Yurok–wildlife relationship through the context of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Abstract

Various aspects of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) continue to be integrated in the wildlife conservation and management discourse; however, there may be challenges in cross-cultural understanding of the complex social-ecological systems that make up the fabric of TEK. In a 2-phased approach, we implemented research to better understand an Indigenous perspective of human–wildlife relationship. In phase 1, we conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with Yurok and Yurok-affiliated people about the relationship of Yurok people with wildlife and Yurok community hunting values. In phase 2, we conducted a secondary analysis of a subset of 10 interviews from phase 1. Permissions were obtained from the Yurok Tribe, under the project's previously established Institutional Review Board process, to access archived interview data for subsequent research relevant to the original research goals. We identified the following themes: Yurok conceptualizations of wildlife, cultural understanding of animals as people, animal harvesting protocols, cultural guidelines that maintain wildlife populations, and consequences for not following cultural guidelines as related to hunting. We explored how the terms wildlife and wildlife management are difficult to interpret within the context of Yurok TEK, as wildlife, in the same meaning as Western wildlife management, does not exist in the Yurok cultural paradigm. A fundamental, multifaceted aspect of the Yurok–wildlife relationship through a TEK context is the concept of animals as people, which we discuss in relation to Yurok spirituality. As Indigenous Knowledge continues to be recognized in scientific discourse, there may be opportunities to reconceptualize, Indigenize, and shift approaches to research, wildlife and wildlife habitat management, and conservation. Results of our study may support Yurok Tribe wildlife managers, Western-trained biologists, and others in their considerations of Indigenous Knowledge in wildlife management and conservation.