Photovoice Final Report - Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Water Project

 SAPOTAWEYAK PHOTOVOICE PROJECT FINAL REPORT OUR RIGHT TO CLEAN W ATER: FIRST NATIONS YOUTH TEST W ATER QUALITY May 28 to June 5, 2012 Lead Facilitator: Caroline M. Spira TABLE OF CONTENTS Project Summary ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Description of Process ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Project Risks, Rules/Responsibilities ......................................................................................................................... 5 Use of Photographs ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Photography Skills Training ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Attendance and Participation ................................................................................................................................... 5 Round 1 Photography and Discussion: Outcomes and Summaries ............................................................................... 7 Research Question Round 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Round 1 Affinity Mapping ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Round 1 -­‐ Photo descriptions (presented) .............................................................................................................. 13 Round 1 -­‐ Photo descriptions (written) ................................................................................................................... 18 Round 2 Photography and Discussion: Outcomes and Summaries ............................................................................. 42 Research Questions Round 2 .................................................................................................................................. 42 Storyboard Exercise ................................................................................................................................................ 43 “Waters” Storyboard .......................................................................................................................................... 43 “Water Process” Storyboard .............................................................................................................................. 45 “Water Sources “Storyboard .............................................................................................................................. 46 “Making sure water is in good quality” Storyboard ........................................................................................... 48 Appendix A: Round 1 Photos Without Descriptions .................................................................................................... 50 Appendix B: Round 2 Photos Without Descriptions .................................................................................................... 54 2 Project Summary The Photovoice project, a first phase in the project: “Our right to clean water: First Nations youth test water quality”, was conducted from May 28 to June 5, 2012. The project included two rounds of photography and discussion activities with selected students from the 9th and 10th grade classes at Neil Dennis Kematch Memorial School in Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. The primary goal of the Photovoice project was to engage the students in the discussion of water quality, while also undertaking a preliminary assessment of the sources of water students would wish to test in the next parts of the project. In practice, the students were initially asked to use photography to develop a situational and environmental scan of water sources and uses within the community (referring to research question 1) and subsequently, to assess and describe good and bad water quality situations within the community (research question 2). Eleven students were present on the first day for the introductory session – including 4 male students and 7 female students. A substitute teacher was present in the classroom during the first workshop, whereas the facilitator, without any teacher present, led the remainder of the sessions. Mary Kern, the science teacher, assisted with directing students to the workshops and encouraging them to participate. Only 3 students participated in each of the component of the project, the remainder engaged in some activities more randomly. The Photovoice introductory session and all of the discussion sessions took place in the school’s science room during regular school hours. This initial workshop dealt with introductions of the facilitators, then proceeded with an introduction to Photovoice that included sample pictures and descriptions from projects in Africa, and a video presentation of a project in Bolivia. Rules and responsibilities in regards to the camera equipment and the project were also discussed, as were the uses of the photos during and post project. The students received a short presentation on photography techniques and spent time brainstorming what to take pictures of in respect to research question 1 which was provided as a first photography assignment. Students were given 3 days of photography, with a check-­‐in on the morning of the second day. Students were requested to return the cameras before the end of the school day on May 30th. Six cameras were returned by this date and one was reported stolen. The remaining cameras were returned and catalogued the following morning and the photos were catalogued. 150 photos were taken and included in Round 1 of photography discussions. The first discussion workshop on May 31st focused on the first research question: “What role does water have in your life?”. Students were asked to write descriptions for up to 20 of their photographs, working in pairs as needed. Then each of the students was asked to present at least one of their photographs to the group, with some students presenting more than once. Using the photos they described, the students were led through an affinity mapping exercise to group “similar” photos together to discuss how this might affect the on-­‐going project (i.e. water testing). The day ended with a round robin style brainstorming session on what to photograph in Round 2. Students were given 3 full days for photography over a long weekend, plus one evening and the majority of one additional school day. Only 2 cameras were returned on June 4 as scheduled. The remaining 3 cameras, except for one that was forgotten at home, were returned on June 5. 26 photos were taken and included in Round 2 of photography. The second and last discussion workshop was held on June 5th. Due to the low level of participation in the second round of photography, all of the photos taken during the project were used for discussion instead of restricting the discussion to the photos from Round 2. In addition, because of conflicting school activities, the discussions were condensed and therefore no presentations by the students took place. Instead, the students were asked to engage in the development of a short “storyboard” that aimed at telling the story of either good or bad water quality in the community. Initially, 3 teams of two were established -­‐ whereby two groups were working on the “good water” story and one on the “bad water”. The team working on the “bad water” story indicated that they were stuck and could not come up with a story in regards to any bad water quality issues, so they started over with a “good water” story. One more team was established as students later arrived. In the end, four storyboards were created and each team presented their storyboard to the rest of the group. The day ended with the participating students selecting one or more of their favourite photographs to share with the funder. At the end of the project, 176 photos were included in the discussions and several descriptions were either written or presented as part of workshop activities. 4 Description of Process PROJECT RISKS, RULES/RESPONSIBILITIES In the introductory workshop, the students were asked to provide their thoughts on any risks that may be associated with using the cameras in the community. The more vocal students stated that there were no risks to themselves or the equipment, even in situations where – it was hypothesized – they may be in a position to take photos of wrongdoing by others. They asserted that this would be “fine” and that they would not get into any trouble. Further discussion and intervention from the facilitators highlighted the need to use care and discretion, and more specifically to ask for permission especially when taking photographs of individuals. Facilitators attempted to emphasize care and responsibilities over the equipment. This included protecting cameras from the rain, breakage and lost/theft. Facilitators highlighted that the cameras were to be used for other projects and requested that the students pay careful attention in the use and return the cameras. USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS Based on the presentation of the project and its purpose, the students were asked if various uses of the photos could be permitted. In regards to incorporating the photos into the project’s report and sharing with the researchers and persons involved in the overall project, there were no objections. As to sharing selected pictures with the funder (i.e. RBC Foundation), students agreed with giving them permission as requested. Since no consensus could be reached on sharing or displaying photos within the school or community, it was agreed that each of the students would be asked permission before their pictures were shown publically. PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS TRAINING During the introduction workshop, the facilitator gave a short presentation on photography techniques using a powerpoint presentation with samples of each of the following: • Foreground/background • Perspectives • Wide angle / close-­‐up • Subject placement • Use of light • The rule of thirds • Lines, shapes and textures Participants were encouraged to use some of these techniques in their photography taking. ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION Due to the changing number of students participating in the Photovoice project, a chart of the attendance per session is included herein that explains when and how some of the students participated and when their photos may have been included in discussions. Each student is identified a number representing the serial number of the camera they were using as part of the project. This is to ensure confidentiality and to respect student’s wishes in not being 5 First Round Photography First Round Photo Descriptions (Written) First Round Presentations First Round Affinity Mapping Second Round Photography Storyboarding Exercise Storyboarding Presentations Photo Gallery 8343 8292 8304 1602 4111 0667 4411 3176 0707 8342 8338 Intro Workshop identified or have their photos shown/attributed to them without their consent. The teacher and facilitator hold a reference list of the corresponding student’s name. Student (by camera ID) ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔✓ ✔ ✔ ✔✕
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔✑ ✔ ✔✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔✒ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 1
Camera lost during Round 2 photography; no pictures available (camera recovered subsequently) Camera was not returned at the end of the project – check with teacher if camera returned subsequently 3
Round 1 pictures accidentally deleted during transfer 4
No pictures taken during Round 2 photography 5
Camera lost/stolen during Round 1 photography; no pictures available 2
6 Round 1 Photography and Discussion: Outcomes and Summaries RESEARCH QUESTION ROUND 1 Round 1 of photography and discussion focused on the question: “What role does water have in your life?” The goal of the question was to engage the students in thinking about water from the perspective of its sources, uses and functions in their day-­‐to-­‐day lives. Students were asked to think about the role of water as “where it comes from, what it is used for, and what differences there are between good and bad water sources and uses”. This was meant as a situational or environmental scan of water sources and testing opportunities within the community. Students were then asked to do brainstorming in small groups on what they could take a picture of. Each group was asked to write their ideas on a flip chart that was then hung on the wall in the classroom for them to refer to as needed. Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 • The river • Ditch • River • Nature ponds • Culture camp river • Lake • Streams • Pebble beach • Puddle • Swamps • Neeack Lake • Water plant • Water Treatment • Steep Rock Lake • Dirty bath water plant • Pelican Bay • Creeks • Beaver dams • Swan Lake • Sinks • Shoal River • Malson Bay • Lakeshore • Quarry • Rainy days • Shower head • 3 barrel • Salt flats • Ditches • The islands • Water fountain • Pounds • The bridge • Piss • Rainy boy • Nature surrounding • Lake Winnipegosis • Salt Flats the bridge • Puddles • Toilet water • The goon! (lagoon) • Toilet water • Lagoon • Beach (Pelican Rapids) • Sweat • Water tank • The puddles • Water bottles • Mountain water • The water truck • Beaver dams • Water truck • Sewer truck • The Lagoon • Bridge • Swan River • Lakes • Streams • Tap water • Swamps • Streams • Water • Creeks • Beaver dams • River • Marshes • Water treatment • Leaks • The quarry • Water hose • Steeprock marsh • Drainage system 7 •
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Leaks Water jugs Sewage plant Water well (long time ago) ROUND 1 AFFINITY MAPPING This affinity mapping exercise was undertaken to identify themes within the pictures and topics of discussion. The objective was to engage students in thinking about the similarities and differences of water sources and uses, and then further identify whether the role of water in each of these instances was significant enough in their lives to establish these “areas” was possible water testing sites. Only the pictures taken by the students participating in the affinity mapping exercise were used so that the meaning behind each photograph would be taken into account in the sorting. Students self-­‐identified the related themes represented by the pictures and selected a title to represent each category. Calm%Waters%
Calm waters: 052, 060, 053, 048, 054, 051 8 Steady'Reflec+ons'
Steady reflections: 063, 062, 149, 061, 140, 136, 064 Tes$ng'Zone'
Testing zone: 147, 046, 067, 004, 148, 066 9 Fast%Water%
Fast water: 143, 141, 142, 137, 005, 150 Ditches(
Ditches: 002, 146, 144, 135, 138, 068, 145, 100 10 Sunset'Rays'
Sunset rays: 056, 059, 055, 057, 058, 065 Groundwater+Hole+
Groundwater hole: 139 11 Glistening)Rain)Drops)
Glistening rain drops: 134, 047, 003, 049, 050, 069 12 ROUND 1 -­‐ PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS (PRESENTED) Participants were asked to volunteer to present one or more of their photos for the group. At the end of the student’s presentation, the facilitator and the other students were given the opportunity to ask questions to the presenter. Each of the presentations was recorded and the information below is a transcript of the presenter’s comments and answers to other participants’ questions. Photo Thumbnail and Number Camera Description Number 001 8292 I like this photo because my little brother is sitting on top of a water barrel – I think that’s what it’s called. You can notice that he’s like looking down at the water really excited. After I took this photo, I looked at it and thought: he looks like he’s communicating with the water. I know that sounds crazy but it seems like that for me. And there is my dog in the background and he looks really confused. He looks like he’s doing the same thing, but more in a shocked way. The water is yellow, brown and brown-­‐looking because it comes from the snow and it’s all melting away. So the ditches don’t flood. The photo was taken by the bridge area. This would be a place to do water sampling because look at the strange colour. I don’t know if it’s clean or it’s good or anything. There would probably be three places [where I would want to do water sampling], the beach, by the bridge and down the river, and by the salty rocks. Actually that’s four places. Plus this one. 13 150 8343 069 0667 The reason why I took this photo is because I like the terrain all around it, like there is a mudslide and all that water that was coming from the rain. And as you can see, there was all building up and it looked pretty beautiful as it was coming down because the sun was reflecting on it, and it was most likely enjoyable to see that as we were passing by. So I kinda figures since we were doing Photovoice I wanted to take a picture of it to display in front of the class. It was taken up the road, I was headed to Swan River for my annual parade and we were just driving by. I just decided to take a picture of it because of the landscape, bunches of rocks and puddles. We just pulled over and took the picture. There might be a little more water now because it was raining. This was just one part. There is a big hill coming down the side and down this area there was a big stream of water going across maybe for 20 minutes or so, or 1 kilometre. Just along the side, there was all these water holes like this ground water coming in from the top. It was raining, there’s a bunch of trees up there. The water much of fallen from the trees and come down the hill. I would say…I can’t say if it was clean or not. I would like to take a sample there. By the looks of it. I don’t know what’s been on those rocks or in the bushes there. Because there are animals that have habitats and birds and what not. Every animal has a rest stop, there could be faeces in there. I would say it doesn’t look too good to drink. This is the photo I took with my brothers. I’d seen the water in the background and it looked really nice. It’s like little bubbles. I used the micro zoom to take the picture. I was going to my brother’s house to visit him, but then I decided to take this photo because of the rain – how the rain came down. This is outside the house. This water is fresh – it’s rainwater. I think this is the best one I have. 14 063 1602 130 0707 053 1602 This photo was taking at the side of the water treatment plant. I was taking a bunch of photos and used my foot to make the waves. I was at the salty rocks when the sun was coming down and it was hardly to see. That’s how I ended up at the edge of the plant. This is a lake. I wouldn’t drink that water there. It’s the sun that makes the water looks nice. Normally it doesn’t look like that, normally it’s more like brown. I don’t know what to say, but isn’t polluted that’s for sure, but it’s like the water is dark blue or a little brown. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t drink there or swim there. Nature is beautiful. Look at this sun! It was going down and it was magical. This is picture is located in front of my house. This is the closest I could get to water. I took it because there is a creek there, a beaver dam. I can see the reflection there. I don’t drink, swim or fish from it. There is fishing there – at the creek. And we got some dirty water in here [in forefront of the photo]. That’s not the fish breathing – I don’t know if there is fish there. I would like to sample this to see what it is. I don’t know why we can’t drink the water there. It’s broken. There aren’t other houses there. The road is by the river. Nature is so pretty! The sun resembles into the water and makes it look so orange and blue! This picture was taken at the salty rocks. You see the rocks. This is the same water as at the water treatment plant. I hardly ever go there, but usually if I am driving around I can see the sunset and it looks so nice. That’s why I stopped. Other people go there. Sometimes couples go there. Probably little kids go swimming there. But I don’t. And like they go further out to go fishing – further up. 15 147 8343 050 1602 054 1602 I’ll tell you a little bit about water sampling, and I know we are supposed to do this, and that’s what I did. This isn’t my work, but I took the picture of it. These are the water samples. They put like some kind of chemicals in there but it has a big name to the chemical so I don’t really know how to pronounce it, and I don’t really remember it to be honest. But here’s the samples. They said if it goes clear like this it means it’s drinkable. But as you can see the river it went all dark so that means there’s poop in there. So pretty much we don’t get our drinking water from the river because they have some kind of these pipes that lead down to the river and all that stuff like sewage goes into the river and the mouth of the river. To the lagoon. And I don’t ever see that place getting filtered but they have been doing that for a while. I haven’t seen Ms Kern to study these. I don’t know the names for any of these, but this is the school water and you can drink it since it’s clean. The water treatment plant, they make sure that they cut the samples of it to make sure that it’s palatable. This is also the school drinking water and the science room water. It’s all clear and clear. And that’s the river, and that’s bad water. This photo was taken right outside my house, right outside on the patio. It was raining outside. I was being really picky with my photos and then I looked outside at the tall grass and saw what they looked like at a distance. Then I went closer and closer. Once again nature is beautiful. It wasn’t sunset yet, it was a few hours before sunset. I just wanted to see how the camera would work. 16 104 8304 [Picture taken by #camera, but presented by #camera] The reason I chose this picture because these horses are [unintelligible] and they are drinking water from the river and probably drinking coliform. There would be coliform. I think this is the beauty of nature and it’s natural. There is clear sky and the horses are by the lake. There are other horses in the community. About 10 of them like those. I think inside this side this fence is where they do the testing – because there where there should be a water pump flowing and it sucks all the way from the water treatment plant. And we have four stages. They clean out that water and runs it to the community. They put a lot of chlorine in there to clean up the bacteria so it’s drinkable. 17 ROUND 1 -­‐ PHOTO DESCRIPTIONS (WRITTEN) In asking the students to write descriptions of the photos they had taken, they were given the following instructions: 1) Write one sentence description of what you can see in the photo – as though you were telling a person on the phone. 2) Write a sentence or two explaining how the photo shows the role of water in your life, and why this is important or what makes it special especially in the study of water. Each student was given the option to use paper or type their descriptions using the classroom’s computers, and given permission to work in pairs to discuss their descriptions. Photo Thumbnail and Number Camera Description Number 001 8292 In this picture, there is a boy about the age of three. He is wearing a camouflage sweater. Right behind the boy, there is a boxer dog. The dog is a brownish colour with black stretchmark looking marks. There is one medium size water barrel with water flowing through. This photo is special because the excitement in my little brother shows clearly as if he is talking with the waters. 002 8292 At the left side of the photo that where the stream flows from, there are also branches with leaves hanging over half the stream. The stream slowly flows into the right and then disappears into the weeds. T the right side of the stream there is a boxer dog with his tail curled up. I like this photo because it shows every detail, and water. And also looks like the perfect place to have water bottle cap race. 18 003 004 005 026 8292 There is a girl with a high bun and her arms are positioned slightly towards the grey skies. She is wearing a black dress with silver, orange bronze on the dress. In the background is nature. Grass and with birch bark trees. The photo is very unique because the girl looks like she is trying to catch raindrops. 8292 A boy drinking water from a silver fountain. He has curly hair and the top of his lip is bigger than the bottom. I like this photo because the camera is fast enough to catch the water flying. 8292 This photo has white caps on the top of the stream. There is also a random log stuck in the middle of the stream trapped by branches. I like this photo because the light glistens the water up very nicely. 8342 It’s a water fountain in the school; you can drink from it. It’s important cause you can drink from it :D 19 027 028 029 033 8342 It’s a drain thingy that makes the water come out from the roof, and there’s grass in it. It’s important because it used on a house, school and maybe even a shack :L … So the water won’t stay on the roof and make the house wet inside… 8342 This is a barbecue, it was raining that day and this looked cool so I took a picture. It’s important because you can cook in it :L 8342 This is a plant, I don’t know what kind, but it’s a plant… it has water on it. This is important cause the water helps the plant grow. Picture #33 is the same. 20 030 031 032 034 8342 Its bubbles in the sink while doing dishes – under the bubbles you can see other bubbles. It’s important because clean dishes in the bubbles and then water… 8342 It’s a hummingbird. You can see the water around the thing he/she’s drinking from and some water on the window. It’s important because the hummingbird eats/drinks and there is water in it 8342 This is an emergency thing in the science lab; you use it when something is in your eyes or when something is in your face It’s important because you use the water to get stuff out of your eyes 8342 This is my sink, it looks like an icicle and there are bubbles on the side It’s important because you wash your hands and face in it. 21 035 036 8342 It’s my bathtub It’s important because you wash yourself in there :D 8342 This is a river by the graveyard. There are some trees there, a house and currents It’s important because you can look at the beautiful Picture 037 looks the same 037 22 038 039 040 8342 Pictures 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044 are all the same It’s the salty rocks and then sunset and then water It’s important because it’s water. 23 041 042 043 044 8342 24 048 049 050 051 1602 I took a close up on this one. I was really hoping they would come great and it did. This was right outside my house. What makes this special is nature is so beautiful especially close ups. 1602 I wanted to take a photo with the rain and the flowers and also my puppy. What makes this special is my puppy is jumping in the background and plus this handsome picture. 1602 I took a photo with grass because it was raining and it made the grass look beautiful and took a bunch of photos and finally got a good one. 1602 The beauty of the water makes nature look beautiful. This photo was taken at the water treatment plant aka salty rocks. 25 054 055 1602 The rocks I thought in my head, the fossils always mean something and plus the water is so darn beautiful, so I took a photo and it turned out like this. 1602 I took a photo with my friends because they mean the world to me, I trust them more than anything. With the water and the rocks its very excellent. 26 056 057 058 059 060 1602 Basically [the pictures] are all of me with the water and the weeds plus the sunlight. I felt beautiful at the moment so I snapped a picture. 1602 I took this photo because I though in my head: the sunset is beautiful and the grass is green, why not take a close-­‐up? So I did and it turned out beautiful. 27 061 066 067 068 1602 The sunset was different colours and there was seaweeds coming out of the water, so I though was “I’m going to take a picture”. The reflection from the sun made the water look so beautiful. 0667 I took this photo in the hallway of our school. The water fountain, a lot of people drink of this fountain. After gym, after playing soccer outside, or just need some water, it’s good just to have there. 0667 I took this photo in the science room. I wanted to see how water looked on picture and came out like this. The water look nice in picture. But you can see that in the naked eye. 0667 I took this photo when I was going home. This is a ditch at my driveway. I went low to take this photo and turn out great. 28 069 091 092 093 0667 This photo I took when I was going to my brother’s house. I seen some water on this spot on the grass. I went up close and seen how nice it look so I grab camera and took this picture. 8304 This picture is a soccer field behind the school. I see water in the background and on the field with the birds. It is important because the picture has water/river in it. 8304 This picture is a little stream by the school. It is important because it's a waterfall/stream going into a tunnel. 8304 This picture is of another water stream by the school. You can see the rocks and grass around it. It is important because it is a part of the pretty nature in Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. 29 094 095 096 097 8304 This is a picture of the water fountain in the school. Students drink from this water fountain every day except on weekends. 8304 The picture of the park is important because the water on the ground is shining and you could see the reflection of the park. 8304 This was taken also behind my house. It is important because it looked like a waterfall a small one. I love this picture. 8304 This photo is taken in front of the 8-­‐plex. It also shows a nice reflection on it. This is why I took the picture. 30 098 099 100 101 8304 This photo is taken outside the volleyball [field]. I took this picture because the flowers look beautiful with the water. 8304 This photo is a picture of a hose facing up towards the sky and the trees. It’s important because it’s creative. 8304 This photo is very creative. It’s a shower of a hose outside my backyard. 8304 This picture was taken behind my house. It’s important because the view was so beautiful, the trees and water were sparkling. 31 102 104 105 107 8304 This is a picture of the sun. It’s important because in colour there was a cross around it. 8304 This was taken down the lake. It is important because there’s horses standing there and it looks beautiful. 8304 This photo is a close up. I thought it might be entertaining. 8304 This is a photo of water splashing. I threw a rock to see what it would look like and it looked so beautiful. 32 108 8304 #108 is similar to #109 This photo was taken down the lake. It is important because the water looks clear and you can see the rocks through the water and you could also see bubbles. 0707 I just wanted to see how nice it will look when I do some close-­‐ups. 0707 I was walking around on this rainy day and heard some water making weird flushing kind of sound and took a shot of that. 109 114 115 33 116 117 118 119 0707 After coming from school when I was almost at my house I saw a ditch and took [a picture of] that too. 0707 This is one of the ditches around my house and it's not really clean by it’s really nice. 0707 This was the day that it was raining but looked at my hummingbird feeder and there was a hummingbird there. As soon as I grab my camera it took off so took a picture of the drips dripping from the bottom of the hummingbird feeder. 34 120 122 124 125 0707 This is the front of my house or beside the river where the people launch their boats in. 0707 I was about to enter the school one morning and looked at then drainage ways. So decided to capture a picture of this beautiful scene. 0707 I really like this one because it has all these details and other stuff bunch in this one picture. 0707 This one is taken because it has our school in it and it was really calm day. 35 126 0707 This is a creek located by the 8-­‐plex and it looked pretty beautiful when then water was sparkling on the water. 0707 This really represents our nation and country because most other countries don’t have those kinds of trees. 0707 This one of my best photos and I love it because it has the reflections off of the water. 127 129 130 36 131 132 133 134 0707 I took this photo because there is a creek where the bright horizontal line on the right side of the picture. 0707 I was up in the morning taking a couple of pictures then come across dugout then just thought had to take a shot. 8343 I took this photo because I thought I was a good place and yet it is a ground shot. To me it looks like a river and a field but it is a puddle but a very beautiful picture. 37 135 136 8343 This photo is a close-­‐up of mud. I would had a better shot but my lens were not focused. I wanted to see the patterns and that’s how the photo turned out. 8343 This photo is beautiful land terrain and it looks like a creek but normally it’s just a puddle and I thought it was nice. It looks like a river or pond with seaweeds. Photo #149 is the same as #136. 149 38 137 150 138 139 8343 This photo is a beautiful stream of water coming down a hill filled with rock and I took this photo because it is a nice terrain, a beautiful place. Photo #150 is same as #137. 8343 This photo is a mudslide with water and trees to make a beautiful terrain. I took this picture because it was a great place and the terrain mostly caught my eye. 8343 This is a photo of a water hole that processed ground water. Basically a mudslide. I took this photo because it was basically processing water and it looked cool. 39 140 141 142 This picture is a pond with a beautiful reflection on the blue sky and I took this picture when I was on my way to school. 8343 This is a photo of mud and rocks – a ground shot with the outdoor rink and our arena in the background. I took this photo because I thought it would be a great place for a close-­‐up shot. 8343 This photo is a beautiful flick of running water and it is flowing fast and a sunny reflection. Photo #143 is same as #142. 8343 This is a picture of a little stream and I liked the sheen of the reflection so I took the picture. 143 144 8343 40 145 146 147 148 8343 A creek by the ditch. The water was red and the hills were awesome. I really liked this land terrain. 8343 The photo I took was a close up on a puddle with the reflection of a sun. And the photo is beautiful, I’d say. 8343 This is a photo of water samples and I felt that I was thinking this would be a good picture. 8343 This is a close-­‐up on water in a fountain. 41 Round 2 Photography and Discussion: Outcomes and Summaries RESEARCH QUESTIONS ROUND 2 Two research questions were posed in the second round of photography. These questions were presented in order establish a clearer picture of the issues over water quality and the potential testing sites for the overall project. Students were asked to take pictures that would represent or describe their answers to the research questions. Question 1: How does good water quality affect your life or your community? What does it allow you to do or be? Question 2: How does bad water quality affect your life and your community? What does it stop you from doing or being? As with the brainstorm for Round 1, the students were asked to write on flip chart paper their ideas for what they could take pictures of in response to the research questions. This was done as a round robin whereby each group could add to the other group’s answers. At the end of the brainstorm, all of the participating students were able to review both sets of brainstorm ideas. Brainstorm Ideas for Question 1 Brainstorm ideas for Question 2 “Good Water Quality” “Bad Water Quality” • Clean water is healthy and it would • Water tanks – limited water supply help you proceed in life • Drinking non-­‐filtered water :0 is bad! • Clean water doesn’t get you sick • If it doesn’t move of flow it is • Here are ways you can show good hazardous because something like water quality pictures – take good pollution or diseases go in the picture of water quality motionless water, it doesn’t go anywhere • Spring water • Keep water clean by removing objects • Clean water for bathing, cooking, or waste or any other harmful drinking and swimming chemicals • Clean filtered water vs river water • Make sure water filtered by water • Clean water is good for cooking treatment plant because who would want dirty water • Check water quality at least twice a in their taps month • Clean water loves being clean • Dirty water can harm your immune • Our grandparents drank water from a system creak called two barrels, it still runs • If it is below the 2.5% it is edible or clean to this day drinkable • You can grow a garden • 1.0% is the best quality • Sports (over flowing waters) • Pollution * kills waterdring animals • Water sewage – red dots, dryness, itchy skin • You can’t drink water at the hall because it runs brown 42 STORYBOARD EXERCISE To develop a better picture of the “good water quality” and “bad water quality” which may affect how they may wish to pursue water testing, students were asked to use the photographs taken to date (including those by photographers not present for the discussion) to create a short storyboard representing each type of water quality story. Students were placed in pairs – with 3 original teams and then one additional team from students who arrived later. Each team was told to write the story in three steps: 1. This is the water quality situation (good or bad) that exists in the community right now. 2. This is the effect it has on me. It allows or prevents me to be “X” or to do “Y”. 3. This is what I want to do about it. Each team was asked to select the pictures, write what they intended/meant by the pictures chosen (what the message or essential part of the story was demonstrated by the photograph), and then to write the corresponding script (i.e. narrative) that would tell the story. One team was tasked with writing a “bad water quality” story, but after much time and deliberation, they indicated that they were “stuck” and could not think of a story to answer this topic. They then started over and wrote a “good water quality” story. Four storyboards were developed using a total of 20 photos (19 from Round 1 and 1 photograph from Round 2). Students gave a presentation to the group based on the storyboard they developed. Bellow is a picture of each of the storyboards with transcriptions of the text with photos. “Waters” Storyboard 43 Picture / Drawing 034 035
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Waters Message / Intent We use this water to wash our face, hands and brush our teeth … Script This water has to be purified or clean, cause who would want to brush their teeth with dirty water. We use this water to clean all over our body, hair The water in the tub has to be clean because why would you want to have a shower in dirty water. This is the school fountain, you can drink from it when you’re thirsty. Everyone drinks from it! So it’s maybe clean … People who drink from it don’t have a problem drinking it! This is water for emergencies! It has to be clean so you can get something out of your eyes! Well of course this water has to be clean. It goes in your eyes to get the dirty stuff out! This is dish soap in water, where you can do dishes and clean your dishes. You don’t want the water dirty Why would you wash your dishes in dirty water? Wouldn’t you rather have clean water. So this has to be clean too. 44 “Water Process” Storyboard Picture / Drawing 148
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Waters Message / Intent The message here means I honestly didn’t think there could be bubbles in the water. It’s very hard to see but they’re there. It’s very obviously this is a close up and its very beautiful. I don’t know who snapped this, but gotta admit that it’s a very beautiful photo! So basically bubbles. A little boy day dreaming, as if he is talking like the water has a life of its own. The animal in the back of the boy acts like its guardian protector, being very cautious of what is going on at the moment. The water sways and shines … sort of like it is dancing around for the boy who has come to listen. Script When water boils its being cleansed but to danger – hot to drink unless you wait for it to cool down … I honestly think the little boy is into the water because how fast it’s going. And how beautiful it shines in the sunlight. If the picture was in colour it would be more meaningful and you could actually see it. But for me the dog and the little boy is into the water. 45 046
The message for me means how fast the water is moving so basically the motion. You could see the waves and how beautiful it moves, it kinda looks like 3D. Most waters look calm and, well, boring. I honestly thought water is, well, boring, but I took photos and I started to notice, well, mother nature is beautiful and, well, water keeps you alive. Just because this is a rez doesn’t mean it’s boring. You gotta make it fun. This is my tradition and, well, I love it. This is where I come from. An Eyewasher! I can’t believe the camera was fast enough to catch the fast moving water. The water is good enough to wash your eyes, meaning it is clean! Otherwise you could get eye infections or go BLIND! “Water Sources “Storyboard Picture / Drawing 98
Waters Message / Intent This is a picture of that volleyball court outside the school, but we can’t drink it! Script This is a picture of a beautiful piary [?] and it would be undrinkable water because it has unknown source where the water comes from. 46 95 104
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96 The park! I took it cause it looked beautiful when the light was reflecting on the ground. But it’s rain water so you can’t drink it! Or you could  This water is from the rain on our paved school ground but rain water is always fresh and it can be edible if in a certain place like a forest or jungle. A picture down the lake, with two horses looking down at the water. That water shore by the lagoon is not drinkable because its been a sewage dump and I think it’s undrinkable. Its full of bacteria. Another picture of the lake behind my house – my nice view from the back window. I took it cause it was nice and, no, don’t drink unless it’s good!!! That water could be edible but its been a waste dump for a while and I doubt it could be filtered. I think it looks cool because the water is flowing or falling fast. This picture of falling water came from a hose. I am guessing this water can be drinkable because it came from Cheyanne’s house. I see that’s running water and running water is good like rain, creeks, etc. But this picture looks like heavy rain fall and rain is always good, clear and drinkable. This is a picture of a little water fall, also behind my house! Reason I took it was because I thought it looked beautiful. It ain’t a swamp or creek or anything. I see that this picture looks like a swamp or sewage drainage but other than that this picture also looks like a waterfall or a stream. This picture is beautiful and it really brings out nature. 47 109
This picture of the tiny waves down the lake. I took it because I thought it looked awesome cause you could see the rocks through the water. This picture looks like a shore and I’m guessing that this water is unfiltered and could be harmful … But it could be drinkable if it is examined and filtered. Water Sources to Sample: These are all the resources I would take samples of these waters. • The river • The water treatment plant (Pelican Rapids) • Ponds on highway • The Quarry • Little Creeks • The Lagoon in our reservation • Your water in your house • The water treatment plant in the reservation “Making sure water is in good quality” Storyboard Picture / Drawing 113 Waters Message / Intent These NDKMS students are working on a photo-­‐voice water project Script For Photovoice these students received cameras to take pictures of the water in Sapotaweyak! 48 153 Taking pictures of this beautiful view of the lake in Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. And other water related stuff!  Took this picture because this was the only nice site that moment was taken. And this water we could test to see the quality of it. 147
These are samples of water that were tested in different areas in Sapotaweyak. They tested the water to make sure it is in good condition to drink in the community of Sapotaweyak. 064
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This water was also tested to see if it This water is no good for the kids to had all kinds of bacteria. swim in cause it has all kinds of particles and bacteria in it. So it ain’t good for this little cute birdy to drink. This bird is looking for nice clean water to drink just so it can be nice and healthy. But this water’s in good quality to drink in the school, for the students to drink. Now that this water was tested it’s very clean for the students to drink. 49 Appendix A: Round 1 Photos Without Descriptions The attached photos were taken during Round 1 of photography but the photographer did not participate in the description writing exercise. 006 007 008 009 012 015 010 013 016 011 014 017 50 018 019 021 024 020 022 025 023 070 071 072 51 073 074 076 079 085 080 078 081 083 086 077 082 075 084 087 52 088 089 53 Appendix B: Round 2 Photos Without Descriptions The following photos were taken during Round 2 of photography. No descriptions were written for these photographs. 151 152 153 154 156 155 157 158 159 54 160 163 161 162 164 166 169 167 170 165 168 171 172 173 174 55 175 176 56