Abstracts Geography

Nipi (Water) and its pawistik (falls) in Northern Manitoba: a dive into Eurocentric policies and the effects of hydro generation on the seasonal movements of a northern Indigenous community, Nisicawayāsihk Cree Nation

by Victoria Grima

Perceptions of Western society and Indigenous cultures towards the caring of Askiy, the Earth, contrast dramatically with one another. On one hand, Indigenous people have intertwined their coexistence with that of Nature since time immemorial, which has given rise to their cultural heritage and identity. On the other hand, western society has largely viewed the environment as a source of natural resources that are used to satisfy societal needs. This dichotomy is readily apparent when it comes to hydro power in northern Canada. This research aims to explore how Eurocentric land management policies together with the legacy brought forth by the Hydropower discourse have affected the seasonal movement of Indigenous people across Manitoba’s northern landscape and their longstanding land-use and harvesting activities. This was achieved by integrating Indigenous Traditional Environmental Knowledge with Geographical Spatial Information (GIS) technologies. Participatory GIS processes based on the Map Biography Model (MBM) were shaped by the northern nethowe-ithiniwak, Cree speaking people of Nisicawayāsihk (Nelson House) Cree Nation. Maps were generated that reflect the multi-generational knowledge and lived experiences of community members, and that document hydro-related changes in space and time. The revised MBM evolved organically at its own pace, mostly reflecting the experiences of the nethowe-ithiniwak whom I interviewed as well as from many community-led boat, driving, and aerial trips throughout the affected landscape centering on Nipi, Water. These outcomes revealed how western society continues to view natural resources as objects that can be readily and sometimes drastically manipulated to fulfill its needs. Such perceptions transformed the free rumbling sound of Nipi, water, which normally constitutes the essence of northern Indigenous identity, into a static and open-water storage reservoir. These actions have resulted in a Nisicawayāsihk that is 23% of its pre-colonial cultural landscape. The resulting region is not only smaller but also irrevocably damaged by hydropower infrastructure. Yet, despite the drastic changes across this landscape, the nethowe-ithiniwak continue to practice their traditional livelihoods and to assert their sovereignty throughout this region.