The Myth of Harmonious Indigenous Conservationism

It s eems like a long time ago. But only six months ago, pundits had convinced themselves that the great morality tale of our time was playing out in an obscure part of British Columbia. Following on an internal political fight within the Wet'suwet'en First Nation over a local pipeline project, one columnist wrote that "the Indigenous people of Earth have become the conscience of humanity. In this dire season, it is time to listen to them." In fact, the elected leadership of the Wet'suwet'en had chosen to participate in the controverted pipeline project. The nationwide protests against the pipeline that followed were, in fact, sparked by unelected "hereditary" chiefs who long have received government signing bonuses. It's unclear how this qualifies them for the exalted status of humanity's conscience. Yet the whole weeks-long saga, which featured urban protestors appearing alongside their Indigenous counterparts at road and rail barricades throughout Canada, tapped into a strongly held noble-savage belief system within progressive circles. Various formulations of this mythology have become encoded in public land acknowledgments, college courses, … Read Full Article »