GBA 2021 - Fall Flippingbook

WATER QUALITY

Swimmable, Drinkable, Fishable, and Alive: Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Protecting the Great Lakes

By Doug Whitton

S wimmable, drinkable, and fishable describes the original 1972 mandate for the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Act (GLWQA). Recently, thanks to a shift in mainstream attitudes about lakes, streams, and rivers, that mandate also includes the word “living.” This reflects the idea in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that water is an entity, in contrast to Western beliefs where water is considered a commodity. Since the GLWQA was originally defined by Western standards, an Indigenous knowledge and worldview were

will give us the best chance to save our environment under increasing threats. In an effort to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into the GLQWA, the Great Lakes Executive Committee (GLEC), the Canada-US bilateral organization that oversees the GLWQA, sponsored a speaker series related to TEK this spring. The series brought together Tribal, First Nation, Métis, state, provincial, federal, academic, non-governmental and other participants in the US and Canada who share an interest in the role of Indigenous knowledge and how to appropriately bridge knowledge systems to guide protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and connected ecosystems and lifeways.

not initially considered. As Indigenous and Western groups move to work collaboratively to protect the environment, including the Great Lakes, there is a desire and a need to incorporate TEK into current conservation models. While many of the goals of Western science and traditional Indigenous knowledge overlap, there is a very different worldview underlying the two systems. For example, the criteria for safe consumption of fish are considered from the perspective of sport fishermen, with the assumption of occasional consumption. However, Indigenous people may have subsistence and ceremonial criteria that need more study to be considered safe, as consumption can be 25 times the amount currently deemed safe. The rationale for harmonizing Western science and TEK, is that this approach

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After centuries of suppression of Indigenous philosophies and lifeways, the process of engaging and respecting TEK can inspire and support cultural revitalization and maintenance within Indigenous communities. This further supports internationally recognized rights of Indigenous peoples to revitalize their cultural traditions and customs, to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditional lands and waters, and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.

In the first webinar, Jen Vanator, Policy Analyst/Great Lakes Program Coordinator with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, explained that the objectives of this initiative were to: ≥ Provide an opportunity for Indigenous knowledge to contribute to science in support of the agreement. ≥ Provide guidance on how Indigenous knowledge can collaborate with Western science. ≥ Define metrics of success with respect to increasing awareness and presence of TEK. ≥ Promote an understanding of how TEK fits with Western science. The second webinar featured Dr. Deborah McGregor, an associate professor at York

- Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement guidance on TEK

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www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Fall 2021

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