NAT 105: Environment, Ecosystem, and Indigenous Perspectives

Vocabulary practice flashcards based on Unit 3 lecture notes from NAT 105, focusing on Indigenous perspectives on land, ecological knowledge systems (TEK vs. SEK), sustainable agriculture, and Haudenosaunee philosophy.

Environment

An area surrounding an individual or community, such as a cultivated and curated landscape.

Typography (Topography)

Changes in elevation and physical features represented on a map, such as mountains, rivers, and valleys.

Hydrography

The mapping and study of all water masses, including every lake, pond, and river; critical for navigation and travel.

Cartography

The science or practice of drawing maps of surroundings.

Ecosystem

The interaction of living things with each other and their specific physical environment, taking into account all factors including climate.

Biome

The overarching life environment reflecting how living things interact and get along with the surrounding world.

Wilderness

A European and Puritan concept viewing untamed land as untouched, brand-new, and in the middle of nowhere; a concept not recognized by Native peoples who inhabited and actively managed the land.

Space

A general, abstract, and unattached geographic area without inherent human meaning or significance.

Place

A specific location that has acquired deep cultural significance, sacredness, and meaning.

Custodial Relationship

The Indigenous framework of land stewardship based on reciprocal responsibility and care, recognizing that humans depend entirely on the land to survive.

Proprietary Relationship

The settler perspective of land defined by ownership, dominion, the drive to domesticate territory, and the capitalist belief that scarcity creates value.

T.E.K. (Traditional Ecological Knowledge)

Cumulative, highly localized ecological understanding gained through generations of long-term daily observations by Indigenous peoples living in specific environments.

S.E.K. (Scientific Ecological Knowledge)

Ecological knowledge developed through controlled laboratory conditions, academic credentials, and repeated experimental testing to establish universal principles.

Monocropping

The agricultural method of planting an entire field with a single plant species in rows, requiring continuous artificial replenishment of the soil.

Intercropping

The agricultural practice of planting complementary crops together in circular formations so that they mutually benefit each other.

The Three Sisters

The companion planting of corn, beans, and squash, where corn provides vertical support, beans contribute nitrogen and nutrients, and squash leaves shield the ground from pests while retaining moisture.

Usufruct Rights

Legal rights to harvest and utilize resources from the land for sustenance provided the land itself is not degraded or destroyed.

Boldt Decision

A landmark court case between the State of Washington and Native tribes affirming Indigenous usufruct rights to fish and harvest in their traditional waters.

Dish with One Spoon

A wampum belt covenant embodying custodial relations: the principle of taking only what one needs from the common dish, passing it on, and never exhausting the resource.

Ethos of Sustainability

A foundational, deeply felt principle holding that the primary goal of ecological interaction is preservation and balance rather than profit.

Ethnobotany

The study and traditional cultural knowledge of plants, particularly their ecological, medicinal, and nutritional roles within Indigenous communities.

Biocultural Restoration

The science and practice of restoring both ecological systems and human cultural connections to a place, revitalizing cultures alongside the lands to which they are bound.

U.N.D.R.I.P.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007 despite opposing votes from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Cultural Keystone Species

A plant or animal species that is foundational to the cultural identity of a people through its pervasive role in diet, technology, medicine, and spiritual practice.

Kayanréstí:yo

The Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace.

The Good Mind

Defined by Freida Jacques as an active discipline rather than a passive mood; the power to maintain peace, sound judgment, and balance with the natural world.

Haudenosaunee

A confederacy of Indigenous nations whose name translates to 'people of the longhouse.'

Niagara Redevelopment Project

An infrastructure project that flooded reservation lands and destroyed homes, creating severe long-term cultural and economic harm for the displaced Indigenous population.