Near 700 Indigenous peoples, including youth, from Canada, United States, Mexico and some from Central America and South America gathered on the traditional lands of the Penticton Indian Band in Okanagan Territory in what is known as British Columbia, Canada. Indigenous organizations, communities and representatives of tribes and bands came together to work on our commitment to take responsibility to protect Mother Earth, the health of our Indigenous communities and the biodiversity or Circle of Life. The Penticton Indian Band of the Okanagan Nation and the En’owkin Centre hosted this gathering.

Primary issues whereby Statements were developed were: Energy; Water; and Right to Food and Food Security. Within these discussions were educational workshops on issues of toxic contamination from agricultural, military and industrial activities; mining and mineral extraction; the need for sustainable forest ecosystems; climate change as a result of energy policies that depend on fossil fuel production; risk assessment policies that don’t protect Indigenous lands and resources; and environmental health. Within the conference, participants wove into these issues concerns about the impacts on how economic globalization, regional, bilateral and global trading mechanisms and western forms of development have not been sustainable. Participants consistently expressed concerns that national-state governmental policies either were absent or not effective towards protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, protection of treaty territories, land, air and water, biodiversity and sacred sites.

These impacts have been disruptive to the ability of Indigenous peoples to protect our traditional territories, maintain or develop sustainable economic systems and to practice our traditional gathering, hunting and fishing cultures. This disruption has severely affected the ability of Indigenous communities to maintain sustainable food and economic security systems that have been developed and refined for millennia. Indigenous peoples – from the North to the South - historically and currently are experiencing poverty, economic dependency from federalism and industrial development, experiencing the symptoms of colonization - like internalized oppression – malnourishment and hunger. It was stressed that language is the foundation of Indigenous identity both to the natural world and to each other. When the connection to healthy and sustainable ecosystems is disturbed by lost of habitat, biodiversity and traditional foods, this affects the ability to pass on language that is closely linked to our environment, our foods, water and our relationship to the sacredness of our Mother Earth.

Merging Our Water Together: Bringing Together Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from Both Sides of the Colonial Border of United States/Canada and Mexico

During the previous 11th annual Indigenous Environmental Network Protecting Mother Earth Conference held in Brownsville, Texas, June 14-17, 2000, the theme of the conference was “Reclaiming Our Sacred Water: Purification, Healing and Re-Affirming a Way of Life.” This gathering in the southern region of the Rio Grande water basin and the United States/Mexico border exemplified environmental and economic injustices endured by the Indigenous Peoples and local Latino communities of Texas and Mexico. Rio Grande Valley is the outlet of a long journey of the waters of the Rio Grande, carrying waste and toxic chemicals from industry, agriculture and communities alike to its mouth and to the Gulf of Mexico.

In Okanagan Nation territories near Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, which is near the United States/Canadian border, Indigenous peoples and Latino people from Mexico and the United States/Mexico border met with the Indigenous brothers and sisters of the North – in Canada. We all shared testimony on the need to protect the sacred water. A Water Ceremony was held, coordinated by the Indigenous women. Indigenous participants brought water from all four directions and put the water into a vessel to be blessed. Hundreds of conference participants came together in this ceremony and prayed for the Water of Life. It is from this ceremony that people once again re-affirmed their commitment to protect the Water – the Giver of Life.

This document reflects the voices, concerns and inspirations of those Indigenous participants present at this 12th annual Protecting Mother Earth. Delegates from the Interior Alliance, an alliance of Indigenous tribes of Southern Carrier, St’at’imc, Secwepemc, Nlaka’pamux, and Okanagan attended the conference gathering. The Interior Alliance brought a document, entitled, “Water Is Life: Protecting Water Now!” This Indigenous Declaration on Water from a meeting held July 8, 2001, in Musqueam territory in Canada. The Interior Alliance brought it for IEN support.

In plenary, on August 5, 2002, the conference participants and Indigenous Environmental Network endorsed this document. The document below represents the Indigenous Environmental Network position on water.

As Indigenous Peoples, we raise our voices in solidarity to speak for the protection of Water. The Creator placed us on this earth, each in our own sacred and traditional lands, to care for all of creation. We have always governed ourselves as Peoples to ensure the protection and purity of Water. We stand united to follow and implement our knowledge, laws and self-determination to preserve Water, to preserve life. Our message is clear: Protect Water Now!

As Indigenous Peoples, we recognize, honour and respect Water as a sacred and powerful gift from the Creator. Water, the first living spirit on this earth, gives life to all creation. Water, powerful and pristine, is the lifeblood that sustains life for all peoples, lands and creation. We know that by listening to the songs of the Water, all creation will continue to breathe. Our knowledge, laws and ways of life teach us to be responsible at all times in caring for this sacred gift that connects all life. In ceremony and as time comes, the Water sings. Her songs begin in the tiniest of streams, transforms to flowing rivers, travels to majestic oceans, and thundering clouds, and back to the earth, to begin again. When Water is threatened, all living things are threatened. Our hearts cry when we see the ways in which people, through governments and multinational corporations, destroy the Water in their greed. As Water has given us life, we must fight for the life of Water. We must continue to hear her songs and protect this sacred gift from the Creator. We must be prepared.

In this time, we see that our Waters are being polluted with chemicals, pesticides, sewage, disease and nuclear waste. We see our Waters being depleted or converted into destructive uses through the diversion of Water systems to different lands, unsustainable economic, resource and recreational development, the transformation of excessive amounts of Water into energy, and the treatment of Water as a commodity, a property interest, that can be bought, sold and traded in global and domestic economies. We see our Waters governed by imposed foreign, colonial and inhumane laws and practices that disconnect us as Peoples from the ecosystem. These laws do not respect that life is sacred, that Water is sacred. Throughout Indigenous territories worldwide, we are witnessing the increasing scarcity of fresh Waters and the lack of access that we and other life forms such as the land, forests, animals, plants, marine life, and air have to our Waters. In these times of scarcity, we see governments creating commercial interests in Water that lead to inequities in distribution and prevent our access to the life giving nature of Water.

When Water is disrespected, misused and poorly managed, we see the life threatening impacts on all of creation. We know that our Rights to Self-Determination, jurisdiction, knowledge and laws to protect the water are being disregarded, violated and disrespected. We hear the sad and painful songs of the Water, of the land and our peoples. We hear the Waters call for protection now.

As Indigenous Peoples, we express our power, to protect the Water and call on all others concerned to open your minds and hearts and listen to our protection song, our message and support the calls for actions that follow:

We recognize that Water is a sacred gift from the Creator that gives, sustains and nurtures all life on earth. We recognize the need to share our understanding that Water is sacred and essential for the survival of all life on earth.

We recognize that as stewards of the lands and waters, and as sovereign peoples who will never sell nor trade their rights to Water, we Indigenous peoples retain inherent rights and responsibilities to protect Water.

We recognize that our knowledge and sustainable practices are essential links to the protection of Water. We recognize Indigenous governments and their jurisdiction to develop laws and treaties to protect Water.

We support the implementation of Indigenous legal systems in this effort. To retain our connection to our Waters, we must have the right to make decisions about Waters at all levels.

We resolve to communicate and express our power, our common interest to protect Water and life, through the building of Water alliances and networks worldwide.

We support all Indigenous peoples and grass roots movements that organize to protect Water based on their ancestral teachings and laws, and who also respect the role of Indigenous elders, women and youth to protect Water.

We call for the creation of an international monitoring body to track the trade of Water in relation to Indigenous peoples.

We resolve to use and develop indigenous, domestic and international mechanisms to hold corporations, domestic governments and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund accountable for their actions that threaten the integrity of Water, our land and our peoples. Systems of restoration and compensation have to be put in place to restore the integrity of water and ecosystems.

We seek support and solidarity for the opposition to any free trade agreements that purport to privatize Water and trade Water as a commodity, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

We endorse declarations and treaties that enshrine the goals stated above such as the Cochabamba Declaration and the Treaty Initiative of the Council of Canadians representing genuine efforts by concerned citizens, communities and grass-roots peoples to protect water.

On this 8th day of July, 2001, the international community and Indigenous peoples assembled at the International Conference on Water for People and Nature organized by the Council of Canadians, endorsed the Indigenous Declaration on Water.

(On August 5, 2001, at the 12th annual Protecting Mother Earth Conference, Penticton, British Columbia, in plenary, the conference participants and Indigenous Environmental Network endorsed this document.)

External Links:
• Water Quality Information Center, National Agriculatural Library Searchable database of documents related to agriculture and water quality, as well as links to other databases, research texts, organizations, funding sources, and discussion lists on this subject
• FAO's AQUASTAT The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's online information system on water in agriculture and rural development
• U.S.Geological Survey's Water Program
• U.S. EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
• International Office for Water (Office de l'Eau)
• The International Water Management Institute studies issues related to water scarcity, irrigation, and other aspects of water management
• The International Rivers Network
• The World Commission on Dams a body formed under the auspices of the World Bank and the World Conservation Union to analyze the development effectiveness of large dams
• Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security Provides useful links to other water sites
• The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District Located in Lubbock, Texas, works actively with local farmers to improve irrigation efficiency
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Among many other activities, publishes data on world irrigated area by country
• The Water Page Information on international water management issues and strategies
• WaterPlow Press, information on the Handbook of Water Use and Conservation.