Research summary
Environmental repossession describes the processes that Indigenous Peoples and communities engage in to exercise their rights to their traditional lands. This concept has been applied largely in the First Nation, reserve-based context in Canada. But it has applications in other geographies and cultures. As Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health and the Environment, Dr. Chantelle Richmond is broadening ideas of the place-based nature of Indigenous identity, rights and belonging.
She and her research team are drawing from the theory of environmental repossession and Indigenous methodologies and applying it to Indigenous women. They are identifying where Indigenous women’s connections to land take place and how they are practiced. They are also examining what these places and practices mean for wellness and belonging. Richmond’s findings will enable a range of communities, funders and policy-makers to be more inclusive in their Indigenous and Indigenous women-centred programming.