Uncovering Implicit Western Science and Indigenous Values Embedded in Climate Change and Cultural Resource Adaptation Policy and Guidance

Abstract

Climate change discourse ranges from an acknowledgement of ancestral prophecy to the most urgent crisis of our time. If the terminology–words, concepts, and expressions–of discourse is understood to reflect a writer’s values, perspectives, and ways of knowing, then it is important to compare the terminology used by various writers to understand key value differences. This paper provides an initial exploration into the explicit and implicit differences in terminology surrounding climate adaptation planning from the perspective of federal agencies and Tribal Nations as represented in two climate adaptation guides. As the act of utilising the same words but in different ways will likely result in conflict, we also explored the links between the values-based differences in terminology with three policies–one written from a Tribal perspective and two that govern federal agencies’ stewardship of cultural resources–to assess the implications for climate adaptation of ancestral heritage located on federal lands. It is important to note that the space to compare terminology between federal and Tribal perspectives is vast; though this paper represents only an introductory step into this space, the results demonstrate a clear need to develop a process of co-constructing a shared climate adaptation terminology.