Indigenous water governance: Insights from the hydrosocial relations of the Koyukon Athabascan village of Ruby, Alaska

Wilson, Nicole J.

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.08.005

Cited by 80 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Departing from a worldview that treats water as a resource or commodity, many Indigenous peoples maintain a spiritual relationship with the land and water, and in many cases, water is understood to be an animate being. Indigenous water relations have been described in multiple contexts, which alternately emphasize interdependency, reciprocity, respectful conduct, and the aliveness of water [18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Loss of clean water threatens the ability of First Nations to maintain their relationships with the land, animals, plants and water as an important component of cultural identity [24][25][26][27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the Framework of Canadian Water Governance through Indigenous Research Methods: Acknowledging the Past with an Eye on the Future

Arsenault

Diver

McGregor

et al. 2018

Water

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First Nations communities in Canada are disproportionately affected by poor water quality. As one example, many communities have been living under boil water advisories for decades, but government interventions to date have had limited impact. This paper examines the importance of using Indigenous research methodologies to address current water issues affecting First Nations. The work is part of larger project applying decolonizing methodologies to Indigenous water governance. Because Indigenous epistemologies are a central component of Indigenous research methods, our analysis begins with presenting a theoretical framework for understanding Indigenous water relations. We then consider three cases of innovative Indigenous research initiatives that demonstrate how water research and policy initiatives can adopt a more Indigenous-centered approach in practice. Cases include (1) an Indigenous Community-Based Health Research Lab that follows a two-eyed seeing philosophy (Saskatchewan); (2) water policy research that uses collective knowledge sharing frameworks to facilitate respectful, non-extractive conversations among Elders and traditional knowledge holders (Ontario); and (3) a long-term community-based research initiative on decolonizing water that is practicing reciprocal learning methodologies (British Columbia, Alberta). By establishing new water governance frameworks informed by Indigenous research methods, the authors hope to promote innovative, adaptable solutions, rooted in Indigenous epistemologies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the Framework of Canadian Water Governance through Indigenous Research Methods: Acknowledging the Past with an Eye on the Future

Arsenault

Diver

McGregor

et al. 2018

Water

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“…Strang (, p. 22) similarly explores how engagement with water is conceptualised in an Indigenous cosmology and cultural landscape, connecting the “Dreaming cycle” of the Kowanyama peoples in Cape York Australia, with the “hydrological cycles between earth and sky.” Strang's work demonstrates how, both physically and metaphorically, the spiritual water homes from which ancestral beings are believed to have emerged and remain define clan identities, story lines and socio‐spatial kinship networks. Distinct patterns of water use and management, along with diverse connections to different forms of water, underpin collective social and spiritual identities as well as community health and cohesion (Boelens, ; Strang, 2005a, 2005b, ; Wilson, ).…”

Section: Engaging Cross‐cultural Water Knowledges and Shadow Watersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Strang's work demonstrates how, both physically and metaphorically, the spiritual water homes from which ancestral beings are believed to have emerged and remain define clan identities, story lines and sociospatial kinship networks. Distinct patterns of water use and management, along with diverse connections to different forms of water, underpin collective social and spiritual identities as well as community health and cohesion (Boelens, 2014;Strang, 2005aStrang, , 2005bStrang, , 2008Wilson, 2014).…”

Section: Political Ecologies Of Water and Cultural Geographies Of Wmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shadow waters: Making Australian water cultures visible

McLean

Lonsdale²,

Hammersley

et al. 2018

Trans Inst British Geog

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Connections between people and water have received considerable attention within geographic research. This paper draws on cultural and historical geographies, political ecology and the environmental humanities to extend understandings of the hydrosocial cycle by focusing on the cultural dimensions of society–water relations through the concept of shadow waters. Shadow waters centres attention on the cultures that privilege certain waters while rendering other waters invisible and marginalised. Inspired by Val Plumwood's notion of “shadow places,” shadow waters brings to light the way power intersects with cultural practices. We bring this concept of shadow waters into conversation with Indigenous water knowledges. Shadow waters can be conceptualised vertically, with surface water receiving more policy and research attention than ground water, and also horizontally, as some sub‐catchments, uses and values have been ignored or undervalued in macro‐catchment processes. Temporally, in considering the past, complex and contested histories of human–environment relations are often overlooked in favour of simple historical narratives that ultimately reinforce dominant management structures and trajectories. Shadow waters are thus historically created as particular power structures and narratives are reinforced and “normalised” over time. This paper examines shadow waters in southeastern Australia, elucidating the way two rivers are interwoven and co‐determined in cultures of water use in this context. We show how the rethinking of dominant water cultures, made possible by cross‐cultural engagement, generates new possibilities for reconnection, restoration and protection; a different water ethics based on care and responsibility that addresses power relations and injustices.

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“…This bias often results in "cherry picking" or prioritizing the elements of Indigenous knowledge that are compatible with a Western scientific worldview (Nadasdy, 1999(Nadasdy, , 2005 and a failure to consider the Indigenous practices and beliefs that are fundamental aspects of these knowledge systems (Berkes, 2008). For example, hydrologic changes in the YRB are intimately connected to all aspects of Indigenous peoples' subsistence livelihoods and culture (Wilson, 2014a). Therefore, this study is not motivated solely by the value of Indigenous observations of hydrologic changes to science; it also seeks to understand and respond to the impacts of these changes on Indigenous peoples and their livelihoods.…”

Section: Indigenous Knowledge Of Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Villages and towns in the watershed obtain their water for drinking and other domestic uses from the Yukon River, and more often from smaller tributaries of the Yukon River and related aquifers (Wilson, 2014a). The Indigenous people of Ruby are engaged in a multifaceted reciprocal relationship with the Yukon River, in which the river is not only seen as a means to meet their subsistence needs, but also understood to have consciousness and a need to be treated with respect (Nelson, 1986).…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Knowledge of Hydrologic Change in the Yukon River Basin: A Case Study of Ruby, Alaska

Wilson¹,

Walter²,

Waterhouse³

2015

ARCTIC

Self Cite

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ABSTRACT. In the Arctic and Subarctic, the contribution of Indigenous knowledge to understanding environmental change has been established over the last several decades. This paper explores the role of Indigenous knowledge of water in understanding hydrologic change within complex social-ecological systems. Observations of hydrology in the Yukon River Basin, contributed by 20 community experts from Ruby Village, Alaska, in semi-structured interviews, are compared with findings from scientific literature to illustrate the commonalities and differences. Research findings reveal the contribution of Indigenous knowledge to understandings of hydrologic change in the Yukon River and its tributaries, which includes insights regarding alterations in sediment and river ice regimes. Recommendations for future research that incorporates Indigenous knowledge of water to gain insight into hydrologic changes in the watershed include combining multiple case studies that are distributed geographically. Our findings suggest 1) that using participatory research approaches to research will help ensure that it benefits the communities whose livelihoods are affected by hydrologic changes, and 2) that a multidisciplinary approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods from the social and biophysical sciences would be most effective to help us understand and respond to hydrologic changes.Key words: climate change; Indigenous knowledge of water; socio-hydrology; river dynamics; water resources RÉSUMÉ. Dans l'Arctique et la région subarctique, l'apport des connaissances indigènes à l'égard de la compréhension de l'altération de l'environnement a été mis au clair au cours des dernières décennies. Cette communication explore le rôle des connaissances indigènes relativement à l'eau dans la compréhension des changements hydrologiques touchant les systèmes socioécologiques complexes. Les observations hydrologiques dans le bassin du fleuve Yukon, émanant de 20 experts communautaires de Ruby Village, en Alaska et prélevées dans le cadre d'entrevues semi-structurées, sont comparées aux constatations publiées dans des documents scientifiques pour illustrer les points communs et les différences. Les résultats de recherche révèlent l'apport des connaissances indigènes en matière de compréhension des changements hydrologiques caractérisant le fleuve Yukon et ses affluents, ce qui comprend un aperçu de l'altération des sédiments et des régimes de glaces fluviales. Les recommandations de recherches futures faisant appel aux connaissances indigènes de l'eau afin de mieux comprendre les changements hydrologiques du bassin hydrographique préconisent le fait de combiner de nombreuses études de cas géographiquement réparties. Nos constatations suggèrent 1) que le recours à des méthodes de recherche participative aidera à faire en sorte que les collectivités dont le mode de vie est touché par les changements hydrologiques bénéficient des travaux de recherche, et 2) qu'une approche multidisciplinaire dans les domaines des sciences sociales et bi...

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Indigenous water governance: Insights from the hydrosocial relations of the Koyukon Athabascan village of Ruby, Alaska

Cited by 80 publications

References 28 publications

Shifting the Framework of Canadian Water Governance through Indigenous Research Methods: Acknowledging the Past with an Eye on the Future

Shifting the Framework of Canadian Water Governance through Indigenous Research Methods: Acknowledging the Past with an Eye on the Future

Shadow waters: Making Australian water cultures visible

Indigenous Knowledge of Hydrologic Change in the Yukon River Basin: A Case Study of Ruby, Alaska

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