Nipissing First Nation is collaborating with three Indigenous communities in Mexico — Wixárika- Jalisco, Mazateca-Oaxaca and Rarámuri-Chihuahuan — to collaborate a project called One Water. The project investigates ways to increase water resiliency through rainwater harvesting.
The project team also includes Isla Urbana, Canadian Shield Consultants and the University of Toronto’s Center for Global Engineering. The project received a $200,000 grant from The Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
“The Nbisiing Anishinaabeg have lived in the area of Lake Nipissing since time immemorial,” explained Chief Scott McLeod. “Our people are inherently tied to the water and continue to protect this resource for current and future generations.”
“We are proud to announce our collaboration on water resilience with Indigenous communities in Mexico to share knowledge and resources,” he added.
The project aims to increase access to water in rural and Indigenous communities throughout Mexico, mainly by collecting, filtering, and distributing rainwater.
Nipissing First Nation community members are invited to take part in the project by sharing their thoughts in a short survey. The goal is to better understand the current and past water situation in the area, and how you relate to water as well as how this relationship may have changed over time.
All participants will be entered into a draw to win a $150 gift card.
Nipissing First Nation plans to take part in the project for two years, and later this month, a delegation of five will visit Mexico to work with Indigenous partners and associations and establish the foundation for the collaboration. Next year, a Mexican delegation will visit Nipissing First Nation. At that time, three rainwater harvesting systems will be installed.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
