By Haley Grinder
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Living Lakes Canada is hosting a new webinar series to learn, share, and understand the traditional relationship that Indigenous Peoples have with and for water.
The webinar, titled Indigenous Water Relations within the Columbia Basin, aims to recognize and appreciate the Indigenous Peoples’ Place-Based cultural practices, as well as the responsibility felt towards water. The three-series webinars will be held via Zoom, led by two presenters from each of the three Indigenous Peoples. Ktunaxa will lead the first on Oct. 26, followed by Secwepmec on Nov. 2 and concluded by Sylis-Okanagan/Sinixt on Nov. 9. For those unable to attend, recordings will be available afterwards on the Living Lakes Canada website.
“As a water stewardship organization, Living Lakes Canada has been partnering with Indigenous Nations across Canada through our various programming for quite a while. Throughout this time, there has been only some understanding between Westerners, Indigenous People with regard and to what ties us to water,” says Emily Mask, Applied Reconciliation Coordinator with Living Lakes Canada. “Cultural, spiritual and community relations with water existed before contact and in the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and is a perspective we need to better understand so that we too can learn and be more effective in our efforts to protect water.”
Mask shares that the webinar will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to learn directly from Indigenous Peoples in the Columbia Basin and how they have tailored such an intimate relationship with these waters. “There has never been a more important time to understand Indigenous perspective and relationships to water given the impacts to water from the climate crisis, which we are all facing,” she says.
To register for the webinar series, visit www.livinglakescanada.ca/indigenous-led-water-relationships. Questions can be made to Emily Mask at [email protected].
