Canada: Stories of Resilience: Indigenous Women across the Prairies

May 25, 2026 | Andy Airey
International Institute for Sustainable Development
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Across the Canadian Prairies, water carries memory, identity, responsibility, and life. Yet the voices of those most deeply connected to it are often absent from climate and water policy discussions. 

Through Stories of Resilience: Water, the Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS) initiative and The Resilience Institute (TRI) are helping change that. This digital story map brings forward the experiences of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people from across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba—sharing deeply personal reflections on water, climate change, stewardship, and resilience. 

The stories reveal water as far more than infrastructure or a resource to manage. Participants speak of rivers as lifelines, lakes as relatives, and water as a living being that connects families, cultures, and generations. They also describe the growing pressures facing Prairie communities, from drought and wildfire to ecosystem loss and changing watersheds, while highlighting community-led responses rooted in Indigenous knowledge, restoration, and care for the land.