Oral Histories of the Red Cedar Watershed

Now that we're a couple of weeks and a few conversations with local folks into the project, I can say that by the end of the summer I will have learned a lot about interview techniques, thorough transcribing, and efficient field note taking. But aside from the technical skills of this project, I will be learning a lot about the communities in the Red Cedar Watershed. For example, I'll be looking into how people have previously approached the lake health, the perceived causes of declining lake health, the relationships that people hold between themselves and the lake, and more. I'm excited to see how people answer these questions differently, and think I will be surprised by the emerging narrative.

As I begin investigating these aspects along with my peers, I want to look into the history of people's relationships with the Red Cedar Watershed, and especially narratives from Native People. I hope to get a fuller understanding of how the relationship between people and the lake has changed, and how our perceptions of our relationship have changed as well. In order to collect oral histories, we will coordinate interviews, engage in conversations with an open mind, and attend community meetings. I'm looking forward to learning more through connections to the people of the Red Cedar Watershed, both past and present.