Right Relations

Working on behalf of all waters involves more than collaboration and partnerships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples. It means restoring our relationships — to the waters and land, to ourselves, and to each other. These ‘Right Relations’ turn our colonial worldviews inside out, helping to buffer their unjust power structures and perpetual harm. As Potawotami ecologist Robin Kimmerer puts it:

“It’s not the land which is broken, but our relationship to land. That’s the work of artists, storytellers, parents. We braid sweetgrass to come into right relationship.”


While ‘right relations’ is a concept settler organizations frequently use, we could not identify its original Indigenous source (let us know if you can!). Right relations acknowledges the ‘all my relations’ philosophy expressed by many Indigenous cultures on turtle island. The term recognizes the harmony and interconnectedness of all life, including the more-than-human world, as well as our responsibility and reciprocity in these relationships.

This framing resonates with us and our values at Our Living Waters. Below, we identify how these values tie into our work. Over time, we will weave Right Relations into all that we do, guided by Indigenous partners and our ongoing journeys of (un)learning along the way.

The path toward Right Relations

Our Living Waters is supported by a non-Indigenous staff team and serves a diverse Network of freshwater groups. While some Network members are Indigenous led, most are not, but many of the latter work closely with First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in the watersheds they work to protect. We recognize that collaboration with Indigenous Peoples is essential when working to protect waters and we are committed to the ongoing process of reconciliation. We embrace opportunities for meaningful exchange between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments,work to align our policy positions with diverse Indigenous priorities, and strive to understand what it means to work with multiple knowledge systems.

Because Our Living Waters operates on a cross-country scale, staff focus on nurturing personal relationships in our local communities. We also hold ourselves and our non-Indigenous partners accountable to our responsibilities, particularly regarding Indigenous principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. When new members join the Network, we ask them to acknowledge that their work adheres to these Indigenous principles, the Declaration, and the Calls to Action.

Wherever we are in this heart-led journey is the right place to paddle another stroke forward. We commit to continued (un-)learning and expect to be humbled by mistakes along the way. We encourage all Network members to continue the (inner) work to braid Indigenous worldviews and leadership. Let’s roll up our sleeves!

Illustrated cover featuring the text "Working to undo the colonial relations at the root of the climate crisis: 4 ways of co-creating right relations." The design is surrounded by vibrant flowers, leaves, and butterflies, symbolizing growth, nature, and collaboration. It notes a collaboration by @unioslo, @climateillustrated, and @theda_mimilaki // Page illustrée avec le texte « Travailler à défaire les relations coloniales à la racine de la crise climatique : 4 façons de co-créer des relations justes ». Le design est entouré de fleurs colorées, de feuilles et de papillons, symbolisant la croissance, la nature et la collaboration. Collaboration mentionnée : @unioslo, @climateillustrated et @theda_mimilaki.
Climate Creativity frames ‘right relations’ as steps towards “undo[ing] the colonial relations at the root of climate change”. Read more about it in this Sustainability Science article (Gram-Hanssen, Schafenacker, & Bentz 2021).

Image credit: © Climate Creativity 2021

An illustration of a colourful woven braid with interlocking strands in shades of blue, green, orange, and yellow. // Illustration d'une tresse colorée avec des brins entrelacés dans des tons de bleu, vert, orange et jaune.

Our Water Declaration

As Network conveners, we are committed to centering our relationship with water through our water declaration:

We know—in our bones—that water is sacred.
We have a responsibility to listen to and take care of the waters.
Our relationships with each other are a reflection of our relationships to water.
We are dedicated to working together on behalf of the waters.

Here’s how we are weaving Right Relations into our key services:

A heart-shaped yellow graphic showing people icons around a chart, representing a shared measurement system for tracking progress and impact. // Une illustration en forme de cœur jaune montrant des icônes de personnes autour d’un graphique, représentant un système de mesure partagée pour suivre les progrès et l’impact.

A Common Agenda: Shared Measurement – in progress!

    • Be transparent about which worldview designed the Shared Measurement System, which ones are absent, and why.
    • Listen to established Indigenous advisory circles about their water priorities; ask if or how this measurement system could benefit or raise awareness of those priorities.
    • Consider whether a two-eyed seeing adaptation of the system is feasible or advised.
A heart-shaped orange graphic with interconnected people icons, representing network weaving and collaboration among groups. // Une illustration en forme de cœur orange avec des icônes de personnes interconnectées, représentant le tissage de réseau et la collaboration entre groupes.

Network Weaving: Catalyzing Shared Leadership – in action!

    • Be careful to position ourselves as individuals and as a Network in the freshwater community.
    • Listen to Indigenous Network members, one-on-one, to better understand their community needs and priorities.
    • Find First Nations, Métis, and Inuit leaders who work with water on broad scales and create ways to bring their work to the forefront.
A heart-shaped green graphic with a lightbulb and gear inside, surrounded by people icons, symbolizing collective action and innovative ideas. // Une illustration en forme de cœur vert avec une ampoule et un engrenage à l’intérieur, entourée d’icônes de personnes, symbolisant l’action collective et les idées innovantes.

Enabling Collaboration & Collective Impact – in action!

    • Challenge ourselves on each Focus Group and Team to align our work with diverse Indigenous priorities.
    • Find ways within each Focus Group and Team to disrupt our Western and colonial worldviews and challenge our understanding of current governance systems.
    •  
A heart-shaped green graphic featuring a handshake within a water droplet surrounded by people icons, representing collaboration and unity in federal water policy. // Une illustration en forme de cœur vert comportant une poignée de main dans une goutte d'eau entourée d'icônes de personnes, représentant la collaboration et l'unité dans les politiques fédérales de l'eau.

Promoting Federal Water Policy – in action!

    • Work to ensure that advocacy doesn’t interfere with or counter efforts to realize Indigenous inherent or Treaty Rights.
    • Support relationships with National Indigenous Organizations to further allyship, deepen relationships and enable bridge-building between Rights holders and federal officials.
heart-shaped blue graphic showing an e-newsletter icon on a computer screen surrounded by people icons with a speech bubble reading "Great story!" Symbolizing collaborative storytelling and communications. // Une illustration en forme de cœur bleu montrant une icône de bulletin électronique sur un écran d'ordinateur entouré d'icônes de personnes avec une bulle de texte indiquant « Great story! », symbolisant la narration collaborative et les communications.

Constant Communications: Amplifying Network Members’ Work – in action!

    • Create space for Indigenous voices in OLW events and communications.
    • Celebrate relationships with water through ‘The Art of Water’, by featuring stories about water leaders that use art to drive change, build community, honour sacredness and centre Indigenous voices.
A heart-shaped graphic in blue with speech bubbles containing "EN" and "FR" around icons representing people, symbolizing bilingualism and communication in English and French. // Une illustration en forme de cœur bleu avec des bulles contenant « EN » et « FR » autour d’icônes représentant des personnes, symbolisant le bilinguisme et la communication en anglais et en français.

Bilingualism – in progress!

    • Acknowledge that Indigenous languages are missing in most of our written communications.
    • Work towards learning and respectfully including Indigenous water body names, place names, and greetings in communications and at convenings.
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