Water as Pedagogy A Thesis submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Education In the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Shelby Brown ©Copyright Shelby Brown, April 2021. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, copyright of the material in this thesis belongs to the author. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. 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The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not state or reflect those of the University of Saskatchewan and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Department of Educational Foundations College of Education 27 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0X1 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract This qualitative study uses Indigenous storywork as a form of personally situated, decolonial research. My aim is to study the ways in which water as a sentient being, healing spirit, and teacher taught me about human and more-than-human relationships. Deploying an Indigenous womxnist and feminist theoretical lens interwoven with land-based, active participatory Indigenous research methods, and the Ten Principles of Disability Justice (Sins Invalid, 2019), I spent time learning some of the waterways in Treaty 7 territory and the surrounding area. Given the current global water crisis resulting from catastrophic climate change, Indigenous womxn’s knowledges regarding sustainability and ecological justice need to be foregrounded, upheld, respected, and valued. My research question is accountable to these knowledges and examines how water is a teacher for me. This work is also rooted in holistic Indigenous values of respect and reciprocity toward the land and water and is actualized through a methodology of Indigenous storywork. The overall objective of this thesis is to examine, articulate, and embody meaningful learning practices and realizations that will ultimately benefit the land and waterways. This work is also for the sake of future generations. My hope is that this work will contribute to a small but growing body of research asserting the importance and agency of Indigenous Grandmothers and womxn to respectful and sustainable water and ecological practices. Keywords: Indigenous womxnisms, Indigenous feminisms, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), Indigenous research methods, Indigenous storywork, water justice, Disability Justice, land-based learning, cross-cultural learning, intersectionality, active participant research. [This thesis has been formatted for accessibility] ii Acknowledgements There are many to thank for the completion of this thesis. First, I give my gratitude and respect to all life and all water. I acknowledge, respect, and thank the inherent Indigenous Peoples of Treaty 7 where I embodied much of this work. I give gratitude to my research supervisor, Dr. Janet McVittie and my supervisory committee members, Métis scholar, Dr. Yvonne Vizina; Professor Emeritus, Dr. Dianne Miller; and Secwepemc scholar, Dr. Georgina Martin for their expertise, feedback, and guidance in this research. Equally important, I uplift and give great thanks to the Indigenous Grandmothers and knowledge keepers who served as cultural advisors and authorities in the research. These advisors are Métis Grandmother, Edmee Comstock; Stó:lō matriarch, mother, and water protector, Kwitsel Tatel; Métis Grandmother, Joy Bremner; Nuxalk and Gusgimukw Grandmother, Charlene Schooner; Stoney Nakoda mother, Tara Beaver; Pomo scholar, Dr. Melody Martin; and Haisla educator, Gya yu stees Joe Starr. A very special thank you also extends to Dr. Laurie Meijer Drees for invaluable mentorship, encouragement, and support. I acknowledge and give gratitude to all the previously published Indigenous Grandmothers and knowledge keepers featured throughout the thesis. I apologize if there are any inadvertent errors or mistakes in this work. Water as Pedagogy is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. I give thanks to the University of Saskatchewan Access and Equity Services for their resources, support, and advocacy for Disabled learners and scholarship. Thank you to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the Department of Educational Foundations for also supporting my academic work. I thank Oona, for graciously foregrounding my strands of resilience and believing in the strength of my voice. Thank you, Chantelle Spicer, sb.smith, and Shauna Sproston for your solidarity and constructive feedback. Thank you, Dr. Justin McGrail for the stage directions. Last but never least, I give my love and gratitude to my family, friends, and extended kin who witnessed and supported me through this tumultuous, at times humorous, and deeply meaningful learning process. A story cannot thrive without the presence and beauty of its listeners. iii For the Bow River. iv List of Contents PERMISSION TO USE………………………………………………………………………….i ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………...ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………….iii DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………..iv LIST OF CONTENTS………….…………………………………………………………..……v LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………….……………………………...……….vii FOREWORD…………………………………………………………………………………..viii GLOSSARY OF TERMS……………………………………………………………………….xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION………….…………………………...………………......1 Purpose of the Research…………………………………….………………………..…....1 Background…………………………………..………………………………………..…..2 Research Praxis……………………………………………………………………2 Additional Theoretical Frameworks………………………………………………………4 Context of the Research……………………………..………………….…………………8 Research Question…………………...……………...………..……………………….…14 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW….…………….……….……………………...17 Storywork as Literature Review: An Indigenous Approach to Academic Tradition………………………………………………………………………………….17 Rooting Place in Local Indigenous Stories: Respecting Where I Stand……………..…..19 Contexts of Treaty 7………………..…………………………………………………….21 'We are the Land': Understanding the Connections Between Indigenous Peoples and Colonial Violation of Place……………………….……………………………………...26 Ongoing Injustice(s): Contemporary Manifestations of Colonial Capitalist Rape Culture……………………………………………………..……………………………..28 Contextualizing Consent and Collaboration: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Knowledge Keepers Speak……………………………….…………………………...…29 Surpassing Anthropomorphism in Contemporary Water Law(s) and Politic(s)………....34 Addressing Colonial Capitalism: Speaking Truth to Violence………………..……...….35 Water as Pedagogy: A Teaching and Learning Philosophy of Healing and Reconnection Through Indigenous Storywork…………………….………………………….………...37 Locating and Contextualizing Myself Within the Research…………….……………….41 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….....42 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY…...……………….……………………………….44 Overview……………………………………………………..…………………………..44 Indigenous Storywork Methodology…………………………………………………….46 Visiting, Walking, and SWL Methods…………………………………………….……..47 Visiting…………………………………………………………………………...47 Walking…………………………………………………………………………..48 SWL: Sit, Watch, and Listen…………………………………………………….48 Reciprocity…………………………...…………………………………….…………….50 Previously Published Teachings……..……………………………….………………….51 Explanation of Methodological Choices…………………………………………………52 Methods of Meaning Making and Analysis………………………………………….......53 Means of Learning……………………….…………………………..……………..........53 v Active Participant Witnessing……………………………………………………53 Ethical Considerations and Research Limitations……………………………………….55 CHAPTER FOUR: REFLECTIONS AND ANALYSIS……..……………...……………….58 Context and Process…….………………………………………………………………..58 Indigenous Grandmother Water Laws and Knowledge…………………………..……...59 Actualizing Water as Pedagogy: Coming to Know and Be Known by Sentient Lands and Waterways…………………………………………….…………………………......61 Additional Sacred Sites Visited……………………………..……………………….......66 My Time with the Head Waters………………………………………………………….67 Challenges and Barriers Accessing Sacred Sites in the National Parks…….…………...77 Indigenous Erasure in Banff National Park……………………………………...77