An increasing number of scholars and activists are calling for different ways of thinking about and responding to climate change and its impact on humans. They note how current approaches tend to obscure related racial, gender, and social class injustices. This study addressed this concern by involving Indigenous elders and youth of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) in a visual storytelling experience focusing on the oil pipeline threats to the TWN community based at the terminal of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Canada. This initiative was designed to serve as a counter-narrative to the visual media campaigns pushing forward the fossil fuel industry without regard to the negative impact on indigenous communities.
The research team, consisting of TWN Elders and non-indigenous academics, used photovoice techniques to gather and explore visual images illustrating what the environment means to the TWN community and how it has changed over time. Photovoice is a qualitative research method that uses photographs taken by members of a community to create knowledge about important community issues. Elders of the community expressed the need to bring together the stories of elders with the aspirations of younger members of the community. Families decided who would take the actual photos or choose existing photos the family already had. The photos were shared by elders and youth during three community discussion sessions. Each session included an opening ceremonial blessing, a dinner, and informal dialogue about the photos. All participants at the sessions were given the opportunity to say something about the issues raised in the photos. The photos were also posted on the TWN social media network to give other community members an opportunity to share their insights and concerns.
The images and stories shared by TWN elders and youth addressed critical community challenges, including concerns about the health of the Nation and how the environment has changed over time. Deep cultural connections with water along with issues relating to sovereignty, including food sovereignty, were also highlighted in the images and stories. The findings illustrate ways in which the proposed pipeline project represents much more than a risk to the physical health of the TWN community. It also places at risk the mental and spiritual well-being of the community, as the proposed pipeline project would disrupt important traditional practices connected to the land and water.
Storytelling as used in this research served as an alternative to more Eurocentric ways of seeing and interacting. The findings highlight the need for more investigations into the meaning of images and visual storytelling that are consistent with indigenous cultural traditions.
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