NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

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

Tags: social sciences, mining impacts, history

Objective(s): To work closely with members of four NWT communities to identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to their communities, and to build a local and regional knowledge base as a prerequisite to devising strategies to ameliorate the adverse conditions associated with abandoned mines.

Project Description: The research team will work closely with members of four NWT communities to identify the historical and continued impacts of abandoned mines adjacent to their communities. The research team 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, the research team will build a local and regional knowledge base as a prerequisite to devising strategies to ameliorate the adverse conditions associated with abandoned mines. The research team is building on this research and 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. The primary methodology will be oral history interviews and community workshops. Informants will be identified through ongoing community consultations and references from individuals (the research team have already made contact with many of the study communities). 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 research team may invite individuals with specific knowledge or expertise. The invitations and publicity for community workshops will state explicitly the purpose of the workshop and mapping project, and the research team will ask invitees and participants to respond to the advertisements and written request for participation in a manner that indicates an informed willingness to participate in the process. Other specific methods and approaches employed include: community mapping and spatial analysis using Geographical Information Systems, archival research (community and institutional), guided site visits to former mine sites, and textual analysis of environmental and social impact assessment documents and proceedings The research team will provide communities with the opportunity to continue ongoing research efforts in a collaborative fashion as well as opportunities for communities to determine how to mobilize research results through initiatives such as oral history projects. Through individual interviews, community workshops, and supporting community members to present results at relevant Page 3 of 3 Sandlos(Application No 1903) workshops, the research team will provide a forum for northern Native people to share their experiences of mining development and abandoned mine sites. The research team also plan a comprehensive communications strategy with communities, including newsletters, web-based communications, and face-to-face workshops and presentations. The research team will discuss with community partners possible outlet for the research, particularly those that may be developed with local expertise. These may include oral history collections, documentary films, radio documentaries, and web projects. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 24, 2013 to October 1, 2013.