ABSTRACT
Indigenous knowledge of ecology and nature, culturally embedded within Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom, reveals an interconnectedness with land and place. Cultural landscapes embody a holistic relationship to land, a relationship that extends beyond the tangible surface of the earth, in a place where cultural, ecological and spiritual values intertwine. Northern Canadian communities stand on the front line of dramatic environmental change; both cultural identity and actual survival are at stake. A more responsive and dynamic framework needs to emerge for envisioning Northern communities — one that differs markedly from the fixed visions of Southern planning models — to enable and renew culturally sustainable relationships with the land. A shared vision, developed with local expertise, will re-imagine a future with a land characterised by reciprocity and respect, to maintain productive and experientially rich cultural landscapes. Such strategies must be developed from the understanding that although places are culturally and ecologically diverse, they are always in a state of transition.
