigenous peoples, providing a case example of edible camas (Camassia spp.; Liliaceae) to illustrate how traditional food use has declined have been discussed. Ten major factors are identified as influencing dietary change: loss of territory for accessing traditional food, loss of traditional management practices such as landscape burning, introduction of new foods, land degradation and transformation, barriers to intergenerational knowledge transfer, colonial policies privileging agriculture, regulations against indigenous cultural practices; and globalization and domination of mainstream food systems. Efforts to reclaim and recover food traditions are ongoing, and will hopefully be successful in improving the overall he...

Journal of Ethnobiology, 2020

Abstract. At least 50 different plant foods in Indigenous Peoples' traditional diets in north... more Abstract. At least 50 different plant foods in Indigenous Peoples' traditional diets in northwestern North America—including berries, root vegetables, greens, and tree sap and inner bark—are known for their sweet taste. Some were, and are, appreciated as confections themselves and others were used to sweeten foods and medicinal preparations. These sweet foods were remembered fondly by many elders from childhood times. However, many of these original sweet foods are no longer widely consumed, having been largely replaced by imported molasses, brown sugar, white sugar, syrup, and honey, which were readily incorporated into Indigenous Peoples' food systems following their introduction by Europeans in the past couple of centuries. This shift in use of sweeteners—as well as the adoption of wheat flour, and other introduced and refined carbohydrate foods—has had both positive and negative implications for First Nations' health and well-being. Today, Indigenous cultural revitalization movements in northwestern North America are drawing on the elders' knowledge and memories of their healthy, time-honored foods to recreate and celebrate ancestral dishes, especially those fondl remembered for their sweetness