NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area, North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: mining, social sciences, traditional knowledge, history

Objective(s): The researchers intend to work closely with members of five northern communities to identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to their communities.

Project Description: The researchers intend to work closely with members of five northern communities to identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to their communities. They will ask how mineral development impacted the social life, economic prospects and local environments of Northern communities throughout the twentieth century, considering carefully the connections between social justice and environmental change that were engendered by historical mining practices in the region. Finally, they will build a local and regional knowledge base as a prerequisite to devising strategies to ameliorate the adverse conditions associated with abandoned mines. The researchers are building on this research and have assembled a team of researchers that will combine scientific analysis with perspectives from geography, resource management historical studies, and indigenous studies to produce an interdisciplinary understanding of the dramatic landscape and social changes associated with mining. Their primary methodology will be oral history interviews and community workshops. Informants will be identified through ongoing community consultations and references from individuals. Individual interviews will last approximately 50 minutes. The purpose of the interviews—to collect first-hand accounts of the social, economic, and environmental impact of mining development on northern Canadian Aboriginal communities—will be explained fully to all interviewees. Participation in workshops or the community mapping project will be voluntary, though in some cases the researchers may invite individuals with specific knowledge or expertise. Their invitations and publicity for community workshops will state explicitly the purpose of the workshop and mapping project, and they will ask invitees and participants respond to their advertisements and written request for participation in a manner that indicates an informed willingness to participate in the process. Communities will be involved in all phases of the research process, including opportunities to design the research methods, organize and lead workshops, conduct oral history interviews, and assist with data verification and analysis. The researchers’ primary goal in terms of knowledge mobilization is to apply directly the results of their research to the pressing problems associated with mining and mine abandonment in northern Canada. The participatory nature of the program will allow researchers and community members to use historical and contemporary research as a means to articulate solutions to the social, political and environmental problems associated with industrial mining. The researchers also plan a comprehensive communications strategy with communities, including newsletters, web-based communications, and face-to-face workshops and presentations. They intend to establish a research advisory board with associated research protocols in each of the study regions (where one does not already exist). The fieldwork for this study will be conducted May 10-31 and July 12-26, 2010, at the former Pine Point mine/townsite; Fort Resolution and Hay River; Giant and Con mine sites; Yellowknife and Dettah; Deline; Port Radium mine/townsite; NWT Archives (Yellowknife).