Embedding Indigenous Knowledge into Housing Design with the Homebuilding Students in Wasagamack and Garden Hill First Nations, Manitoba, Canada

Wasagamack and Garden Hill First Nations in Island Lake, Manitoba, are experiencing a housing crisis, with severe overcrowding. This article describes a research analysis of local materials, building skill levels, environment, demographics, and cultural aspects completed by graduate students in inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research
Main Authors: Catrina Sallese, Shauna Mallory-Hill, Shirley Thompson
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing 2024
Subjects:
H
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.29173/cjnser582
https://doaj.org/article/33f7f7c90a464a7a882d7746cb8afbad
Description
Summary:Wasagamack and Garden Hill First Nations in Island Lake, Manitoba, are experiencing a housing crisis, with severe overcrowding. This article describes a research analysis of local materials, building skill levels, environment, demographics, and cultural aspects completed by graduate students in interior design as part of collaborative design/build activities, training programs, and community workshops. This study is part of a First Nation community/university partnership. Healthy, culturally appropriate, resilient single- and extended-family homes were designed using local materials and labour. This pilot project offers a pathway to build capacity to fill the gap of 150,000 homes in a way that advances cultural, health, social, and economic development. Further, a decolonizing policy and the provision of adequate infrastructure, such as access roads, in Indigenous reserves are needed to create a sustainable home-building ecosystem.