Renewing Relatives: Nmé Stewardship in a Shared Watershed

Abstract

Communities with a history of cultural misunderstanding and political conflict can come together to steward a shared watershed. One such example of multijurisdictional collaboration is demonstrated in the Big Manistee River Watershed by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians (LRBOI) designing and implementing a restoration program for the imperiled fish, the Lake Sturgeon, or Nmé, in the Tribe’s language (Anishinaabemowin). The program has brought together residents of the watershed around distinctive — but compatible — conceptions of sustainability. Key to the success of the program is its emphasis on the relationships connecting culture, politics and sustainability. Restoration is not only about numbers of fish; it is also about the involvement of community members at all levels of the restoration process itself. Through participation and ceremony, individuals develop their own genuine relationships to nonhuman species, expand or adapt their worldviews to others, and learn to act collectively on behalf of the sustainability of the watershed.