Episode produced by Julia Harper, Kevin Tsang, and Shameem Nasrabadi.

This episode of Sync into the Earth is an introduction to an Indigenous ethic and approach to invasive species management. The dominant western scientific characterization of invasive species has become prevalent even outside of scientific circles, and includes regular use of exterminationist, warlike, and xenophobic metaphor and rhetoric. This framework is at odds with many Indigenous cosmologies, which centre on humility, mutual respect and mindful relations between humans and the natural world, and which understand migration as a natural occurrence, regardless of the role that humans play in mediating most species introductions.

The focus of the episode is our interview with Gary Pritchard, biologist, environmental consultant, and member of Curve Lake First Nation, who details an Anishinaabe perspective on the topic. Included in the discussion are explanations of Anishinaabe teachings on ecological inquiry and respectful use as well as colonization and settler-Indigenous relations, particularly in scientific and land use & management contexts.

We fill out the episode by exploring the implications of our discussion on Asian carp management and invasive sea lamprey management, and briefly introduce Two-Eyed Seeing, a Mi'kmaw perspective on settler-Indigenous relations. Care is taken throughout the episode to not characterize any perspectives as pan-Indigenous or universal to a particular Indigenous nation.