tylee nez
A collection of stories, lifeways, connections, and perspectives from the indigenous communities, particularly youth, within the so-called ‘Colorado River Basin,’ will provide a culturally relevant and accurate perspective on the importance of water. This project will focus on the next generation of rising leaders advocating for water acquisition, protection, and security. The leaders will encompass a diverse array of perspectives, including those of farmers, caregivers, scholars, fishers, activists, artists, weavers, and others, to name a few. It is vital that young voices are integrated into movements and uplifted for their work. I focus on my culture to move away from generalizing indigenous communities and nations. Although I am aware that centralizing and focusing on one nation is a slippery slope. In my Diné culture, young people are vital in our societies and families. Unfortunately, due to colonization, the destruction of indigenous family structures forced communities to move away from a holistic outlook. Moving towards suppressing young people’s power and importance in society by ignoring them for their limited understanding and experience of the world. This creates an imbalance of knowledge, and an imbalance breeds chaos. Young people possess individual strengths and knowledge systems passed down from generations. These are the legacies of the basin. The project will be supported by ArcGIS Pro and Story Maps featuring personal narratives, photos, and audio. The narratives will cover themes of environmental health, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, water law, multi-generational wisdom, storytelling, water and environmental justice, cultural awareness, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.