Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 2020 Monitoring Environmental Change Using a Participatory Modified Photovoice Approach with Indigenous Knowledge Holders in Kakisa, Northwest Territories Kaitlin Kok [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Environmental Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kok, Kaitlin, "Monitoring Environmental Change Using a Participatory Modified Photovoice Approach with Indigenous Knowledge Holders in Kakisa, Northwest Territories" (2020). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2233. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2233 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Monitoring environmental change using a participatory modified photovoice approach with Indigenous knowledge holders in Kakisa, Northwest Territories by Kaitlin E. Kok Bachelor of Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016 THESIS Submitted to the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Environmental Studies Wilfrid Laurier University © Kaitlin E. Kok 2019 ii Abstract In response to growing pressures from climate change and the lack of a monitoring strategy for food security at a local and regional level in the Northwest Territories, there is an urgency for residents to record their own images of change in relation to harvester safety. This thesis explores the connection between geographic information systems, sustainable food systems, indigenous knowledge and the importance of place. The objective of this study is two-fold: (a) to develop a monitoring system in conjunction with the community of Kakisa and (b) to increase the resilience of the local food system. The methods used derive from a participatory action research approach to guide the development of a community-based monitoring map supported with interviews and photographs. In the summer of 2017, eight participants were interviewed and a thematic data analysis was carried out following an inductive, descriptive-coding approach. The findings suggest a continued trend that environmental change not only threatens food security and food access to harvesters, but also affects the entire system of a community through relationships and traditional knowledge. The results from this thesis will provide information on the implementation of a monitoring system within Kakisa using a modified photovoice approach. iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge that I wrote my thesis on the traditional territory of the Anishnawbe, Haudenosaunee and Neutral peoples. I would also like to acknowledge my presence on Treaty 11 land which has been, and will continue to be, home to the Dehcho Dene. Thank you for welcoming me, I am grateful to the caretakers and past, present, and future. guardians of the land. I would first like to thank the community of Kakisa for whom without his research would not be possible. You showed me kindness and compassion and supported the success of the project from the very first step. Thank you to the youth for inviting me to play on those long summer nights and for welcoming me into your life, opening up and sharing some of your stories with me. I am extremely grateful for the time we spent together. Thank you to Greg, Yvonne & your family, for allowing me to stay in your northern home, for your support of the research and encouraging the youth to continue to question and explore outside the classroom. Mahsi Cho. I also owe many thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, and also to Dr. Andrew Spring. I owe a special thank you to Alison for taking me on as a student and to Andrew for trusting me with this project. Thank you to the both of you for your continued patience, support, and guidance, as well as sharing projects with me and allowing me to gain a wide variety of experience. I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. Colin Robertson, and reader, Dr. Miguel Sioui, for your helpful comments and guidance. I am also grateful to Dr. Peter Johnson, Dr. Susan Elliott, Dr. Scott Slocombe, Dr. Johanna Wandel and the graduate administrative staff for providing assistance in various ways throughout my graduate degree, as well as to Dr. Bob iv Sharpe, Dr. James Hamilton, and Dr. Christopher Lemieux for being excellent instructors to TA with. I had a great TA experience and hope to transition what I’ve learned through to my next chapter. Lastly, I am thankful to my friends and family. Thank you to my family for the support you have provided in many various ways and for helping to create a healthy home environment. Thank you to Catharine Brazeau, Stephanie Pike, and Jordyn Atkins as well as the other friendships I formed. I am fortunate to have completed my master’s in a department where unique friendships develop and for the laughs we shared while enduring grad school together. Finally, to Phil, for your endless support and unwavering belief in me no matter the distance. This thesis would not have been possible without each and every one of these individuals, so it is to them I dedicate this to. v Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ v List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... viii List of Acronyms ....................................................................................................................... ix 1. Introduction… ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background to thesis and contributions ............................................................................... 5 2. Literature Review ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.1. Research Gaps ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.2. The Food System ................................................................................................................. 8 2.1.1. The Northern Food System ........................................................................................... 9 2.3. Traditional Knowledge ...................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) ............................................................................. 13 2.3. Traditional Knowledge and CBM ...................................................................................... 15 2.3.1. Transfer of Knowledge: Why Monitoring is Important .............................................. 18 2.3.2. Indigenous Guardian Programs at Work..................................................................... 18 2.4. Chapter Summary .............................................................................................................. 19 3. Methodology And Methods .................................................................................................... 20 3.1. Using a Food Systems Approach to Guide Participatory Action Research ....................... 20 3.2. Research Objectives & Question ....................................................................................... 21 3.3. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.1. Qualitative Mixed Methods ........................................................................................ 22 3.3.2. Participatory Action Research (PAR) ......................................................................... 23 3.3.3. The Importance of PAR .............................................................................................. 24 3.3.4. PAR in Kakisa............................................................................................................. 26 3.3.5. Positionality ................................................................................................................ 27 3.3.6. Modified Photovoice ................................................................................................... 29 3.3.7. Case Study: Site, Approach and Rationale ................................................................. 32 3.4. Methods .............................................................................................................................. 39 3.4.1. Questions..................................................................................................................... 39 3.4.2. Ethics........................................................................................................................... 40 vi 3.4.3. Interviews ...................................................................................................................