Project
The Ginebigomeg Project: Indigenous Relationships with Sea Lamprey in the Great Lakes
Indigenous Peoples’ relations with so-called “invasive species” contain nuance and complexities rarely reflected in the dominant invasion ecology discourse. Indigenous terminology for invasives, whether in English or Indigenous languages, often reflects relational understandings. Concern is placed on why and how these species have arrived in a new location, and kinship approaches have been proposed as a complement or alternative to state-led approaches for managing invasives. This project is concerned specifically with Indigenous relationships with Ginebigomeg (sea lamprey) and expands on early outcomes of the GLFC-supported “3I Project” that identifies relationality as central to understanding Ginebigomeg and their place in the Great Lakes. This Indigenous-led approach to partnering with Tribes and First Nations will elucidate the histories of experiences with Ginebigomeg and their control as well as shared visions for more just futures. As with 3I, this is hypothesis-generating and exploratory given how little attention has gone to these topics across institutions, disciplines, and geographies.\r\n\r\nObjectives: \r\n1 – Enhance collective understanding of Indigenous relationships with Ginebigomeg and their control; as well as\r\n2 – Identify priorities and support emerging initiatives to enhance Ginebigomeg research, management, and related communications. Under these broader umbrellas, we have four main axes around which our research activities revolve: Axis 1 – Contextualizing relationships; Axis 2: Co-constituting language; Axis 3: Codifying communications; Axis 4: Seeding community initiatives.\r\n\r\nThis research will focus on building strong partnerships (governed by co-signed research protocol agreements) with Tribes and First Nations (FN) throughout the Great Lakes. We have already initiated research with and/or confirmed mutual interest with: Batchewana FN; Chippewas of Nawash Unceded FN; Chippewas of Saugeen FN; Garden River FN; Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians; Keweenaw Bay Indian Community; Magnetawan FN; Michipicoten FN; Mississauga FN; Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa; Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians; and Walpole Island FN. Following community guidance, we will undertake tailored research (e.g., community knowledge holder interviews, focus groups, dialogue sessions) to understand the history of and envisioned future for relationships with Ginebigomeg and their control in the Great Lakes. Guided by research directions identified during the 3I Project, we will look to build understanding of Indigenous relationships with Ginebigomeg and control impacts on Indigenous wellbeing (Axis 1). We will also collate kinship approaches for managing Ginebigomeg, placing emphasis on what we can learn from Indigenous languages and through English language choices (Axis 2). Lastly, we will identify priorities and actions for improving communications between state-empowered authorities and Indigenous communities, consent-building processes, and collaboration (Axes 3 and 4).