At both the national and international levels, Indigenous Peoples are seldom recognized as legitimate stakeholders in water-related policy decisions.  Moreover, they often lack the institutional structures and capacities to promote their water interests to the outside world.  Bringing indigenous peoples into water policy discussions requires active interest and commitment from the water "establishment". 

Indigenous Peoples face at least four types of water-related challenges which the Water-Culture Institute seeks to elucidate:  (1) Indigenous cultural and spiritual understandings about water are misunderstood or simply ignored by the dominant Western societies; (2) Indigenous communities are not included meaningfully in water policy and planning processes; (3)  Customary access and rights to water is seldom recognized by the state authorities that now control indigenous areas, and (4) Waterbodies that are critical to cultural and physical wellbeing are being polluted by outside forces beyond their control.

During the past decade, the culture of the international water establishment has shifted slightly itowards a more open and honest dialogue between indigenous representatives and the many other water stakeholders.  The report of the World Commission on Dams (2000) gave prominance to the land and water rights of indigenous peoples and endorsed the principle of "free and informed consent" concerning displacement as a human right.  This single report has done much to legitimize discussion about indigenous land and water rights as a topic that should be of concern to the development community at large.  The World Water Forum in Kyoto (2003) was a landmark in inviting input from Indigenous Peoples, resulting in the Indigenous Peoples Kyoto Declaration.  The World Water Forum in Mexico City (2006) and Istanbul (2009) has continued to invite Indigenous inputs, albeit with little practical outcome.
 
The water issues confronting Indigenous Peoples have become increasingly urgent as climate change impacts communities living along the warming Arctic, or the melting glaciers of the Andes and the Himalayas.  Along with concerns about indigenous water rights, and pollution from mining and industry, the added impacts of climate change have elevated water management to a life and death issue for communities and entire cultures.

The Water-Culture Institute is committed to raising the volume of Indigenous Peoples' views about wate, including water rights, food and seed sovereignty, environmental health, religious self-determination and sustainable water resources. The purpose of "giving voice" to indigenous perspectives goes beyond a simple appreciation of indigenous culture and beliefs. Our objectives are both to empower indigenous communities through a sharing of knowledge and experience, and to enhance cross-cultural understanding and respect for different approaches to water management and water development. 

The Indigenous Water Initiative focuses on themes which support the principles of the Indigenous Peoples' Kyoto Water Declaration and address the urgent priority of adapting to climate change:  (Click on the theme title for details).

1. Indigenous Water Justice.  How can indigenous people protect their customary rights to water?   How are water rights linked to human rights, cultural rights, and the rights of nature? 

2. Indigenous Water Values.  Indigenous societies understand water and water bodies as having spiritual and living attributes.  Water is valued by indigenous societies not only for what the water can provide to humans, but also for what the water is in itself. 

3  Indigenous Water Managment.  Although indigenous peoples are actively managing irrigation systems, springs, and parts of rivers, lakes, etc in many parts of the world, these systems of indigenous knowledge are often overlooked and under-appreciated.  Their systems of knowledge and understandings about water need to enter the discourse of dominant, conventional water management, which is in urgent need of new ideas, including ancient "new" ideas.   At the same time, some new technologies can offer great benefits to indigenous management systems.