| This thesis is about how government natural resource management systems have come into contact and conflict with indigenous natural resource management systems. Two case studies have been developed with two indigenous communities who have experienced conflict with state management and have had their natural resource use criminalized by state conservation laws. One case study is historical and was conducted with the Red Rock Band, an Ojibway community located on the Nipigon River, in northwestern Ontario. The second case study is contemporary, and was conducted with Ban Mae Me Nai, a Karen community located in the Jae Sorn National Park, in northern Thailand. This thesis seeks to answer three questions about the nature of the conflict between government and indigenous natural resource management systems: (1) How are indigenous natural resource management systems criminalized? (i.e., how can the indigenous use of natural resources be framed as unlawful) (2) How do indigenous communities respond to having their resource use criminalized? (3) What has been the impact of the imposition of state conservation laws on indigenous cultures and economy?;Four stages were observed in the criminalization of indigenous natural resource use: (1) the indigenous management system is invisible, (2) the indigenous use of the resources is portrayed as harmful, (3) the indigenous use is defined as illegal, (4) the indigenous community eventually becomes empowered to redress their rights to use and manage their natural resources in their own manner.;The research found that indigenous communities have not been silent to the take-over of their resources and the criminalization of their resource use. It was found that the imposition of state natural resource management systems on indigenous communities has caused significant impacts upon their culture, economy, and environment. |
