A framework for Indigenous climate resilience: A Gitxsan case study

Abstract

Indigenous communities in British Columbia hold deep relationships with their Lands, and are disproportionately affected by climate change. This study assesses resilience of Indigenous communities to climate change with respect to changes in the traditional seasonal round. Through a decolonizing methodology that is inclusive of a two-eyed seeing approach, we develop a culturally appropriate framework for assessing climate resilience of Indigenous communities and apply this framework to a case study of the Gitxsan Nation. Our “Rez-ilience” framework is an adaptation of a commonly used resilience assessment framework to include an Indigenous worldview. Through application of the framework to qualitative data obtained from surveys and interviews with Nation members, we document how the cumulative impacts of climate change and ecosystem degradation are affecting the timing of traditional seasonal activities, and how people are responding to these changes. We conclude with recommendations for ways that the Gitxsan Nation might increase its climate resilience.