Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Blackfoot traditional knowledge, bison drive lines, and geospatial analysis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Edmo, Kendall Rae; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David B. McWethy; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Bison drive lines provide material evidence of ancestral Blackfoot practices. The spatial dimensions of drive lines highlight a sophisticated understanding of bison-environment interactions and the strategic use of geographic landforms and environmental features to maintain a critical lifeway. Here we examine broad-scale landscape use patterns among prehistoric Blackfoot bison hunters on the Northwestern Plains through an analysis of a network of drive lines in traditional Blackfoot territory (US) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and previous archaeological and anthropological research. The findings of this study show that ancestral Blackfoot designed bison drive lines to be positioned in proximity to key landscape resources including water, forested areas, and wetlands and kettle lakes. This study builds on previous research that applies an Indigenous archaeological framework that incorporates ethnohistoric narratives and traditional knowledge to provide important context for understanding the relationship between ancestral Blackfoot, bison, and the cultural landscape. Examining the relationship between drive lines and landscape features helps advance our understanding of the Blackfoot knowledge system that has adapted and endured for millennia.Item The geographic and economic importance of hunting in Southwestern Montana, USA(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2008) Bergstrom, Ryan Dennis; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Katherine HansenMontana's big game species were at one time brought to near extinction through exploitation and the myth of superabundance. Today they are seen as one of the state's most prized possessions, with millions of dollars spent annually on their sustainability through the management efforts of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Funding for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is provided through a hunter and manufacturer sponsored excise equipment tax provided through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, or as it is more commonly referred to, the Pittman-Robertson Act, as well as state hunter license and permit fees. Conservation efforts provided through these funds are directly and indirectly responsible for increased harvest numbers and hunter participation, as well as the expansion of lands conserved to sustain these wildlife populations. By providing a healthy and diverse variety of game species, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is able to continually attract hunters to the state. This in turn, increases hunter expenditures that fund additional conservation efforts, while at the same time contributing to local economies via food, lodging, equipment, and transportation expenditures. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between hunter-supported expenditures by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, hunter participation rates, species' harvest rates, and hunters' economic impact on communities. It is hypothesized that there will exist a positive relationship and feedback the between amount of hunter-related expenditures, hunter participation and harvest rates, and hunters' economic impact on local communities. The importance of this study was to develop a methodology by which these relationships can be determined, and hence, used elsewhere, as well as to demonstrate to regional hunting and non-hunting community, the importance and value of hunting.