ABSTRACT
Indigenous Peoples routinely confront the different water ethics of the dominant society, and we have a “duty to learn” what water looks like through Indigenous eyes. To accomplish this, we need to decolonize our minds and make ourselves open to Indigenous ontologies of water. Bridging the divide between cultural worlds can be facilitated through (1) embracing cultural distinctiveness, (2) Indigenous water planning based on Indigenous ethics, (3) recognizing Indigenous customary law, and (4) respecting Indigenous concepts of water quality and river health. These measures are consistent not only with Indigenous values about water, but also with the principles of sustainable water management.
