Water is life – mni wiconi (Lakota/Dakota language). This was one of the truths spoken by water protectors from around the world who stood with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in 2016 against the Dakota Access Pipeline project going through their water source and sacred lands. Right here in the Midwest in recent years we have experienced the Flint water crisis and a major Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. Yet to many others, water is simply a commodity or, at best, a resource.
This presentation will explore the archetype of water especially from an indigenous view, as well as conflicts over how water is viewed and used. We will use film and video clips, music, poetry, and experiential activities to engage in an exploration of our own views of water – bright, dark, and shadow – in order to explore our own need for creative flow and integration of spirit and matter.