Oil and gas companies now recognize that industrial projects in the Canadian North can only succeed if Aboriginal communities are involved in decision-making processes. Where the Rivers Meet is an ethnographic account of Sahtu Dene involvement in the environmental assessment of the Mackenzie Gas Project, a massive pipeline that, if completed, would have unprecedented effects on Aboriginal communities in the North. The book reveals that while there has been some progress in establishing avenues for Dene participation in decision making, the ultimate assessment of such projects remains rooted in non-local beliefs about the nature of the environment, the commodification of land, and the inevitability of a hydrocarbon-based economy.

Foreword: The Paradoxical Politics of Participatory Praxis / Graeme Wynn Preface Introduction: People, Land, and Pipelines 1: "Very Nice Talk in a Very Beautiful Way": The Community Hearing Process 2: "A Billion Dollars Cannot Create a Moose": Perceptions of Industrial Impacts 3: Life under the Comprehensive Claim Agreement 4: Consultation and Other Legitimating Practices Conclusion: The Politics of Participation Notes References Index