Finding Indigenous Community Consultation Sources - APSC 201 - Engineering Communication - Research Guides at University of British Columbia

Finding Quality Indigenous Consultation Sources

The Indigenous Community Consultation Project will require your research team to consult many types of sources, you will need to evaluate each of them to determine their credibility and applicability to your specific project. This research will take time!

When evaluating a source, pay attention to:

when it was published? (is it current or out of date?)
who wrote and published the source? (what is their authority to write about the topic)
who's views are represented in the source? (it this a corporate viewpoint, or a government position tied to laws and regulations, or an Indigenous perspective representing the people involved/impacted by the engineering project?)
how will you use the information in the source to inform your project, or support a recommendation/decision for your project?

Great starting points when building understanding and gathering relevant perspectives:

The website of the Indigenous community that you have been assigned to research
- Example: Ktunaxa
First Nation Profiles from the Government of Canada
- Example: Blueberry River First Nations
UBC: Indigenous Peoples: Language Guide
First Voices Website
- Example: Ktunaxa
BC Treaty Commission Frequently Asked Questions and Definitions
Native Land Digital
First Peoples' Language Map of B.C.

Where to Begin Your Research: Resources Compiled by Xwi7xwa Library at UBC

Indigenous Law
Are there legal issues that you need to know more about to inform what consultation would look like with the Indigenous community that you are researching? This guide will help to point you in the right direction
Indigenous Maps and Mapping
Maps can provide unique insights into the communities that you are researching. Not only for relevant geography and topography, but to understand languages spoken, nearby communities, cities and infrastructure. Maps can also provide a view into the past by representing topics such as Residential School locations.
Indigenous Treaties
In order to situate this assignment in the context of the Indigenous community you are studying, you will need to explore Indigenous governance models and land relationships. This guide is a great place to begin this research.
First Nations and Indigenous Studies
At UBC, degree programs are offered in First Nations and Indigenous Studies. This guide provides insight into how to find First Nations and Indigenous perspectives on a wide range of topics, as well as research identified as relevant from many disciplines.
Indigenous Self-Governance & Self-Determination
With a BC focus, this guide is particularly helpful in gaining understanding of governance issues.

Relevant Research about Indigenous Consultation in Canada

This selection of relevant research may inform your understanding of Indigenous consultation in a Canadian engineering context:

Almeida Campana, D. X. (2019). The social licence to operate in the context of mining projects and Indigenous Peoples: Is it sufficient just to comply with the law? [Master's thesis, University of Calgary]. Prism: https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/110579

Black, K.E. (2017). Framework and methodology for improved Indigenous-led decision-making on water and wastewater design and management [Doctoral dissertation, University of Guelph]. the Atrium: https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/11381

Desjarlais, J. (2022). Indigineering: Engineering through Indigenous knowledge and Mino Pimachisowin. Northern Review, 53(53), 137-148.

Dimayuga, P., Sur, S., Choi, A., Greenwood, H. L., Galloway, T., & Bilton, A. M. (2023). A review of collaborative research practices with Indigenous peoples in engineering, energy, and infrastructure development in Canada. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 13(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-023-00382-8

Hilton, C. A. (2021). Indigenomics: Taking a seat at the economic table. New Society Publishers. https://go.exlibris.link/G0Y6dMz3

Jobin, S. W. (2023). Upholding Indigenous economic relationships: Nehiyawak narratives. UBC Press. https://books-scholarsportal-info.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/uri/ebooks/ebooks7/upress7/2023-02-16/1/9780774865258

Kwapisz, M., Hughes, B. E., Schell, W. J., Ward, E., & Sybesma, T. (2021). “We’ve always been engineers:” Indigenous student voices on engineering and leadership identities. Education Sciences, 11(11), 675. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110675

Moore, M., von der Porten, S., & Castleden, H. (2017). Consultation is not consent: Hydraulic fracturing and water governance on Indigenous lands in Canada: Consultation is not consent. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 4(1), e1180. doi:10.1002/wat2.1180

Muir, B. (2018). Effectiveness of the EIA for the Site C Hydroelectric Dam reconsidered: Nature of Indigenous cultures, rights, and engagement. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 20(4), 1-41. doi:10.1142/S146433321850014X

Sandlos, J., & Keeling, A. (2016). Aboriginal communities, traditional knowledge, and the environmental legacies of extractive development in Canada. The Extractive Industries and Society, 3(2), 278-287. doi:10.1016/j.exis.2015.06.005