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Notions of property: traditional land use and boundaries in the Deh Cho region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2012

Carol J. Brown-Leonardi
Carol J. Brown-Leonardi*
Affiliation:
The Centre for Citizenship, Identity and Governance (CCIG), Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6BJ and The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities (CISH), University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester C04 3SQ (cjm@camits.co.uk)
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Abstract

The Deh Cho Dene have been negotiating territorial land since early European settlement. This paper argues that the changing needs of Deh Cho Dene society has changed their concept of property and this transformation has evolved with a responsibility to conserve cultural practice and ecological balance in Deh Cho Dene territorial lands. The article considers how the changing need of European society addresses property and ownership in the context of basic human rights and consumer interests. It uses the theories of Macpherson, Locke, and Marx to construct a model to understand the property relations that exist in the Deh Cho Dene region. Accordingly, the paper addresses oral narratives to give historical insight into the relations between neighbouring tribal groups and their understanding of territorial boundaries. An account of present day negotiations highlights the various initiatives taken to protect traditional interests and uphold historical claim to the territory. The negotiation of joint ventures and property ownership has evolved with concerns over ecological sustainability and the protection of a subsistence lifestyle, which is critical for the social and economic interests of Deh Cho Dene culture, and is closely connected to the land.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 48 , Issue 3: THEMED SECTION: CONTESTED BORDERS AND IDENTITIES , July 2012 , pp. 249 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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