Two-Eyed Seeing in Research and its Absence in Policy: Little Saskatchewan First Nation Elders' Experiences of the 2011 Flood and Forced Displacement

• Published in: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Main Authors: Martin, Donna E, Thompson, Shirley, Ballard, Myrle, Linton, Janice
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarship@Western 2017
• Subjects: First Nations; Elders; flooding; forced displacement; rebuilding; two-eyed seeing; Environmental Studies; Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing; Public Affairs; Public Policy and Public Administration; Canada
• Online Access: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss4/6; https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2017.8.4.6

Two-eyed seeing is a guiding framework for research that values and uses Indigenous and Western ways of knowing. In this article, we describe the merits and challenges of using two-eyed seeing to guide a collaborative research project with a First Nation community in Manitoba, Canada devastated by a human-made flood. In 2011, provincial government officials flooded 17 First Nation communities including Little Saskatchewan First Nation (LSFN), displacing thousands of people. To date, approximately 350 LSFN’s on-reserve members remain displaced. Two-eyed seeing ensured that the study was community-driven and facilitated a more thorough analysis of the data. This case study illuminated the absence of two-eyed seeing in policy making and decision making. We argue for the need to incorporate two-eyed seeing in policy making and program development, and to value and foster Indigenous perspectives in decision making within communities, especially regarding activities that have a direct impact on environments within or surrounding Indigenous lands.