Mni Ki Wakan Summit
The MKW Summit has convened thousands of participants over the decade, bringing together Indigenous Peoples, youth, and organizations working across diverse water sectors at the local to international human rights level. With past MKW Summit held in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rapid City, South Dakota. Participants have become partners over time, traveling from across the U.S., Canada, Hawaii, New Zealand, South America, Guam, Europe, and other diverse regions.
The 2024 Mni Ki Wakan Summit will be held in Mnišota Makoce: The Land of Misty & Foggy Waters, traditional homelands of the Dakota people. Also known as Minnesota, The Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Mni Ki Wakan Summit will encompass a confluence of 3 major currents that encompass critical work Indigenous Peoples and youth in the protection and advancement of their water rights. The confluence highlights the integral solution-oriented approaches and actions Indigenous Peoples have deployed to push back against water colonialism, water injustice, and inequity. The confluence of thematic currents illustrate the important work Indigenous Peoples and youth lead in an effort to protect Unci Maka, water, environment, and rights, and how many of these efforts are interrelated.
We are facing a Water crisis. Water is becoming increasingly scarce around the world. Nearly 2 billion out of the 8 billion people on Mama Aki don't have access to safe drinking water.
In November of 2020 around the same time MN Gov. Walz approved of the permits for the toxic tar sands oil pipeline 3, that goes through nearly half of North America’s freshwater, Water became a commodity on wall street. This means investors can buy up water rights and make water even scarcer, which can lead to higher prices and water shortages. This can make clean water unaffordable for many families and communities, particularly Indigenous and BPOC communities. Knowing that the last of Canada’s oil is flowing through line 3 these corporations are looking for other ways to make money. Many of us risked our lives and our freedoms trying to prevent Enbridge from poisoning our Water here in Minnesota and they were successful in doing so even before the oil started to flow through the pipeline with all the aquifer breaches and frac-outs.
Water is Sacred.
It was a gift to be able to attend the Mni Ki Wakan Summit. Hearing about the different ways Indigenous people are not only defending the Water, but also bringing back cultural ways that tribal nations have used to thrive off of since time immemorial without poisoning the Water, land and air was motivating. Being able to connect with others who have the same goal of wanting clean water for all who live on earth is a key component that is needed in our journey for clean water. Critical Indigenous water governance and justice strategies is what will help us be successful towards protecting Water.
The parts I found to be most beneficial were the parts talking about policy and legislative work, the Water sampling work and the discussion on how enhancing our Indigenous cultural ways can save ourselves and our ancestors' future on this planet.
Being able to hear in depth knowledge of how the systems laws are allowing the destruction of nature puts a real perspective on how serious of a threat we are facing internally in our governmental systems. The summit showing how Indigenous tribes are working hard to become sovereign gives me hope. Whether it's getting our food back by growing it or protecting it by bringing back our buffalo or creating policy to protect our Manoomin.
The last and most important thing I would like to mention is that I was super grateful to see our young adults there. This is information that all our youth and young adults should be provided. I’m hoping in the future we can get more involvement from our Native youth.
