Thompson Rivers University
Digital Commons @ TRU Library (Thompson Rivers University)Not a member yet
1287 research outputs found
Sort by
Walking the Talk: Moving Indigenous Studies from the Classroom to the Community
No full textIn this session students will showcase their final assignments from the course Anthropology 4050: Canadian Status/Treaty Indian Reserve Communities. Throughout the course we have discussed the complexities of the history of the reserve system in Canada, the nuances of the Treaty process, the rigidity of the Indian Act, the traumas of residential schools and lived implications of forced relocations on Indigenous communities. We have examined how colonial relations are spatialized and how this spacialization translates into lived social relations. This showcase represents our desire to share what we have learned and why it matters with our TRU community in the hopes of nurturing a space of understanding, compassion, and mutually respectful conversation
Migratory Distance Relationship to Population Decline in Aerial Insectivores
No full textWhile migration provides optimal seasonal conditions for feeding and breeding, migratory birds face many life-threatening obstacles throughout each journey. Such obstacles may include the high energetic demands accompanying flight and feeding practices, as well as increased mortality associated with environmental pressures such as predation and transmission of intraspecies disease. Species travelling farther distances are likely to pay higher energy costs and endure greater environmental pressure. In North America, the populations of long-distance migratory birds that rely on insect niches have noticeably fallen. Aerial insectivore populations are disproportionately declining when compared to other migratory guilds. This study aims to determine whether migration distance may be used to predict population decline, and to examine the relationship between migratory distance and aerial insectivore population decline relative to occupants of other migratory guilds. The distances between centroids of the breeding ranges and non-breeding ranges of North American birds will be compiled using automated GIS analysis of species distribution maps
Stressed Snakes: Investigating a Possible Link between Physiological Stress and body condition in Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (\u3ci\u3eCrotalus oreganus oreganus\u3c/i\u3e)
No full textNorthern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) are vital members of ecological communities in the arid regions of southern British Columbia. These areas are ecologically unique compared to the rest of BC, but they are experiencing rapid development. Therefore, it is critical for us to understand how the conversion of natural habitat to a landscape dominated by vineyards, orchards and resorts will impact wildlife. So far, Rattlesnakes have been been able to persist in anthropogenically disturbed areas, but previous research has indicated that there may be hidden effects on the health of individuals. Rattlesnakes within the same population near Osoyoos, BC have been found to have widely varying body condition; those living in areas with abundant human disturbance exhibit relatively poor body condition when compared to those living in undisturbed, natural habitats. This research aims to explore one of the potential mechanisms behind this effect; physiological stress. Blood samples were collected from Rattlesnakes within the Osoyoos population and analyzed to find the baseline corticosterone (stress hormone) content in order to see if there is a relationship between stress and body condition. This investigation into the underlying processes which reduce body condition will offer further understanding of the complex, indirect effects that anthropogenic disturbance has, not only on Rattlesnakes, but on other species of wildlife as well
SESSION 2.1: The James Hepburn Northwest Coast Collection at the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
No full textThis presentation introduces the James Hepburn Northwest Coast collection held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge, England. James Hepburn (1811-1869) was a naturalist and collector based in Victoria and San Francisco who undertook ethnographic collecting on the HMS Devastation at Sitka, Fort Simpson and Metlakatla during Autumn 1862. The 1860s were a period of intense cultural change on the Northwest Coast with an influx of newcomers, introduced infectious diseases and an increasing missionary presence. The Tsimshian of Metlakatla and Fort Simpson, and the missionary William Duncan are central to this story. During the 1862 smallpox epidemic, Duncan encouraged the Tsimshian to relocate their community and relinquish items connected to their sacred histories and ceremonies that were incompatible with Christian values. William Duncan sold some of these items to James Hepburn which became part of the founding collections at MAA, and their first from the Northwest Coast. This collection is one of the earliest to emerge from Metlakatla and provides a compelling account of missionary encounters and cultural change. The Hepburn collection includes masks, soul catchers, clappers, dishes and items of personal adornment
SESSION 2.2: Jean-Baptiste Boucher dit Waccan and the Traces of Métis Ethnogenesis in British Columbia
No full textJean-Baptiste Boucher dit Waccan was a formidable force in northern and central British Columbia. He accompanied Simon Fraser in descending the river that now bear’s the latter’s name and was a pivotal employee for the later HBC serving as interpreter and occasional enforcer, feared and respected widely. His descendants include, among others, Margaret “Granny” Seymour who was in 1958 identified as a “French Indian” in the local press. This presentation will examine Boucher dit Waccan’s history and examine his life as an archetypal figure of the numerous fur trading employees living across what is now British Columbia. His children and grandchildren were identified in the 1881 census as “French Half-breed” and Margaret Seymour clearly spoke French as well as others notably former HBC employees such as Pierre Roy and Joseph Tappage. The latter was identified in the 1881 census as a “Red River Halfbreed born in BC.” The number of individuals in the Cariboo district identified directly and indirectly as being “French Halfbreed” hints to the existence of an embryonic historical Métis community in the region. This paper will thus probe this too often overlooked history to examine the role these Métis played in the history of the region and the province
How Festivals Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Oppression for Attendees: The Case of the New Beginnings Festival
Get PDF
