Integrating a hydroelectric dam into integrated resource management in a TEK framework

Background/Question/Methods

If an American Indian Tribe takes control of a hydroelectric dam, is it possible to integrate such a “modern” technological entity into an economy motivated by concerns typical of traditional ecological knowledge?  If so, how could that be done?  Answering this question requires identifying the characteristics which distinguish traditional from other forms of knowledge, and then examining whether or not a tribe would have ways to manage a dam in conformity to those characteristics.

Results/Conclusions

The defining characteristics of traditional knowledge involve maintenance of the following:  (1) sustainability, (2) generosity, (3) permanent connection to land, (4) community identity,  (5) accountable leadership and (6) limitations on markets.  For a hydroelectric dam to fit into a traditional economy, each must be addressed.  Sustainability means more than maintaining the operation of the dam; it requires operation of the dam to sustain all the important aspects of the lake and river involved.  This means minimizing riparian impacts through limits on generation of peak power, and mitigating unavoidable impacts with compensating activities. Requirements of generosity mean that the rental from the dam be shared with everyone who the dam impacts, as well as the tribal membership.  This can be done by including local non-Indians in the benefits as well as by sharing the rental among tribal members, and financing public goods in the community.  The self-sufficiency afforded by income from a dam assists a tribe in maintaining its connection to its place.  Because identity is based on maintenance of distinctiveness, changing the policies of dam operation can easily assist a tribe in maintaining its distinct identity within the larger context in which it operates.  While operating a dam makes a tribe set up corporate structures, the managers of a corporation can be required to be accountable to the tribal membership and everyone concerned with the impacts of the dam. Accountability also makes public the full rental value of a hydroelectric facility, which does not always occur. Finally, each of the first five characteristics of traditional systems leads to limitations but not elimination of the effects of the larger economic system on the tribal economy.