19-3 Culture, Resources and Conflicts

Tribal/County Cooperation: Making It Work at the Local Level

A bridge spans the finger of saltwater in north Puget Sound known as the Swinomish Channel, and links the island world of the Swinomish Indian Reservation to the fertile farmlands of the Skagit Flats. It graceful arch visible for miles around, the bridge is a symbol of the growing cooperation between the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and their Skagit County neighbors. This cooperation is fed…

Towards a Political Ecology of Amazonia

Published as part of the Arizona studies in human ecology series, this edited volume is a compilation of current research on the ecological anthropology of indigenous Amazonia. The strength of this collection is its emphasis on the processual, dynamic nature of human ecology. By situating human society within the broadest biospheric context, Indiqenous Peoples & The Future of Amazonia is a…

The Key to Conflict Resolution: Reconnection with the Sacred; The Pribilof Aleut Case Study

In the early 1980s, the Aleut people of the Bering Sea's remote Pribilof Islands survived a profound crisis that ultimately was a spiritual, cultural, and economic turning point in their lives. For two hundred years commercial sealing had provided the sole economy on St. Paul and st. George, and it ended abruptly in 1983. In 19786 and 1787, the Russian fur traders transplanted Aleuts from the…

Stakeholder Negotiations Over Third World Natural Resource Projects

This article explores three cases in which the traditional model of "bilateral" negotiations between foreign investor and host country government over natural resource utilization was challenged by domestic and international interest groups, striving to protect the environmental, social, and spiritual integrity of locally affected forest lands. Of the three cases - Conoco in Ecuador and Stone…

Resources, Rights and recognition: Negotiating History in New Zealand

On May 22nd, 1995, the Minister in charge of Treaty Negotiations, Mr. Doug Graham, issued a statement from his office outlining the "Deed of Settlement" that had been agreed upon between the Crown and the Waikato-Tainui people of the central North Island in the resolution of their historical land claims. This agreement confirmed the "Heads of Agreement" signed in September of the previous year,…

Pre-Negotiation in Water Disputes Where Culture is Core

Water conflicts are slippery. They may appear to be primarily about the disposition of a natural resource; thus, functional bargaining, popularly referred to as "interest-based bargaining," may appear to be an effective process. However, lurking in the depths of many water conflicts is culture. If this key component is missed due to its relative obscurity or intangibility, technical solutions…

Interests and Identities in Natural Resources Conflicts Involving Indigenous Peoples

Interests and Identities in Natural Resources Conflicts Involving. Indigenous Peoples The 12 articles in this issue afford an opportunity to reflect upon the range of ways in which intercultural environmental disputes involving indigenous peoples can be addressed in constructive ways. By constructive I mean conflict management methods which involve and empower the key stakeholders to produce…

Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles to Resolving Cross-Cultural Environmental Disputes

Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles to Resolving Cross-Cultural. Environmental Disputes Global environmental problems, such as deforestation, water pollution, the depletion of fisheries, desertification, the loss of biological diversity and global warming, are increasing. Many, if not all of these problems, involve communities and governments which posses different cultural backgrounds, values…

Developing Appropriate Environmental Conflict Management Procedures in Indonesia

Developing Appropriate Environmental Conflict Management Procedures in. Indonesia: Integrating Traditional and New Approaches Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world with a population of over 180 million people, who are members of approximately 300 ethnic groups, and who speak as many as 650 languages. Sixty percent of all Indonesians live on the islands of Java, Madura, and Bali,…

Demarcating Indigenous Territories in Nicaragua: The Case of Awas Tingni

The Mayagna (Sumo) Indian community of Awas Tingni currently is attempting to attain formal recognition of its broad territorial rights. Over the last several years a norm has developed internationally that affirms the right of indigenous communities to the lands they have traditionally used and occupied. This norm is incorporated in the 1985 Constitution of Nicaragua and in the 1987 statute…

Aboriginal Australians' Cultural Norms for Negotiating Natural Resources

Intercultural approaches to both negotiation and dispute resolution need to be developed from an understanding of both cultures for which the particular approach is intended. It is not sufficient to assume that well-tried western models, such as the Harvard approach (Roger Fisher and William Ury 1981) or the set of approaches promoted by Australia's Conflict Resolution Network (Helena Cornelius…

Independent Fact-Finding as a Catalyst for Cross-Cultural Dialogue: Assessing Impacts of Oil and Gas Development in Ecuador's Or

Independent Fact-Finding as a Catalyst for Cross-Cultural Dialogue:. Assessing Impacts of Oil and Gas Development in Ecuador's Oriente Region This article reviews the author's experience as a member of a team that conducted an independent review of environmental impacts associated with oil and gas exploration in Ecuador's Oriente region. The focus of the independent review evolved from a look at…

Multi-Track Diplomacy: and the Sustainable Route to Conflict Resolution

The limitations of the rationalistic approach to peacemaking and conflict settlement has been associated with the relative failures of the post-Cold War era. Instead of stability, chaos and anarchy have been the dominant characteristics in the contemporary international system. This article examines the failings of traditional approaches to dispute resolution and outlines an alternative…

Conflict, Culture, and Negotiation in Natural Resource Bargaining

As the various papers presented in this volume attest, growing populations and ever-dwindling global resources have rendered negotiation over the sharing of natural resources can increasingly urgent and critical issue. Such negotiations constitute a special category within the discipline of conflict resolution, not only because they deal with sensitive environmental and resource issues, but also…

Culture, Resources and Conflict: Challenging Assumptions

Post-Cold War international developments have provided new challenges to the field of conflict resolution. Culture, resources and conflict now delineate a complex web of inter-relationships that are among the international community's most pressing concerns. The focus of the Fall 1995 issue of Cultural Survival Quarterly (CSQ) on culture, resources and conflict is part of an international…

Promoting Multi-Cultural Consensus-Building in Bulgaria

Establishing consensus-building procedures and structures which involve different ethnic groups in former communist societies poses a number of significant challenges. The success of democratizing societies in answering these challenges will be critical to the establishment of a civic society and to the resolution of ethnic tensions in a peaceful and participatory manner. Often times the test as…