Synopses & Reviews
Game in the Garden explores the imaginative use of wild animals in early western society. Humans have long used wildlife in order to survive, better understand their natural world, and form aspects of their identity. Colpitts examines the grass-roots conservation activities and identifies the early slaughter rituals, iconographic traditions, and subsistence strategies of early western societies. Drawing primarily on archival sources, he analyzes popular meanings discernible in taxidermy work, nature museums, and promotional photography.
Synopsis
The shared use of wild animals has helped to determine social relations between Native peoples and newcomers. In later settlement periods, controversy about subsistence hunting and campaigns of local conservation associations drew lines between groups in communities, particularly Native peoples, immigrants, farmers, and urban dwellers. In addition to examining grassroots conservation activities, Colpitts identifies early slaughter rituals, iconographic traditions, and subsistence strategies that endured well into the interwar years in the twentieth century. Drawing primarily on local and provincial archival sources, he analyzes popular meanings and booster messages discernible in taxidermy work, city nature museums, and promotional photography.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [197]-201) and index.