Berry Plants and Berry Picking in Inuit Nunangat: Traditions in a Changing Socio-Ecological Landscape

作者：Noémie Boulanger‐Lapointe, José Gérin-Lajoie, Laura Siegwart Collier, Sarah Desrosiers, Carmen Spiech, Gregory H. R. Henry, Luise Hermanutz, Esther Lévesque, Alain Cuerrier · 发表于：Human Ecology · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1007/s10745-018-0044-5 · 被引用次数：61 · 研究领域：Indigenous Studies and Ecology、Culinary Culture and Tourism、Geographies of human-animal interactions

Traditional food is central to Inuit culture and sense of identity. Recent changes in lifestyle, climate, and animal populations have influenced how people practice and experience activities on the land. We summarize the findings of 191 new and archived interviews addressing the continued relationships of Inuit to berries in the Canadian territories of Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut. Berry plants have been and remain widely used throughout the study area. Berry picking is an important cultural activity that contributes to spiritual, personal, and community wellbeing. In some regions, the availability of berries and accessibility to berry patches are threatened by climate change, recent increases in goose populations, as well as community development. Study outcomes suggest that berry picking should be considered in land-use planning since, alongside hunting and fishing, it is an activity that contributes to physical and mental health while being an important cultural practice across Inuit territories.