Voices from the Bay: Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Inuit and Cree in the Hudson Bay Bioregion

The book has four main sections, plus appendices on methods, environmental indicators, and other details from earlier Hudson Bay Programme reports, also available from the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee. The main sections of Voices from the Bay are Traditional Knowledge of Ecosystem Components, Environmental Change and its Significance to Inuit and Cree, Indigenous Perspectives on Development, and Future Needs. These are illustrated with maps, diagrams, and photographs. The diagrams, unfortunately, are often complex and confusing, failing to distinguish between causes and effects, as in Figure 4: Effects of Currents, Spring Tides, and Wind on Sea Ice. The maps, on the other hand, are well done, and the well-chosen combination of old and new photographs vividly shows the continuity and change that are characteristic of Arctic communities. Despite these changes, Voices from the Bay gives a strong answer to the question, how can the knowledge accumulated through generations of living along Hudson Bay and depending on its resources help solve problems today? Traditional knowledge can be used with scientific knowledge to better understand the environment and potential impacts of development, both locally and globally, as indicated in Figure 12. Cultural patterns reinforce survival skills needed in the North. Respect for the environment supports sound management of resources. Above all, for the people of the region, their knowledge and their culture provide the basis for thriving communities. Without that knowledge and the culture built upon it, the communities of Hudson Bay are in peril.