Comparing Yosemite National Park and Karlamilyi National Park: Criticizing Settler-Colonialism and Offering Suggestions for the Future
Open Access
Author:
Russell, Gillian
Area of Honors:
Interdisciplinary in Anthropology and Global and International Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Douglas Bird, Thesis Supervisor Douglas Bird, Thesis Honors Advisor Kristina M Douglass, Faculty Reader Jonathan Eran Abel, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
National Parks Yosemite Karlamilyi Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conservation Restoration Soverignty Anthropology Ethnography
Abstract:
National Parks have been dubbed repeatedly as “America’s best idea.” While much of the public appreciates the park system, there are many issues they present, starting with their very creation. National Parks are established for specific purposes and in the pursuit of those purposes, context is undermined. The undermining of context in National Parks results in certain people, places, and events not being discussed, and are thus forgotten by the public. Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians were violently removed from their homelands to create many of these parks and there is often little mention of the diverse histories of these peoples or acknowledgement of the injustices that took place on the land before and during the establishment of the National Park. The separation between Indigenous peoples and their homelands not only has social justice implications, but implications for conservation and restoration. This thesis will compare the past and present of Yosemite National Park in the United States and Karlamilyi National Park in Australia. By utilizing methods such as literature review, land use analysis, and ethnographic interviewing, this thesis will discuss some of the core issues with National Parks and explore possible solutions.
