Raymond Pierotti
Biographic Data
| ID | 222217 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Raymond Pierotti |
| GIVEN NAMES | Raymond |
| FAMILY NAME | Pierotti |
| SIGNATURE | PIEROTTI R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Kansas |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4753-2958 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 47 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
On Behalf of the Wolf: Niche Construction and Indigenous Concepts of Creation
There have been numerous attempts to examine Indigenous cultures from a scientific and evolutionary perspective. I examine evidence of the way Indigenous cultures think about nonhumans and examine concepts of creation and creator figures in relation to Niche Construction, a 21st century evolutionary concept that examines how organisms shape both their own environments and those of other species by studying how Natural Selection can act upon how m…
Domestication and Human/Wildlife Mutualism
In this study, I discuss recent studies of human/wildlife mutualisms and suggest that several cases considered to represent domestication that has arisen through commensalism would be better considered as examples of mutualism between humans and various wild species. Species discussed include the only domesticated carnivores: cats (Felis sylvestris) and wolves (Canis lupus and C. dingo). I also discuss species over which there is considerable deb…
White Settler Contact and Its Consequences
Conclusions
The ecology and evolution of human‐wildlife cooperation
Human‐wildlife cooperation is a type of mutualism in which a human and a wild, free‐living animal actively coordinate their behaviour to achieve a common beneficial outcome. While other cooperative human‐animal interactions involving captive coercion or artificial selection (including domestication) have received extensive attention, we lack integrated insights into the ecology and evolution of human‐wildlife cooperative interactions. Here, we re…
Respect and Responsibility in Pacific Coast Indigenous Nations: The World Raven Makes
The Semantics of Color: Reply to Response to Review
Historical links between Ethnobiology and Evolution: Conflicts and possible resolutions
Neocolonial Thinking and Respect for Nature: Do Indigenous People have Different Relationships with Wildlife than Europeans
We respond to Mech (2019) “Do Indigenous American Peoples’ Stories Inform the Study of Dog Domestication” and point out a number of errors and omissions in Mech’s essay. These include: 1) assuming that the behavior of all wild wolves is the same, and can be characterized according only to Mech’s personal experience; 2) assuming that the domestication of wolves took place in only a single location at one time (14,000 yrs BP); 3) misrepresenting th…
Learning about Extraordinary Beings: Native Stories and Real Birds
Oral traditions of Indigenous American peoples (as well as those of other Indigenous peoples) have long been discussed with regard to their reliability as metaphorical accounts based upon historical knowledge. I explore this debate using stories to discuss the importance of the role of Corvidae in Indigenous knowledge traditions and how these stories convey information about important socioecological relationships. Contemporary science reveals th…
World Views and the Concept of “Traditional
Whether individuals hold static or dynamic worldviews underlies a number of contemporary controversies, including evolution/creationist debates, the reality of climate change, and application of treaty rights by Indigenous cultures. In this last case the debate is often framed in terms of whether or not Indigenous cultures are still using traditional methods when engaged in hunting, fishing, or harvesting. My purpose is to evaluate these issues b…
The Role of Myth in Understanding Nature
Use of metaphor embodies myth in Western science and Native American traditional knowledge traditions about understanding the “natural” world and the nonhuman “other.” Using personal history, I compare a myth/metaphor from each intellectual tradition that shaped my thinking. Cultural trains of thought and metaphors impacted these myths and shaped my way of thinking. From Western scientific tradition, I examine the “Balance of Nature,” which domin…
Relationships Between Indigenous American Peoples and Wolves 1: Wolves as Teachers and Guides
We examine the historical relationship between humans and wolves as illustrated through stories of North American Indigenous Peoples, especially the Great Plains and Intermountain West, exemplified by Cheyenne, Lakota, Blackfoot, Pawnee, and Shoshone peoples. Indigenous stories have not been employed in scholarly examinations of the origins of ‘dogs’. These tribal peoples were tough and resilient and wanted companion animals as tough and resilien…
Indigenous Concepts of ‘Living Systems: Aristotelian ‘Soul’ meets Constructal Theory
I examine similarities among the ways of thinking concerning the natural world of Indigenous peoples of North America and Australia and two aspects of Western Science from different historical periods. The first comparison is with constructal theory, a set of ideas and models recently developed to explain how ‘design’ arises in both biotic and abiotic systems. Both traditions emphasize the importance of flow and motion and how these generate conn…
Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea
Review of Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea. Marsha Quinlan and Dana Lepofsky, eds. 2013. Society of Ethnobiology, Denton, TX. Pp. 310, color illustrations, maps, tables. $56.95 (paperback). ISBN 978‐0988733008
We Probably Thought That Would Be True: Perceiving Complex Emotional States in Nonhumans
Review of:Do Fish Feel Pain? Victoria Braithwaite. 2010. Oxford University Press, New York. Pp. 256. $35.00 (hardcover). ISBN 9780199551200.How Animals Grieve. Barbara J. King. 2013. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Pp. 208, 7 halftones. $25.00 (cloth). ISBN 9780226436944
Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development
Review of Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development. Alessandro Minelli. 2009. Princeton University Press, Princeton and London. Pp. 242, 17 line drawings. US$29.95 (cloth). ISBN 9780691135687
Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery
Review of Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery. Steve Nicholls. 2009. University of Chicago Press, New York and London. Pp. 536. ISBN10: 0226583406 ISBN13: 978-0226583402
Sustainability of Natural Populations: Lessons from Indigenous Knowledge
Management schemes for wildlife are often unsuccessful in maintaining healthy, sustainable populations, especially approaches based on Maximum Sustainable Yield, which fail to account for variation in reproductive output. North American Indigenous hunters had considerable knowledge about the dynamics of local populations and were aware that they were subject to major fluctuations. These peoples developed the concept of “Keepers of the Game,” whic…
Indigenous Knowledge, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology
Indigenous ways of understanding and interacting with the natural world are characterized as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), which derives from emphasizing relationships and connections among species. This book examines TEK and its strengths in relation to Western ecological knowledge and evolutionary philosophy. Pierotti takes a look at the scientific basis of this approach, focusing on different concepts of communities and connections a…
Traditional Ecological Knowledge: The Third Alternative (Commentary)
Contemporary Western attitudes concerning the management of natural resources, treatment of nonhuman animals, and the natural world emerge from traditions derived from Western European philosophy, i.e., they assume that humans are autonomous from, and in control of, the natural world. A different approach is presented by Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of indigenous peoples of North America. Although spiritually oriented, TEK converges on …
Male and Female Perceptions of Pair-Bond Dynamics: Monogamy in Western Gulls, Larus occidentalis
Indigenous Knowledge, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology
Indigenous ways of understanding and interacting with the natural world are characterized as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), which derives from emphasizing relationships and connections among species. This book examines TEK and its strengths in relation to Western ecological knowledge and evolutionary philosophy. Pierotti takes a look at the scientific basis of this approach, focusing on different concepts of communities and connections a…
Indigenous Concepts of ‘Living Systems: Aristotelian ‘Soul’ meets Constructal Theory
I examine similarities among the ways of thinking concerning the natural world of Indigenous peoples of North America and Australia and two aspects of Western Science from different historical periods. The first comparison is with constructal theory, a set of ideas and models recently developed to explain how ‘design’ arises in both biotic and abiotic systems. Both traditions emphasize the importance of flow and motion and how these generate conn…
Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea
Review of Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea. Marsha Quinlan and Dana Lepofsky, eds. 2013. Society of Ethnobiology, Denton, TX. Pp. 310, color illustrations, maps, tables. $56.95 (paperback). ISBN 978‐0988733008
Neocolonial Thinking and Respect for Nature: Do Indigenous People have Different Relationships with Wildlife than Europeans
We respond to Mech (2019) “Do Indigenous American Peoples’ Stories Inform the Study of Dog Domestication” and point out a number of errors and omissions in Mech’s essay. These include: 1) assuming that the behavior of all wild wolves is the same, and can be characterized according only to Mech’s personal experience; 2) assuming that the domestication of wolves took place in only a single location at one time (14,000 yrs BP); 3) misrepresenting th…
The Role of Myth in Understanding Nature
Use of metaphor embodies myth in Western science and Native American traditional knowledge traditions about understanding the “natural” world and the nonhuman “other.” Using personal history, I compare a myth/metaphor from each intellectual tradition that shaped my thinking. Cultural trains of thought and metaphors impacted these myths and shaped my way of thinking. From Western scientific tradition, I examine the “Balance of Nature,” which domin…
World Views and the Concept of “Traditional
Whether individuals hold static or dynamic worldviews underlies a number of contemporary controversies, including evolution/creationist debates, the reality of climate change, and application of treaty rights by Indigenous cultures. In this last case the debate is often framed in terms of whether or not Indigenous cultures are still using traditional methods when engaged in hunting, fishing, or harvesting. My purpose is to evaluate these issues b…
Respect and Responsibility in Pacific Coast Indigenous Nations: The World Raven Makes
Learning about Extraordinary Beings: Native Stories and Real Birds
Oral traditions of Indigenous American peoples (as well as those of other Indigenous peoples) have long been discussed with regard to their reliability as metaphorical accounts based upon historical knowledge. I explore this debate using stories to discuss the importance of the role of Corvidae in Indigenous knowledge traditions and how these stories convey information about important socioecological relationships. Contemporary science reveals th…
Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development
Review of Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development. Alessandro Minelli. 2009. Princeton University Press, Princeton and London. Pp. 242, 17 line drawings. US$29.95 (cloth). ISBN 9780691135687
Male and Female Perceptions of Pair-Bond Dynamics: Monogamy in Western Gulls, Larus occidentalis
Traditional Ecological Knowledge: The Third Alternative (Commentary)
Contemporary Western attitudes concerning the management of natural resources, treatment of nonhuman animals, and the natural world emerge from traditions derived from Western European philosophy, i.e., they assume that humans are autonomous from, and in control of, the natural world. A different approach is presented by Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of indigenous peoples of North America. Although spiritually oriented, TEK converges on …
Sustainability of Natural Populations: Lessons from Indigenous Knowledge
Management schemes for wildlife are often unsuccessful in maintaining healthy, sustainable populations, especially approaches based on Maximum Sustainable Yield, which fail to account for variation in reproductive output. North American Indigenous hunters had considerable knowledge about the dynamics of local populations and were aware that they were subject to major fluctuations. These peoples developed the concept of “Keepers of the Game,” whic…
Indigenous Knowledge, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology
Indigenous ways of understanding and interacting with the natural world are characterized as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), which derives from emphasizing relationships and connections among species. This book examines TEK and its strengths in relation to Western ecological knowledge and evolutionary philosophy. Pierotti takes a look at the scientific basis of this approach, focusing on different concepts of communities and connections a…
Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery
Review of Paradise Found: Nature in America at the Time of Discovery. Steve Nicholls. 2009. University of Chicago Press, New York and London. Pp. 536. ISBN10: 0226583406 ISBN13: 978-0226583402
Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development
Review of Forms of Becoming: The Evolutionary Biology of Development. Alessandro Minelli. 2009. Princeton University Press, Princeton and London. Pp. 242, 17 line drawings. US$29.95 (cloth). ISBN 9780691135687
Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea
Review of Explorations in Ethnobiology: The Legacy of Amadeo Rea. Marsha Quinlan and Dana Lepofsky, eds. 2013. Society of Ethnobiology, Denton, TX. Pp. 310, color illustrations, maps, tables. $56.95 (paperback). ISBN 978‐0988733008
We Probably Thought That Would Be True: Perceiving Complex Emotional States in Nonhumans
Review of:Do Fish Feel Pain? Victoria Braithwaite. 2010. Oxford University Press, New York. Pp. 256. $35.00 (hardcover). ISBN 9780199551200.How Animals Grieve. Barbara J. King. 2013. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Pp. 208, 7 halftones. $25.00 (cloth). ISBN 9780226436944
Relationships Between Indigenous American Peoples and Wolves 1: Wolves as Teachers and Guides
We examine the historical relationship between humans and wolves as illustrated through stories of North American Indigenous Peoples, especially the Great Plains and Intermountain West, exemplified by Cheyenne, Lakota, Blackfoot, Pawnee, and Shoshone peoples. Indigenous stories have not been employed in scholarly examinations of the origins of ‘dogs’. These tribal peoples were tough and resilient and wanted companion animals as tough and resilien…
Indigenous Concepts of ‘Living Systems: Aristotelian ‘Soul’ meets Constructal Theory
I examine similarities among the ways of thinking concerning the natural world of Indigenous peoples of North America and Australia and two aspects of Western Science from different historical periods. The first comparison is with constructal theory, a set of ideas and models recently developed to explain how ‘design’ arises in both biotic and abiotic systems. Both traditions emphasize the importance of flow and motion and how these generate conn…
The Role of Myth in Understanding Nature
Use of metaphor embodies myth in Western science and Native American traditional knowledge traditions about understanding the “natural” world and the nonhuman “other.” Using personal history, I compare a myth/metaphor from each intellectual tradition that shaped my thinking. Cultural trains of thought and metaphors impacted these myths and shaped my way of thinking. From Western scientific tradition, I examine the “Balance of Nature,” which domin…
World Views and the Concept of “Traditional
Whether individuals hold static or dynamic worldviews underlies a number of contemporary controversies, including evolution/creationist debates, the reality of climate change, and application of treaty rights by Indigenous cultures. In this last case the debate is often framed in terms of whether or not Indigenous cultures are still using traditional methods when engaged in hunting, fishing, or harvesting. My purpose is to evaluate these issues b…
Historical links between Ethnobiology and Evolution: Conflicts and possible resolutions
Neocolonial Thinking and Respect for Nature: Do Indigenous People have Different Relationships with Wildlife than Europeans
We respond to Mech (2019) “Do Indigenous American Peoples’ Stories Inform the Study of Dog Domestication” and point out a number of errors and omissions in Mech’s essay. These include: 1) assuming that the behavior of all wild wolves is the same, and can be characterized according only to Mech’s personal experience; 2) assuming that the domestication of wolves took place in only a single location at one time (14,000 yrs BP); 3) misrepresenting th…
Learning about Extraordinary Beings: Native Stories and Real Birds
Oral traditions of Indigenous American peoples (as well as those of other Indigenous peoples) have long been discussed with regard to their reliability as metaphorical accounts based upon historical knowledge. I explore this debate using stories to discuss the importance of the role of Corvidae in Indigenous knowledge traditions and how these stories convey information about important socioecological relationships. Contemporary science reveals th…
The Semantics of Color: Reply to Response to Review
White Settler Contact and Its Consequences
Conclusions
The ecology and evolution of human‐wildlife cooperation
Human‐wildlife cooperation is a type of mutualism in which a human and a wild, free‐living animal actively coordinate their behaviour to achieve a common beneficial outcome. While other cooperative human‐animal interactions involving captive coercion or artificial selection (including domestication) have received extensive attention, we lack integrated insights into the ecology and evolution of human‐wildlife cooperative interactions. Here, we re…
Respect and Responsibility in Pacific Coast Indigenous Nations: The World Raven Makes
Domestication and Human/Wildlife Mutualism
In this study, I discuss recent studies of human/wildlife mutualisms and suggest that several cases considered to represent domestication that has arisen through commensalism would be better considered as examples of mutualism between humans and various wild species. Species discussed include the only domesticated carnivores: cats (Felis sylvestris) and wolves (Canis lupus and C. dingo). I also discuss species over which there is considerable deb…
On Behalf of the Wolf: Niche Construction and Indigenous Concepts of Creation
There have been numerous attempts to examine Indigenous cultures from a scientific and evolutionary perspective. I examine evidence of the way Indigenous cultures think about nonhumans and examine concepts of creation and creator figures in relation to Niche Construction, a 21st century evolutionary concept that examines how organisms shape both their own environments and those of other species by studying how Natural Selection can act upon how m…
Biology (16 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Indigenous (13 works) · Ecology (12 works) · Environmental ethics (12 works) · Geography (12 works) · History (11 works) · Anthropology (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Philosophy (8 works)