Native Peoples and Water Rights: Irrigation, Dams, and the Law in Western Canada (Volume 55) (McGill-Queen's Native and Northern Series)

The first in-depth, interdisciplinary study of Native water rights issues in Canada.

Economic developments in irrigation, agriculture, and hydroelectric power generation in western Canada at the turn of the last century challenged the way Native peoples had traditionally managed the watershed environment. Facing rapidly expanding provincial and federal power as well as private industries, Native peoples saw opportunities to protect their self-governing rights and explore reserve-based economies.

Through a combination of field work and archival research, Kenichi Matsui provides an original and pioneering overview of the evolution of water law and agricultural policies in the Canadian west. Incorporating the history of water law philosophies, water development technologies, agricultural policies, and cross-cultural theories, Matsui constructs an interdisciplinary analysis of how both Native peoples and non-native stakeholders struggled for better rights and livelihood through litigation, political campaigns, and direct action.

The dramatic stories of early cultural, legal, and political conflict in interior British Columbia and Alberta featured in Native Peoples and Water Rights enrich our understanding of current. Native rights disputes throughout North America.

Economic developments in irrigation, agriculture, and hydroelectric power generation in western Canada at the turn of the last century challenged the way Native peoples had traditionally managed the watershed environment. Facing rapidly expanding provincial and federal power as well as private industries, Native peoples saw opportunities to protect their self-governing rights and explore reserve-based economy. Through a combination of field work and archival research, Kenichi Matsui offers an original and pioneering overview of the evolution of water law and agricultural policies in the Canadian west. By incorporating the history of water law philosophies, water development technologies, agricultural policies, and cross-cultural theories, Matsui constructs an interdisciplinary analysis of how both Native peoples and non-native stakeholders struggled for better rights and livelihood through litigation, political campaigns, and direct actions. The dramatic stories of early cultural, legal, and political conflict in interior British Columbia and Alberta featured in Native Peoples and Water Rights enrich our understanding of current Native rights disputes throughout North America. Contents List of Maps and Figures Preface 1 Introduction: Culture, Colonialism, and Reclaiming Indigenous Waters 2 A Water Rights Culture and Native Farmers in the North American West 3 The Struggle for Power over Native Water Rights in British Columbia 4 An Anatomy of Water Conflicts: The Secwepemc and Settlers in the British Columbia Dry Belt 5 Irrigating with Indigenous Waters in the Treaty 7 Region 6 Hydroelectric Dams and Native Waterpower Rights: A Stoney Nakoda Case 7 Conclusion: Rediscovering Indigenous Water Rights History Appendix: The Evolution of Water Laws in British Columbia with Particular Reference to the Native Peoples, 1858–1921 Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Incorporating the history of water law philosophies, water development technologies, agricultural policies, and cross-cultural theories in Canadian west, this title constructs an analysis of how Native peoples and non-native stakeholders struggled for better rights and livelihood through litigation, political campaigns, and direct actions.