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culturally modified tree
DCHP-2 (Aug 2013)
Spelling variants:culturally-modified tree, CMT
n. — Indigenous, First Nations
a tree altered by an Aboriginal person or group as part of the traditional use of the forest.
Type: 4. Culturally Significant — In British Columbia, culturally modified trees (CMTs) are trees that show signs of some of its material having been used by Aboriginal groups for clothing, wood, fibre, food, or the like. In other locations, the term may also include trees showing signs of being shaped by non-Aboriginal people. Trees modified by non-Aboriginal people are recognized for their historical and scientific value if the alteration dates prior to 1846, but they are generally not called culturally modified trees (CMTs of BC 2001: 2). CMTs are valued for scientific and educational purposes, and for the cultural link they provide to the ancestral past of Aboriginal people (ibid: 127).
Culturally modified tree is not unique to Canada, although the term is by far most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). Studies on CMTs have also taken place in Australia, Norway, Sweden and the US. However, it appears that a large part of the discourse surrounding CMTs is centred in BC. Within Canada, the term is most prevalent in BC (see Chart 2).
Culturally modified tree is not unique to Canada, although the term is by far most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). Studies on CMTs have also taken place in Australia, Norway, Sweden and the US. However, it appears that a large part of the discourse surrounding CMTs is centred in BC. Within Canada, the term is most prevalent in BC (see Chart 2).
Quotations
1985
Between 2,000 and 4,000 culturally modified trees that document
primitive life on the island are in the path of the chain saws. Indians
fear that rich clam beds and rare grasses for basket weaving would be
trampled, and that favorite hunting grounds for sea lions, seals, ducks
and herring would be spoiled.
1998
"CMT" -- in the jargon of the provincial forestry bureaucracy -- stands for "culturally modified tree."
To qualify as culturally modified, a tree can have on it any markings old enough to be considered archeological -- the scratch of a hunter's knife marking a trail, say, or a bare patch of trunk left by native carvers stripping bark. So designated, a CMT is the arboreal equivalent of an aboriginal midden -- untouchable when stumbled upon.
This sacrosanct status, then, has made CMTs much more than just archeological curiosities: They've become one of the weapons used by native Indians in the B.C. land-claim wars. Find a CMT -- hell, even something that looks vaguely like a CMT -- and you can bring a logging cut to a standstill.
2005
A culturally modified tree is a cedar tree that pre-dates 1846 and/or has evidence of use for cultural or ceremonial purposes by First Nations. A tree, log or stump may have markings from a stone axe, evidence of plank removal or cedar bark stripping.
CMTs, which are usually located away from public access, are not marked in a permanent way, such as with paint, to avoid any vandalism. They are marked with specific flagging tape to ensure protection while an area of forest is being harvested, says Mark McIntyre, aboriginal liaison for the Ministry of Forests (MOF).
References
- CMTs of BC (2001 [1998]) • Cover Text
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 23 Aug. 2013
