The role of disaster volunteering in Indigenous communities

ABSTRACT

Drawing on Māori (Aotearoa-New Zealand), First Nations (Canada), and Navajo Nation (U.S.), case studies and practitioners’ experiences, this article addresses a gap in our understanding of the role of volunteers in emergencies and disasters in Indigenous communities. Enablers and challenges to effective volunteering in these Indigenous communities are discussed. Cultural enablers of volunteering include building capacity during non-emergency times, using all senses when volunteering, and supporting locally emergent psychosocial recovery institutions that are based on cultural understanding and trust. Resolving systemic barriers to volunteering would require institutional and organisational changes through governance, coordination and training. Practical recommendations for supporting volunteer management in Indigenous communities are made.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous communities
• disaster management
• volunteers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The Te Reo (Māori language) term iwi means ‘people’ or ‘nation’, and is often translated as ‘tribe’, or ‘a confederation of tribes’. The word is both singular and plural and may be capitalised in text when specific reference is made to a particular Māori ‘tribe’.

2 Ethical approval to conduct both projects was received from the Massey University Human Ethics Committee, with the 2012–2014 Christchurch-based research also receiving ethical approval from Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Research Services.