Indigenizing Water Sanitation & Hygiene (IWSH)

1 in 10 American Indians in the United States lack access to safe tap water and basic sanitation. This statistic does not account for the access issues to clean and healthy water for Indigenous cultural practices and traditions. Indigenous access to water means access to culture, health, and vitality. 

This concept will affect Native communities across the United States if it receives the support of MIT Solve. The factors of escalating water colonialism, access issues to clean water, cultural water-oriented traditions, and Indigenous values aligned sanitation technologies make this concept timely, to align with diverse Native water values.

Due to water colonialism, western water institutions have risen to prominence, power, and wealth off of stolen Indigenous waters. Today, they receive immense amounts of resources for water sanitation and tech innovations. I am submitting this concept to help counter this historical water governance and justice inequity. The factors mentioned in our 2023 MKW statement at the United Nations below play a critical role in the concept:

"My relatives, today, we are here to voice the rights of water for future generations. We are here to remind

the global community that water is not a resource, but a relative. We are here to call upon the global Indigenous community to join us in our fight for the future of water and all life. In 2016, our delegation
announced the Mni Ki Wakan Indigenous Water Decade, otherwise known as MKW, a 10-year commitment to advancing Indigenous-led water rights, and water justice for all.

We remember the words of our ancestors: Mni Ki Wakan, Mni Ki Wiconi, Mni Ki Pejuta, Indigenous rallying cries for the rights of our sacred waters echoed in the Kyoto Water Declaration, at Standing Rock, at every river, lake, tributary, and ocean held sacred to Indigenous Peoples and youth. We remember the promise made by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied… waters and coastal seas… to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.”

Yet, water colonialism has reached an unprecedented level as colonial and Western water entities find themselves in dominant positions of power, wealth, and resources, controlling the global dialogue and
trajectory of water futurities for all, while excluding Indigenous Peoples and youth at every level. Access to and the quality of water has significant impact on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples. In
the final analysis, water will be the primary issue, impacting all life.

Our MKW team calls upon the global Indigenous community to join us at the 2023 Mni Ki Wakan Summit occurring August 15-17. We call upon the global community, member states, UN Water, water organizations, and all those whose futures depend on water, to:

• Dismantle water colonialism
• Redirect resources and investment to Indigenous water initiatives
• Institute equitable and just water policies in equal consultation and decision-making with
• Indigenous Peoples
• Strengthen global collaboration with Indigenous water initiatives...."

The solution we envision is creating a sustainable Indigenized design of an ecologically friendly toilet, and water purification tech to be made available to Tribal Nations, and urban and other rural communities. The toilet would not use water, but identify ways to utilize natural ecological processes for waste disposal. While maintaining a contemporary design inspired by Native values. The materials to be used will be ecologically friendly. We will work in partnership with sustainability partners on this concept. 

During the process of refining this concept, I will work to develop a sanitation and water tech network that could offer more possibilities for addressing other water issues like water purification technology, hygiene, and water source remediation. 

I will work with Native-led water science organizations, Tribal water resource departments, and water champions from Native communities to co-lead this innovation. Many of these actors seek to advance Indigenous-aligned water policies, practices, and programs but are consistently denied adequate resources and partnerships to bring these efforts to their full realization. 

By partnering on this initiative on sanitation, an area of water that is critical to Indigenous water rights, we will be able to support Native communities to self-determine their own water sanitation designs and honor their values around water. Additionally, as Native entrepreneurs in natural products emerge, this will create a greater market for hygiene products to be co-developed, MKW can serve as the conduit to facilitate the design of these products through building partnerships.

The Indigenizing water sanitation & hygiene concept can continuously be refined and updated by stakeholder input through the annual MKW Summit that convenes Indigenous water advocates, scientists, researchers, and community members, and more to co-create water innovations (mnikiwakan.org).

Due to water colonialism, western water institutions have risen to prominence, power, and wealth off of stolen Indigenous waters, and today, they receive immense amounts of resources for water sanitation and tech innovations as they purport to represent 'all people' on water needs. I am submitting this concept to help counter this historical water governance and justice inequity.

I have partnered with Tribal water resource departments and Native-led water organizations whose communities are experiencing a myriad of unique policy and environmental issues relating to water. At the core, I have worked with front-line advocates who seek the protection of water. Across these diverse partnerships, there is a desire to engage directly with water sanitation, technology, and policy, however, because of the exclusivity of these water sanitation areas, it has been difficult to do a deeper dive. Among these partners, we partner with community organizations that are charged with building sustainable housing and sanitation as well. We have the network to incubate this concept to fruition. All we need is the support of MIT solve to begin a strong direction and pathway.

Our team acknowledges the critical work that Indigenous community-based water organizations are engaging in at this time from water testing, research, to advocacy. We have consistently convened the MKW Summit to strengthen the confluence of water knowledge, approaches, and tools between Indigenous water leaders, and to co-create water innovations. Seeking resources to realize these collective ideas through various research, education, and policy projects. Additionally, we amplify MKW Summit Reports and stakeholder water innovations on the global level at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Between these scales, we partner with Indigenous grassroots water scholars, advocates, Indigenous youth, and community-led organizations that seek the protection of water as a relative. Building the MKW Ecosystem since 2016, we are connected with hundreds of Indigenous water stewards nationally, and internationally. As MKW, our team is in conversation with partners, and facilitates generative community conversations at the MKW Summit with community members, providing a forum where dynamic Indigenous water leaders can share what they are doing, and where participants can work together to outline the water issues and innovations they see. The input of those we serve continues to guide the formulation and composition of MKW's work. See mnikiwakan.org

The team lead, Wakinyan LaPointe, is a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, having built relationships with Indigenous Peoples and youth leaders over the span of several years. His relational approach offers anticipated support, sustainability, and longevity to this concept. In 2019, MKW was recognized as a "Promising Solution" in the national report, called, "Closing The Water Access Gap In The United States: A National Action Plan," published by water infrastructure organizations, Dig Deep, and the US Water Alliance. See partnerships, videos, and research reports on mnikiwakan.org

If this concept were to be approved, our team would like to enlist the support of financial, technical, legal, and market analysts to identify a strategic and informed approach to developing this concept. To convene a series of meetings to bring the concept this its final version, having a plan to carry it into development, and implementation. This is feasible with the support of MIT Solve.

If we do not receive MIT Solve's opportunity, I urge the team to consider supporting another Indigenous-led water initiative that may be submitted as water issues are continuing to escalate.

Wakinyan LaPointe is a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and over the past several years has cultivated an MKW Ecosystem of Indigenous water leaders, advocates, researchers, and community organizations. This MKW Ecosystem will play a critical role in the development and incubation of this concept to ensure stakeholder participation, see mnikiwakan.org.

This is an innovative concept aligned with amplifying the water values of Native communities in a world that is increasingly looking to Indigenous solutions as water issues continue to escalate. The concept itself challenges the assumptions of global sanitation dialogues and norms by introducing Indigenous values aligned sanitation tech concepts that center water as a relative. 

Too often, Indigenous Peoples are excluded from key water dialogues, forums, and agendas on decision-making. This innovation will provide a basis to make profound ripples across these spheres of influence, catalyzing new and exciting opportunities for Indigenous-led water initiatives and networks.

• Finalize concept of IWSH in year 1.
• Create prototype of the product in year 2.
• Create a Native-oriented market for the product in year 3.
• Expand public consciousness and knowledge about sustainable non-water use sanitation
• Transform current global dialogue and norms with IWSH concepts, building new and innovative partnerships.
• Create a working how-to guide, framework, Native-values aligned sanitation tech resource directory, and pathway to transformative sanitation technologies for and with Native communities.
• Share the journey of the concept with Native communities at MKW platforms, summits, and partnership meetings to inform to strengthen buy-in, feedback, and support.
• Impart what MKW learns in this process through community training, workshops, and educational sessions.

The core outcome of this water sanitation tech is Native values alignment. We will work with Native partners and community members to ensure that it is evolving in a way that aligns with their water values and aspirations. Asking questions about its form, composition, utility, functions, and applications, and how to integrate Native values more prominently. 

Will work with tech experts, sanitation experts, and designers to evaluate at every stage of the project at periodic intervals, such as 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to ensure its development is on track and meeting set outcomes. Set outcomes will be determined with the aforementioned actors who specialize in specific fields that are key to product development. 

To ensure our evaluation efforts are effective, we will enlist the help of an evaluation consultant to ensure our evaluation framework effectively evaluates the comprehensive outcomes and aspirations. We will utilize the feedback of partners and stakeholders throughout the process.

To advance Indigenous-led water rights, and water justice for all. MKW does this through advocacy, water infrastructure technology, research and education, alliance building, and the MKW Summit (see Mni Ki Wakan Theory of Change on mnikiwakan.org).

The core technology that powers this concept is traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous water values which are founded on natural ecological processes and honor the sacredness of water.

Our team operates with a fiscal agent.

In uplifting the guidance of Indigenous stakeholders, we ensure that this work is gender inclusive, intergenerational, honors the wisdom of elders, and utilizes inclusive processes that ensure key stakeholders have a voice in the process. 

Too often, the water sector has been an exclusive field; we aim to amplify Indigenous voices in critical areas of water that will become increasingly important as issues of water inequity rise.

We anticipate value-added to Native organizations, Community Development Corporations, Tribal water resource departments, and economic developers in Indian Country. This also includes engaging other sustainable sanitation technologies, with the potential for transnational market participation from Indigenous developers and organizations. The impacts will lead to greater water use efficiency, sustainability, and Indigenous values-aligned impacts that are culturally responsive.

We have economic funders who support MKW. This concept will provide the impetus for them to strengthen that support when they see the economic benefits and need for the product.

Our funders include multiple Tribal Nations in the Midwest, as well as foundations who see the economic and social justice impacts of MKW, and potential for the future. We anticipate greater support from our national and international networks if MKW is selected. See mnikiwakan.org for more information on partners, and funders.