Indigenous culture and nature relatedness: Results from a collaborative study

Abstract

Indigenous and environmental politics often draw on the claim that Indigenous cultures are closely related with nature and, thus, Indigenous governance will lead to better environmental outcomes. Neither this assumption, nor the details of a presumed Indigenous-nature relationship, have yet been examined quantitatively. Using a unique community-led, decolonial quantitative method we find a strong positive relation between Anishinaabe culture of Central/Southern Canada and nature relatedness. This relationship is not simply driven by repeated interactions with nature associated with certain cultural practices, but by communicated elements such as ceremonies, stories, and songs. Findings support the suggestion that Indigenous governance and cultural revitalization programs may improve environmental policy outcomes. Based on Coloniality/Modernity/Decoloniality theory, we argue that quantitative methods such as this are not only appropriate for research with Indigenous peoples, but are potentially decolonial if the research is meaningfully Indigenous-led.

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