Paper short abstract:

In 1993, fishing camps in Cocopah territory were included in the core zone of a Biosphere Reserve, therefore making them illegal. Legal arguments are used both by indigenous to defend their right to fish and by authorities to prohibit it. This paper explores the role of cameras in the hands of Cocopah and the anthropologist within a collaborative research.

Paper long abstract:

Cocopah indigenous people are defending their right to fish in their historic territory. In 1993, fishing camps within Cocopah territory were included in the core zone of the Biosphere Reserve of the Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta. Authorities of the reserve argue for the conservation of endemic species that contemporary fisheries may be overexploiting. In this complex scenario, legal arguments are generated both by indigenous peoples to defend their right to fish and by authorities to make their fishery illegal. A collaborative research project using filmmaking was developed to produce ethnographic, legal and biological knowledge about Cocopah fishing practices, currently used by Cocopah people against governmental policies affecting their everyday life. This paper explores the role of videocameras in the hands of Cocopah people and the anthropologist, and also in the development of their collaborative relationships.