Indigenous Pedagogies - Volume 2023 - Number 49 - Indigenous Pedagogies: Land, Water, and Kinship - Article 2

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

Occasional Paper Series Article 2 presents Indigenous perspectives on pedagogies centered on land, water, and kinship. The paper argues that Indigenous relationships with the natural world are a vital responsibility and that the well-being of human communities is inseparable from more-than-human communities. It emphasizes how changing lands and waters require reciprocal, ethical ways of relating, especially through human-water relations. The authors describe their collective responsibilities and explain why water-based futures depend on recognizing water’s inherent value and sovereignty, including access to clean water.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Occasional Paper Series

Volume 2023, Number 49

Article 2

Indigenous Water Pedagogies: Core Arguments

Authors and Collective Responsibilities

Human-Water Relations and Ethical Access

Occasional Paper Series | Volume 2023
Number 49 Indigenous Pedagogies: Land,
Water, and Kinship | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | May 2023
Indigenous Water Pedagogies: Cultivating Relations Through the Reading of Water
Forrest Bruce
Northwestern University
Megan Bang
Northwestern University
Anna Lees
Western Washington University
Nikki McDaid
Northwestern University
Felicia Peters
Northwestern University
Follow this and additional works at: [https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series](https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series)[ ](https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series)SeePnaertoe ourriiltuinauItnrction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, and the Educational Methods Commons
| | Recommended Citation Bruce, F., Bang, M., Lees, A., McDaid, N., Peters, F., & Bushnell, J. (2023) . Indigenous water pedagogies: Cultivating relations through the reading of water. Occasional Paper Series,(49) . DOI: [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)10.58295/2375-3668.1470 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Educate. It has been accepted for inclusion in Occasional Paper Series by an authorized editor of Educate. For more information, please contact [kfreda@bankstreet.edu](kfreda@bankstreet.edu). Indigenous Water Pedagogies: Cultivating Relations Through the Reading of Water Cover Page Footnote Chi-miigwech to the ISTEAM co-designers, families, community members, lands and waters that inspired this work. Funded by NSF grants DRL 1713368 and DRL 1712796 as well as US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Multidisciplinary Program in Education Sciences, Grant Award \# R305B200037 . Authors Forrest Bruce, Megan Bang, Anna Lees, Nikki McDaid, Felicia Peters, and Jeanette Bushnell This article is available in Occasional Paper Series: [https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2023/](https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2023/)[ ](https://educate.bankstreet.edu/occasional-paper-series/vol2023/)iss49/2 Indigenous Water Pedagogies: Cultivating Relations Through the Reading of Water Forrest Bruce, Megan Bang, Anna Lees, Nikki McDaid, Felicia Peters, and Jeanette Bushnell As Indigenous peoples, living in right, respectful relations with the natural world has always been a vital responsibility. The well-being of human communities is intimately connected with the well-being of more-than-human (MTH) communities comprising plants, animals, insects, water, and other natural beings. Indigenous peoples have had a deep understanding of the interdependence between all forms of life for countless generations and have always worked to live in reciprocal relationships with the rest of the natural world (Cajete, 2000; Kimmerer, 2013). Such an orientation to the natural world is needed now, perhaps more than ever, as human communities must figure out how to adapt and build thriving futures in the midst of changing lands and waters. The relations—whether reciprocal, extractive, or some other way of relating with the world—that we make with the natural world will have a profound impact on the well-being of future generations, both human and MTH. The authors of this paper are all Indigenous. We each see the work we do, reflected in this paper, as part of our collective responsibilities and contributions to our communities. Forrest is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe and of German descent. He is a graduate student and grew up in Minnesota, but has been living in or near Chicago for the last 10 years. Megan is of Ojibwe and Italian descent. She is a mother, auntie, daughter, sister, and cousin, amongst other relations. She is the principal investigator of the project this work was conducted in and has been an educator and scholar for going on three decades. Anna is a Waganakasing Odawa descende

FAQs

What is the central focus of the paper?

The paper focuses on Indigenous pedagogies grounded in land, water, and kinship, with particular emphasis on cultivating ethical human-water relations.

How does the paper connect human well-being to the natural world?

It states that the well-being of human communities is intimately connected with more-than-human communities, including plants, animals, insects, and water.

What does the paper suggest is needed for future generations regarding water?

It argues that collective futures depend on (re)making ethical relationships with water by upholding access to clean water and recognizing water’s inherent value and sovereignty.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James