What significance does water have in First-Nations legal traditions?

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft discusses the interconnectedness of spiritual, natural, customary and human laws as bases for indigenous legal practices, emphasizing the dynamic evolution of these interrelated frameworks in a changing world.

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft discusses the effects of climate change on remote northern communities in Manitoba not only in terms of impacts on health, economics, and social stability, but also in terms of the threats to language, culture and identity that may be accelerating as a result of the new vulnerabilities caused by environmental impacts. Cultural losses occurring in part due to increased migration from traditional smaller communities to urban centers in Southern Canada represent one of many threats to indigenous heritage among Canada’s First Nations people.

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft reflects on the resiliency of indigenous people, in their preservation of language, customs, sacred places, relationships and culture, emphasizing the centrality of human agency and free will in the preservation of cultural heritage.

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft discusses the historically troubled relationship between Western scientific traditions and different forms of indigenous knowledge. Generosity of spirit and mutual respect for different ways of knowing are crucial if we are to more effectively address common challenges such as climate change. She suggests that Western scientists can work together with indigenous peoples to move beyond the status quo, where indigenous knowledge systems are typically embraced only for their capacity to confirm mainstream scientific findings. Creating constructive dialogue and mutual respect between knowledge communities may be vital to our ability to come to terms with the socio-environmental challenges of the future.

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft reflects on the significance of water to indigenous communities in Canada, both as the source of life and, in another sense, as the source of all the contemporary issues facing First Nations people today. Hydro-electric development, in particular, has impacted the conditions of indigenous communities in Manitoba in regards to their lands, the ecosystems and wildlife within these territories, and the relative connectedness or isolation of communities along crucial waterways. Such circumstances place water at the center of many crucial discussions regarding the sustainability of First Nations communities, the cultural heritage of these people and traditional indigenous lands that must be safeguarded in laws and treaties.

Indigenous legal scholar Aimée Craft describes the significance of water in First-Nations legal systems. As transecting Canadian federal law and indigenous legal systems water law is a contestable area. One major difference is the agency — and hence legal standing — that water is acknowledged to have in indigenous contexts, due to its spiritual significance. This fact has significant practical and theoretical implications.