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Water is life; it is not a resource. The Western culture that now dominates the global economy has the tendency to commoditize as many things as it can. Putting a dollar price on things can be a good thing for certain echelons of society (think of the readily available potable water that seems to abound throughout the United States, especially in wealthier communities). Yet, for those who find themselves in the lower portion of the socioeconomic scale, potable water begins to become less accessible (think of the people of Flint, Michigan). Clean water has become something that not every human being has access to, in part, because of Western culture’s perception that water is something that can be commoditized. When something is commoditized it is seen as a “commodity,” or in another parlance as a “resource.” According to a quick Google search, the definition of a commodity is as follows: “[A] raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold…” Thus, commodities are not human rights, but simply things that are “bought and sold.” Clean water can, therefore, be something that is only accessible to those who can afford it.
The United Nation’s (U.N.) General Assembly in 2010 declared that, “[e]veryone has the right to water, no matter where he/she lives…” It might seem obvious to most that water should be a human right, but, strangely, it is not – and, sadly, the U.N.’s declaration does not hold much legal teeth on the global scale. Thus, according to the U.N., close to half of all the people living in the global south, at any given time, suffer from health related issues that are caused by poor quality of water. Furthermore, presently, 2.1 billion people do not have clean water in their homes, according to the World Health Organization.
The above statistics should provide the reader with the following understanding: Clean water is not accessible to a large portion of the planet’s human beings. And, although the reasons as to why people do not have access to potable water are complicated and place specific, the commoditization of water is arguably one of the major reasons as to why so many go about their lives without proper access to clean water.
So, if the commoditization of water is a large part of the problem, what is the solution? Well, that is also very complicated. And, there is almost never a panacea for complex problems. Yet, it is hard to ignore the fact that environmental issues, and in this case, access to clean water, are cultural problems. That is, we are dealing with a cultural issue.
Western culture is defined by Wikipedia rather concisely as follows: “Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization, Occidental culture, the Western world, Western society, and European civilization, is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with Europe.” Although it is not necessarily quantitatively provable, most would agree that Western culture, as defined above, shares little in common with the indigenous cultures of America. And, although there are no perfect cultures, as there are no perfect people, most cultures do have valuable characteristics, such as ontological perspectives – the Lakota of the central plains of the United States are an example of this.
The Lakota perceive water very differently than Western culture does. There is no way that the English language can properly translate the Lakota word for water: Mni. Yet, the author, professor, and Lakota activist Tiokasin Ghosthorse attempts to do so when he wrote the follow definition: “[Y]ou and me of that which carries or causes feeling with another through itself.” That might not seem like a definition of the word “water” to most readers, and that is because it is not. It is a definition of something far more complex than simply water.
In other words, water in the Lakota language is not at all perceived in the same manner. “Mni” represents something far more complex and relational than what “water” does. It is from this ontological perspective that the Lakota approach what English speaker’s call “water.”
American industry will continue to attempt to build oil pipelines over fresh water rivers that nourish millions of Americans and indigenous peoples, such as what occurred at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. Europeans will continue to use unprecedented volumes of water in comparison to other cultures – i.e., Europeans use roughly 250 liters a day of water, while the people of Mozambique use 10 per day, according to the U.N. People of color will continue to experience environmental injustices disproportionally, such as what happened at Flint, Michigan. Water will continue to be treated like a commodity, unless Western culture’s perception of water is changed. The Lakota seem to comprehend what English speakers call “water” in a much more comprehensive and sustainable manner. The Lakota word “mni” seems to hold perceptions that could alter some of Western cultures most deeply held ideologies around its perception of the world and all that inhabits it. Accordingly, interested stakeholders might be wise to begin by attempting to reorient Western culture’s deeply held ideologies by exposing individuals to varying perceptions of the world around them.
Lastly, it should be noted that changing culture is, no doubt, a daunting task, but it is arguably best to cure the root of the problem, rather than the symptoms.
For those interested in things to do now to conserve potable water, please see the NRDC’s article on the matter here: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/peter-lehner/7-easy-ways-save-water-summer
For those wanting to learn more about the Lakota’s word for water, please see the following article: https://www.humansandnature.org/living-in-relativity
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been doing a little research on this.
And he in fact bought me lunch simply because I stumbled upon it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this subject
here on your blog.