Indigenous community engagement – My experience in the Kalinago Territory, Dominica

By Racheal Kalaba, 1st year MDP student

Racheal doing community outreach

My international placement was in the Kalinago Territory with the Kalinago people of Waitukubuli in the Commonwealth of Dominica. The Kalinago are the only surviving pre-Columbus Indigenous people that hold reserve land in the Caribbean. The uniqueness of the territory is that the Kalinago people fully own the land as part of the Dominica constitution. In my quest to understand and work with the Kalinago, I reflected on the principles of engaging communities based on my objectives of supporting communities in the area of disaster management and planning with an Indigenous perspective.

Red Cross team meeting with Kalinago

youth as part of the 1st meeting to set up

the 1st Red Cross Branch in Kalinago Territory

My placement aimed to work with Indigenous people and support existing systems and structures dealing with disasters, especially after The Commonwealth of Dominica was hit with Hurricane Maria in late 2017.  I reflected on ways of engaging with communities positively, taking into account that I was just there for a few months. In my engagement, I aligned myself with policies based on the situations I encountered with different stakeholders in the community. Firstly, I took the time to define what the word community meant to me and my placement. During that time, I engaged in Indigenous ways of doing and being. I also acknowledged that, for a community to function well, I needed to be aware of Indigenous knowledge, self-determination, governance, and community participation. I knew that I was there to support and build on what the community was already doing, and hence, my role was to facilitate the self-determination, participation, and engagement of community members.

Why then community engagement: Throughout my time in Kalinago territory, I learned that Indigenous communities are expecting you to be part of them, engage with them, and share ideas and work with them. My role as an MDP student during the placement was to be part of the community and position myself and my role. Furthermore, to share with the community my role, which was shared learning, I was there to learn and to support and vise versa. 

Racheal with a community member known for her

amazing chicken and her storytelling ability

My takeaway during the placement is that communities have vast knowledge, and due to disasters, they face a lot of stress after disasters, which makes it difficult for them to rebuild back their communities. Key learning during my experience in Kalinago is to be aware of Indigenous principles. Some Indigenous principles are respect for protocol, culture, language, reciprocity, relationships, and wellbeing are vital. I noticed my involvement with the Kalinago peoples is that culture is more about living and or staying in the territory, but it is also families, workplaces, social, religious, and political associations. I was privileged through the support of Mr. Irvince Auguste and his family for having allowed me to experience Indigenous community life and work and be able to share their stories and daily life. I also want to thank the Chief of Council, the Councilors and community members of the Kalinago Territory in Dominica.