Political and legal progressions of eastern James Bay: Article Review
Litigating and Negotiating Nature in Eastern James Bay Article Review
This article by Hans Carlson presents a political and legal progression by the James Bay Development Corporation that essentially alters the native Cree’s relationship to their land. Starting in Quebec, from 1971 to 1975 the Grande River Hydro-electric Complex started the construction on four dams in eastern James Bay, publicized to provide electricity to the Quebec grid. Living off the eastern James Bay land is the people of the Cree which began fighting for the rights to the land as the assembly of these dams would induce large changes to their spiritual and physical ties. The Cree who have been dependent on the land for survival argued to the superior court that before and after confederation the natives held the rights to James Bay area and the building of the dams infringed upon these rights. Also, proclaiming that living off the land was more than just a physical commodity but a spiritual tie that was engraved in Cree history and way of life.
The layers rebuttal for the James Bay Development Corporation recognized that the Cree had the rights to the land, on the other hand they saw that the English crown had priority thus precedents went to common law to be resolved. Secondly, it was understood that the Cree were culturally dependent on the region but it was hard for the judges to understand the spiritual aspect of dependency transpiring alongside just physical food consumption. The Cree tribe had been keeping up with the times of technology and were exposed to the court for using snowmobiles and airplanes to help with trapping and hunting. The lawyer was presenting how dependent the Cree had become on using present day machines and how the Cree were no different than the typical Canadian. This showed the Cree that their dependency on machinery left them subject to colonialism of western technology and external environments subsequently altering what they believed to be their own
This article by Hans Carlson presents a political and legal progression by the James Bay Development Corporation that essentially alters the native Cree’s relationship to their land. Starting in Quebec, from 1971 to 1975 the Grande River Hydro-electric Complex started the construction on four dams in eastern James Bay, publicized to provide electricity to the Quebec grid. Living off the eastern James Bay land is the people of the Cree which began fighting for the rights to the land as the assembly of these dams would induce large changes to their spiritual and physical ties. The Cree who have been dependent on the land for survival argued to the superior court that before and after confederation the natives held the rights to James Bay area and the building of the dams infringed upon these rights. Also, proclaiming that living off the land was more than just a physical commodity but a spiritual tie that was engraved in Cree history and way of life.
The layers rebuttal for the James Bay Development Corporation recognized that the Cree had the rights to the land, on the other hand they saw that the English crown had priority thus precedents went to common law to be resolved. Secondly, it was understood that the Cree were culturally dependent on the region but it was hard for the judges to understand the spiritual aspect of dependency transpiring alongside just physical food consumption. The Cree tribe had been keeping up with the times of technology and were exposed to the court for using snowmobiles and airplanes to help with trapping and hunting. The lawyer was presenting how dependent the Cree had become on using present day machines and how the Cree were no different than the typical Canadian. This showed the Cree that their dependency on machinery left them subject to colonialism of western technology and external environments subsequently altering what they believed to be their own