Indigenous Ocean Knowledge: A story of risk and resilience of the Squamish Ocean Canoe Family — film

This knowledge mobilization initiative is based on a MEOPAR supported project at SFU titled Mapping ocean literacy in the Pacific Region which is a part of the Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition (COLC) research. Nested within the broader Canada-wide study, 36 conversations with ocean literacy leaders and service providers and 53 ocean literacy asset mapping surveys from across BC were conducted/collected. Of the 36 conversations, 33 were recorded and transcribed with permission of the participants. Of the 33 transcribed interviews, 18% of participants self-identified as Indigenous. The MEOPAR support enabled travel to some of the remote communities and First Nation territories for in-depth interviews and relationship building.

One of the key findings of the Mapping ocean literacy in the Pacific Region project is the fundamentally different relationship that First Nation communities have with the ocean compared to non-Indigenous communities (Yumagulova, 2020; Yumagulova, Nahanee, Nahanee, Reynolds, Sperry, forthcoming). Indigenous worldviews and foresight are important factors of adaptive capacity of coastal and marine socio-ecological systems (Whitney et al, 2017). Yet, there is little awareness of the Indigenous Knowledge system within the formal planning and management systems that govern coastal areas such as the Metro Vancouver region (Yumagulova and Vertinsky, 2019). Furthermore, while ongoing adaptations to marine hazards and climate change have been documented to a certain degree for more remote and isolated Indigenous communities (Ford et al., 2016; Turner and Jones, 2000), there is a gap in our understanding of marine risk and resilience in coastal urban Indigenous communities (Yumagulova, 2020b).

This project addresses this gap through digital storytelling by creating an accessible animated video highlighting the key study findings woven together with the Squamish Ocean Canoe Family’s stories and songs. The video is based on research by Lilia Yumagulova and narrated by the President of the Squamish Canoe Family Larry (Shucks) Nahanee and Chiaxt’n Wes Nahanee (Protocol Keeper for the Squamish Nation), illustrated by Carime Quezada, a Mexican-Canadian artist. This video will be produced in partnership with the International Sustainability Education Foundation.