Traditional knowledge

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Based on work completed from 2000 to 2011, an overview of what water means to Anishinabe peoples in Ontario found the following themes[1]:

  • Water is alive. It is a being with its own spirit
  • Water is sacred
  • Water is a relative
  • Water is part of a holistic system, a part of Creation
  • Water is key to survival
  • Appropriate water use is about proper relationships
  • Water must be treated with an ethic of thanksgiving
  • People have specific responsibilities to protect water
  • Planning for water governance must take a long-term approach
  • Women have a central role
  • Language retention is critical

To review



  1. McGregor, D. (2012). Traditional Knowledge: Considerations for Protecting Water in Ontario.The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 3(3) . Retrieved from: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol3/iss3/11 DOI: 10.18584/iipj.2012.3.3.11