Reviews for Terrestrial ecozones of Canada

The average rating for Terrestrial ecozones of Canada based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-12-29 00:00:00 James Smith Published in 1978 Keepers of the Game argues against the prevailing notion that the Native Americans joined the market culture of of the European colonists and killed wildlife to point of extinction to supply the fur market because they were awed by new goods, such as iron cookware, tools, and weapons, etc. Instead, Calvin Martin posits that their over-hunting in the colonial period resulted from the collapse of their religious cosmology, not materialism. In viewing nature as an interactive world of various beings (water, animals, species, trees, etc.) who could act aggressively against humans, Native Americans had a reason to restrict their kill. However, the introduction of new ideas, technology, and cultures by the Europeans undermined that view of nature and led to excessive hunting. Lastly, Martin argues against a contemporary trend among late 1970s environmentalists to hold up the example of the "Ecological Indian" as a model of ecology. According to his study, it was animism, not ecology, that drove Native American attitudes towards their environment, and this worldview cannot be translated into late twentieth (and early twenty-first) century culture. There is a lot more anthropological information in this book if you are interested in the Micmac and Ojibwa nations.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-09-09 00:00:00 Sharron Bishop While well written and thought provoking, his arguments leave a lot to be desired. His premise is certainly not wrong, and has been argued by others, as well, but his notions of Indian revenge on the Beaver can only be believed if one refuses to look at his notes, which clearly show an utter lack of sources for the era with which he makes his case. The evidence, in my opinion, is lacking greatly and thus his argument is flawed. Still, there is quality in the book and it is an easy read -- and well written. And, if you are a historian, it is a good book to read, given it's significance, "historiographically speaking".