New Relationships on the Northwestern Frontier Abstract Page Number Fixed

NEW RELATIONSHIPS ON THE NORTHWEST FRONTIER: EPISODES IN THE GITXSAN AND WITSUWIT’EN ENCOUNTER WITH COLONIAL POWER TYLER MCCREARY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GEOGRAPHY YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO DECEMBER 2013 © Tyler McCreary, 2013 Abstract This dissertatioN examiNes relatioNships betweeN coloNialism aNd INdigeNoUs peoples that shape the deVelopmeNt of extractiVe resoUrces iN GitxsaN aNd WitsUwit’eN territories iN Northwest British ColUmbia, CaNada. I argUe coloNialism aNd Indigeneity are co- constituted. Theoretically, this dissertatioN briNgs aN aNalysis of coloNialism iNto conversation with Foucauldian understandings of sovereign, disciplinary, and goVerNmeNtal power. I begiN by sitUatiNg the relatioNship betweeN coloNialism aNd the GitxsaN aNd WitsUwit’eN people historically, theN traNsitioN to examiNe iN greater detail the coNtemporary relatioNs UNfoldiNg throUgh the coUrts, traditioNal kNowledge stUdies, resource governaNce, aNd education. I argUe the GitxsaN aNd Witsuwit’en assertions of territory and jurisdiction in the Delgamuukw litigation exposed Indigenous traditions to New forms of coloNial discipliNe aNd debasemeNt bUt also iNdUced New regimes of recogNitioN aNd doctriNes of recoNciliatioN. SUbseqUeNtly, AborigiNal traditional knowledge stUdies iNtegrated recogNitioN of INdigeNeity withiN the goVerNmeNtal regUlatioN of resoUrce deVelopmeNt. HoweVer, sUch recogNitioN has beeN coNstraiNed. WitsUwit’eN resistaNce to the ENbridge Northern Gateway Project highlights the oNgoiNg emergeNce of Indigenous politics in excess of regulatory integration as traditional. This excess is coNtiNUally reiNcorporated iNto coloNial goVerNaNce processes to resecUre deVelopmeNt, throUgh Not oNly techNiqUes aimed at protectiNg INdigeNoUs traditions but also training regimes desigNed to iNcorporate INdigeNoUs laboUr withiN the iNdUstrial ecoNomy. ThroUgh the dissertatioN, I demoNstrate the eNtaNglemeNt of resoUrce deVelopmeNt with a coNtiNUoUs cycle moViNg throUgh momeNts of INdigeNoUs coNtestation, colonial response, and subsequent Indigenous challenges. This cycle has relied on the exercise of sovereignty, discipliNarity, aNd goVerNmeNtality as distiNct yet iNterpeNetrated modalities of coloNial power. Colonial sovereignty operates to suspend the political excess of Indigenous political claims, discipliNe works to eNframe INdigeNeity, and goVerNmeNt miNimally regUlates to ii protect aNd foster INdigeNoUs beiNg. HoweVer, oN the basis that INdigeNoUs forms of territory aNd sUbjectiVity remaiN UNrecoNciled with coloNial regimes of discipliNe aNd goVerNmeNtality, INdigeNoUs aUthorities perpetUally adVaNce New jUrisdictioNal claims that problematize those of the coloNial soVereigN, aNd reopeN spaces of NegotiatioN. I sUggest the moVemeNt betweeN momeNts of resistaNce aNd recoNciliatioN remaiNs Necessarily opeN aNd iNdetermiNate. These multiple trajectories of the eNcoUNter betweeN INdigeNoUs peoples aNd coloNialism, I argUe, continually unfold to constitute the colonial present. iii Acknowledgements AlthoUgh the mistakes iN this dissertatioN remaiN my owN, my aNalysis is deriVatiVe of knowledge I gained from others throUgh maNy coNVersatioNs. I must express my deepest appreciatioN to Patricia Wood. Her patieNt gUidaNce, coNstaNt eNcoUragemeNt, aNd eNdUriNg frieNdship made the writiNg of this dissertatioN Not oNly possible bUt also pleasUrable. Similarly, I must thaNk my committee members, RaNU BasU aNd Deb McGregor, who proVided maNy words of eNcoUragemeNt that fortified my confidence to write. I was gifted to haVe the opportUNity to learN from sUch extraordiNary and generous scholars. I also must ackNowledge my gratitUde to all the people iN the Northwest INterior who took time to talk to me aboUt my doctoral research. I particUlarly waNt to ackNowledge ceaseless work of all the Gitxsan and Witsuwit’en activists. The hereditary chiefs, elders, and youth that continue to revitalize their traditions withiN the coNtemporary momeNt are a source of endless inspiratioN to me. WithiN the academic domaiN, there are a few friends I want to specifically recognize for the key role they played in challenging, refining, and expanding the ideas presented in this dissertation. This dissertatioN was deVeloped throUgh maNy readiNgs aNd conversations. I particularly want to thank Amar Bhatia, SharmeeN KhaN, Richard MilligaN, DawN HoogeeVeN, MelaNie SommerVille, DaVid HUgill, and David Mitchell for their careful readiNg aNd commeNtary oN early chapter drafts. I also wish to acknowledge the importaNce of the feedback aNd eNcoUragemeNt of a broader commuNity of scholars. For their sUpport iN deVelopiNg my thiNkiNg, I remaiN iNdebted to SUzaNNe Mills, AnN Marie MUrNaghaN, VaNessa Lamb, AnNe Godlewska, Peter BrogaN, Lucas Lixinski, Reecia Orzeck, Paavo Kotiaho, Kyle Loewen, aNd Rosemary Collard. MoreoVer, I owe maNy thaNks to the entire DepartmeNt of Geography at York UNiVersity. MaNy coNVersatioNs with my departmeNtal colleagUes Not oNly improVed the iNtellectUal merit of my work bUt also helped me feel at home iN the academy. iv I haVe also beeN fortUNate to beNefit from the tremeNdoUs colleagUes aNd meNtors I haVe eNcoUNtered throUgh associatioN with a NUmber of other iNstitUtioNs dUriNg the course of this research. I found particular insight on relations in the north through the commuNity at the BUlkley Valley Research CeNtre. I was able to effectiVely expaNd this kNowledge throUgh the coNNectioNs I made teachiNg at the UNiVersity of NortherN British ColUmbia. The Network associated with the INstitUte oN Global Law aNd Policy at Harvard was crUcial to deVelopiNg my UNderstaNdiNg of legal qUestioNs. FiNally, the UNiVersity of British ColUmbia proVided me with a post as a VisitiNg scholar, aNd was iNstrUmeNtal iN proVidiNg the sUpport to complete my dissertatioN. For first iNtrodUciNg me to aNd UsheriNg me iNto each of these respectiVe iNstitUtioNs, I owe thaNks to Rick BUdhwa, Zoe Meletis, Usha Natarajan, and TreVor Barnes. I woUld also like to ackNowledge fUNdiNg from the Social ScieNces aNd HUmaNities Research Council of Canada and the Faculty of Graduate StUdies at York University. My deepest gratitUde, howeVer, is reserVed for my family. To my father, yoUr dedicatioN to commuNity aNd lastiNg commitmeNt to work with the INdigeNoUs commuNities of the Northwest INterior has beeN a model for me. To my mother, thaNk yoU for teachiNg me to loVe books aNd to cherish the beaUty of the writteN word, and always stressiNg the ValUe of edUcatioN to me. And to Barbara, my achieVemeNts are bUilt off the foundation of your greatness; not oNly were yoU a tremeNdoUs sUpport bUt you also coNstaNtly pUshed aNd exteNded me iNtellectUally; my best ideas always emerged throUgh dialogue with you, aNd I woUld Not haVe foUNd my way to the eNd of this dissertation without you. V Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... viii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................... ix Note on Terminology ........................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Keywords: Colonialism and Indigeneity ................................................................................................. 6 Foucault’s Triangle: Sovereignty-Discipline-Government ............................................................. 12 Moving Theory to the Settler Colonial Frontier ................................................................................. 23 Locating Myself ............................................................................................................................................. 31 Methodological Entanglements ............................................................................................................... 35 Dissertation Outline .................................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 2 Indigeneity and Colonialism: A Northwest Interior History ........................ 46 Political Traditions of the Gitxsan and Witsuwit’en Peoples ........................................................ 49 Indigeneity and Colonialism in the Fur Trade .................................................................................... 62 The Colonial Displacement of Indigenous Orders ............................................................................ 71 A New Colonial Governmentality and the Rebirth of Indigenous Politics ................................ 81 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................................

Load more