Caribou Conservation Guided, Enacted, and Embodied by Inuinnait and the Killinikmiut Tuktuit

Hanke, Andrea

Caribou Conservation Guided, Enacted, and Embodied by Inuinnait and the Killinikmiut Tuktuit

dc.contributor.advisor	Kutz, Susan
dc.contributor.advisor	Adams, Cindy
dc.contributor.author	Hanke, Andrea
dc.contributor.committeemember	Henderson, Rita
dc.contributor.committeemember	Blue, Gwendolyn
dc.contributor.committeemember	Leclerc, Lisa-Marie
dc.contributor.committeemember	Wilson, Warren
dc.contributor.committeemember	Snook, Jamie
dc.contributor.committeemember	Dumond, Amanda
dc.date.accessioned	2024-05-17T15:49:39Z
dc.date.available	2024-05-17T15:49:39Z
dc.date.issued	2024-05-13
dc.description.abstract	The fields of environmental and wildlife conservation are working to increase the complexity of their approaches to knowledge in the face of increasing conservation precarity and recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Epistemic plurality, the focus of many strategies and initiatives, acknowledges the validity and value of multiple ways of knowing, recognizing that a more holistic understanding may be reached by drawing from multiple ways of knowing. In the central Canadian Arctic, Inuinnait share a rich cultural history as a distinct collective of Inuit, including their connection to the Killinikmiut Tuktuit. This herd, also known as the “Dolphin and Union” (DU) caribou herd or Island caribou, is a unique ecotype of caribou who characteristically summers on Victoria Island (Killinik), winters on the adjacent mainland, and crosses the adjoining sea ice during their fall and spring migrations. Conservation of this herd occurs under co-management and must incorporate multiple ways of knowing to make the best decisions for the caribou, the people, and the land. In this thesis, I sought to support the co-management partners for the Killinikmiut Tuktuit by advancing our collaborative understanding of the status and trends of the Killinikmiut Tuktuit with Inuinnait Knowledge and how Inuinnait Knowledge around the Killinikmiut Tuktuit is situated. Through a series of interviews with Inuinnait in Kugluktuk, Ekaluktutiak, and Ulukhaktok, I documented information on Inuinnait systems of knowing caribou, their expected variations, and their combined strengths. This information provides insight into how Inuinnait knowledge must be treated and respected when considered in management decisions. I also documented information on caribou systems, their expected variations, and their current adaptations. This information addresses knowledge gaps in the Killinikmiut Tuktuit management plan and has already supported important conservation decisions. This thesis provides important examples in the processes of negotiations and accommodation, both which are necessary for community-based, collaborative research. More broadly, the research advances the practice of epistemic plurality and supports the implementation of Indigenous/Inuit-led policy documents.
dc.identifier.citation	Hanke, A. (2024). Caribou conservation guided, enacted, and embodied by Inuinnait and the Killinikmiut Tuktuit (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118790
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Indigenous Knowledge
dc.subject	Rangifer
dc.subject	Caribou
dc.subject	Traditional Knowledge
dc.subject	Inuit Knowledge
dc.subject	Thematic analysis
dc.subject	Co-management
dc.subject	Community-based research
dc.subject	Epistemic pluralism
dc.subject.classification	Veterinary Science
dc.subject.classification	Native American Studies
dc.subject.classification	Forestry and Wildlife
dc.subject.classification	Ecology
dc.subject.classification	Psychology--Cognitive
dc.title	Caribou Conservation Guided, Enacted, and Embodied by Inuinnait and the Killinikmiut Tuktuit
dc.type	doctoral thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Veterinary Medical Sciences
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.