Showing Home is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land (Nature/History/Society) by Hans M. Carlson

The James Bay Cree lived in relative isolation until 1970, when Northern Quebec was swept up in the political and cultural changes of the Quiet Revolution. The ensuing years have brought immense change for the Cree, who now live with the consequences of Quebec's massive development of hydroelectricity, timber, and mineral resources in the North. The Cree's fight to protect their land against this tide of development is emblematic of First Nations' struggles for rights in Canada and elsewhere in North America."Home Is the Hunter" presents the historical, environmental, and cultural context from which this recent story grows. By investigating the Cree's relationship with the land and their 300 years of contact with fur traders, missionaries, and other outsiders, Hans Carlson illuminates the process of cultural negotiation at the foundation of ongoing political and environmental debates. He details the Cree's integration into North American economies and politics alongside their attempts to remain culturally and environmentally distinct. "Home is the Hunter" is more than a story of dam building and industrial logging; it offers a way of thinking about all Native peoples and about environmental justice in the current political climate.