Decolonial Feminist Storying on the Coquille River: A Digital Humanities Approach to Human and Non-human Communication and Prevention of the Fall Chinook Salmon Extinction

Abstract:The Coquille River Basin has long been a steady stream of stories, peoples, animals, and non-human objects. The basin has, however, been polluted, invaded, and subjected to myriad maltreatments, the most recent result of which is the decline of the Coquille River fall Chinook salmon. This article contributes to the "On Decolonial Feminisms" special issue by addressing this decline through a participatory action research project based in the digital humanities, Indigenous feminisms, and land-based pedagogy. From this theoretical framework, we produce a method of critical cartography and storied land utilizing ArcGIS story-mapping technology to educate viewers on the history of the Coquille River Basin and the decline of Chinook salmon. This project challenges settler narratives, particularly settler environmentalism and patriarchal control of land, by rejecting dichotomies that deanimate non-human beings and by demonstrating Indigenous feminist stewardship of land through love, desire, care, and prayer. The article ends by providing an overview of the ways digital art projects can continue challenging settler colonialism and by encouraging feminist scholars to theoretically expand their work to interrogate and challenge the patriarchal subjugation and oppression of all beings.