Who gets to tell the story? Visualizing climate change through the lens of Indigenous geographies

To prepare for a series of intertribal workshops in Oklahoma and New Mexico on climate variability and change, we sought to learn how videos about climate change made and mobilized in the name of indigeneity have addressed (or not) the uneven geographies of knowledge production (who is given voice and access to technology) when representing risk, vulnerability, and resilience. We reviewed a selection of online videos that address the impacts of and responses to climate change from what is identified as an Indigenous perspective. Our review is an “armchair” but thoughtful consideration of the value of such video, which in many cases is participatory. From where do such videos of environmental transformations (here, climate change) come? What do these videos show and say to viewers? What different collaborations, including funding sources and motivations, produce these videos? Who participates and gets to portray information or “produce knowledge”: tribal community members, bureaucratic spokespersons, principal investigators, NGOs, or? Do differently aligned participants share their knowledge differently? Our workshop project explored conversation strategies, not just for educational outreach, but also for mindfully documenting and learning the needs and capabilities of our region's tribal nations as related to climate, ecological, and water issues. Ultimately, our goal is to oversee a different approach to climate education and impacts documentation through use of participatory video in order to expand and enhance conversations about climate change.