Indigenous Perspectives on Water Security in Saskatchewan, Canada

Obadiah Awume,Warrick Baijius,Robert Patrick

doi:10.3390/w12030810

Abstract

The term “water security” continues to gain traction in water resources literature with broad application to human health, water quality, and sustainability of water supply. These western science applications focus almost exclusively on the material value of water for human uses and activities. This paper offers voice to other interpretations of water security based on semi-structured interviews with Indigenous participants representing varied backgrounds and communities from Saskatchewan, a Canadian prairie province. The results indicate that water security from an Indigenous perspective embraces much more than the material value of water. Five themes emerged from this research that speak to a more holistic framing of water security to include water as a life form, water and the spirit world, women as water-keepers, water and human ethics, and water in Indigenous culture. This broader interpretation provides a more nuanced understanding of water security, which serves to enrich the water security narrative while educating western science.

Highlights

The concept of water security emerged in the 1990s and was used in relation to military security, food security, and environmental security [1]
Water security is presented in the literature as meeting short and long-term needs to enable access to sufficient water quality, at a fair price, for human health, safety, welfare, and productive capacity [6]
All participants acknowledged that they had heard of the term “water security”

Summary

Introduction

The concept of water security emerged in the 1990s and was used in relation to military security, food security, and environmental security [1]. The focus on water security has shifted to include water quality, human health, water-related hazards, sustainable development, water supply, and ecological concerns. As presented in the literature, involves a balance between the protection of resources and the enhancement of livelihoods [3,4]. Determinants of water security include water availability for ecosystem services as well as acceptable quality and quantity for human uses [5]. Water security is presented in the literature as meeting short and long-term needs to enable access to sufficient water quality, at a fair price, for human health, safety, welfare, and productive capacity [6]. With a few notable exceptions [9,10,11], the literature is largely silent on the meaning of water security from an Indigenous perspective, a condition that has motivated this paper

Methods

Results

Conclusion