AbstractsLaw & Legal Studies

This thesis is an ethnography of a grassroots network of nomadic “rewilders” who travel in the Northwest United States’ Great Basin region. They gather and replant wild foods in a seasonal round referred to as the “Sacred Hoop.” In five chapters, this work explores how “Hoopsters” generate, appropriate, use, and live into various narratives, here called “story-lines,” as they negotiate a meshwork of relationships with myriad overlapping human and non-human collectives. Special attention is paid to the Hoopsters’ land ethic, as well as their interactions with local Native communities. Advisors/Committee Members: Wojcik, Daniel (advisor).