Decolonizing Water

Although Indigenous perspectives regarding water are diverse, certain traditional understandings and approaches towards water are shared across Nations. For example, water is considered life and interconnected (Guessous & Antone, n.d.). The Indigenous Peoples’ Kyoto Water Declaration (2003), the Tlatokan Alahuak Declaration (2006), and the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (2007) highlight the comprehensive aspects of water as the foundation of physical, cultural, and spiritual existence. They also describe the potential of traditional knowledge in addressing worldwide water challenges (Guessous & Antone, n.d.).

Video credit: Water is Knowledge (Water Teachings).

“As Indigenous peoples, First Nations recognize the sacredness of our water, the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of protecting our water from pollution, drought and waste” (Assembly of First Nations: Honouring Water).

The following links offer lessons about the role of traditional knowledge and practice in protecting water

• Decolonizing Water: A Conversation with Aimée Craft – Centre for International Governance Innovation (cigionline.org)
• Indigenous Leadership Initiative
• Indigenous Watersheds Initiative