Dr. Ryan E. Emanuel

@waterpotential.bsky.social

5085 Followers 779 Following

Lumbee scientist, educator, & engaged scholar. North Carolinian. Duke Professor studying water, climate change, environmental justice, & Indigenous rights. Author of ON THE SWAMP: FIGHTING FOR INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. he/him. www.RyanEmanuel.com

Nautilus Book Award poster showing silver medal and open book against a red background.
Budding trees overhang the Mississippi River along the East Bank path in Minneapolis. In the foreground, last year’s tall grass glows in the setting sun. The wide river flows in the background while shadowy trees cover the far bank.
Microsoft “clippy” meme reading “It looks like you’re trying to shirk your professional responsibilities. Can I help?”
Screenshot of Facebook post by James Locklear showing headshot of Ryan.
Page header from Op Ed section of Raleigh News & Observer, December 15, 2010. Header reads "Other Opinion" and subheading reads "Native Americans in North Carolina: The Lumbee Recognition Bill." First section of article reads: It is painful seeing important legislation languish on the House or Senate floor for a year or more only to expire at the end of a congressional session. Multiplying that feeling by 61 sessions of Congress gives a sense of the frustration and looming disappointment felt by North Carolina's Lumbee Tribe, American Indians who have been petitioning Congress for federal recognition since 1888. Numerous recognition bills have been introduced since then, but none has been passed to grant full federal recognition to the tribe. A bill currently in the Senate (co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan) would fully acknowledge the Lumbee Tribe, bringing with it a measure of justice that has been denied for 122 years. Last week, Hagan said she hopes to amend this bill to legislation that will be voted on in the final days of the 111th Congress. The current Lumbee Recognition bill passed the House over 18 months ago and has been awaiting a full Senate vote since October 2009. Since then, six senators have been playing procedural games with the bill - using the so-called secret hold - to prevent a final vote. By their actions, these six lawmakers perpetuate a long-abandoned, failed federal policy toward American Indians known as Termination. Simply put, Termination (which lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1960s) aimed to extinguish government-to- government relationships between the United States and American Indian tribes, "freeing" Indians from "Federal supervision and control," in the words of Congress. The implication was that American Indians, deprived of tribal sovereignty, would assimilate once and for all into mainstream society.
Graphic showing the cover of Ryan's book with a superimposed list of destinations where he traveled to talk about the book and other research in 2024 and 2025. The list reads: Andover, NH Asheville, NC Atlanta, GA Bellingham, WA Chapel Hill, NC Charlotte, NC Clinton, NC Durham, NC Flagstaff, AZ Greensboro, NC Hillsborough, NC Pembroke, NC Pine Knoll Shores, NC Raleigh, NC Research Triangle Park, NC Salisbury, NC Southern Pines, NC Storrs, CT Vancouver, BC Washington, DC Waterloo, ON Winston-Salem, NC & Online #Indigenous #EnvironmentalJustice #Lumbee
Ryan’s book, On the Swamp, displayed on a wooden shelf next to Theory of Water and Manoomin. Background shows inside of Birchbark Books with a coffee mug and other merchandise in the background.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on projector screen at AISES National Conference.
Photo showing the passenger’s side door of a white pickup truck. Wording painted on the door reads “JGR Equipment Rental & Sales.”
Flyer for UNC Asheville environmental literature event on October 30.
Title slide from Ryan’s keynote showing a background map of wetlands of the Carolinas in bright green over a black background. Title reads “Mapping for Indigenous Environmental Justice, Ryan E. Emanuel, Ph.D., Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment.”
Video panning up and down an empty highway in Robeson County North Carolina. Blue sky and cornfields visible with wetland forest in the background.
Infographic showing silhouette of a wetland forest at sunset on upper half and text details on lower half. Meandering river graphic breaks up two halves. Details include name of session plus submission deadline of July 30 and submission link. Additional text at link reads: "Indigenous Knowledge Systems hold immense power to transform contemporary geoscience research into meaningful, authentic, holistic understandings of complex relationships within Earth systems and have informed diverse and culturally inclusive research and pedagogical frameworks. This session is focused on theoretical and practical applications of Indigenous frameworks, methodologies, and perspectives that sustain and enhance the capacity of Indigenous Nations and communities to wield sovereignty, which is guided by Indigenous values. In this context, we welcome submissions that foreground or meaningfully amplify Indigenous paradigms, ideally in close partnership with specific Tribal communities, groups, or organizations. We also welcome submissions whose methods include (for example) Indigenous research principles and protocols, pedagogies, practices of gathering and protecting information, products, and dissemination approaches that advance science and benefit communities." https://agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/prelim.cgi/Session/252493
Close-up photo of a person dressed up as the Piggly Wiggly mascot - a human-sized, anthropomorphic pig wearing a blue striped shirt and an old-school butcher's hat and apron. The pig is facing the camera and waving with both hands. The background shows a partially-furled American flag and a hazy, light-blue sky.
Ryan sitting on a desk facing group of students (not shown for privacy reasons). Behind him is a large screen showing a PowerPoint slide with text and image of a river. On table in front of him is a collection of books and other materials.
Empty miniature pack-n-play next to a table in a Japanese cafe. Tables and chairs in background.
Screenshot showing JD Vance’s blocked user profile on Bluesky.
Ryan’s #NoKings protest poster held up against a blue sky. The poster shows a traced image of Prince John from Disney’s 1973 animated feature, Robin Hood. Prince John is sucking his thumb and tugging his ear. Other protest signs are visible around the edges of the photo.
A group of students from one of Ryan's early hydrology courses standing on a bridge across the Watauga River in western NC. A US Geological Survey hydrographer poses with them, a large crate of equipment at his feet. Some of the students are holding waders and other equipment.
Scanned snapshot of Ryan with group of staff from US Geological Survey Western NC Field Headquarters in Charlotte taken during summer 1995. Old-style USGS logo (crossed hammers) framed on the wall above group. Ryan has very long hair. Everyone is dressed for the 1990s.
Ryan near totem poles on NWIC campus.
Selfie of Ryan in airport terminal wearing large headphones, a hat, and a corn necklace. Fluorescent lights and large windows in background.
Network map showing themes present in research at the intersection of water and environmental justice. Map generated using VosViewer and published in Ryan's chapter from Voices of Indigenuity.
Short video of snow falling outside window on campus of Northern Arizona University.
Drake hotline bling meme, but modified to show not one, but two approving Drakes - one approving of the Duke Blue Devils and one approving #Lumbee coach Kelvin Sampson.
Corn bread frying in a cast iron skillet next to a pot of collard greens on an outdoor camp stove.
Corn bread frying in a cast iron skillet next to a pot of collard greens on an outdoor camp stove.
Screen recording of clicking on a social media post about Navy pilot Tom Oxendine only to be directed to an error message stating: “Page not found” and “content on this website has been revised or removed to align with the president’s executive orders and DOD priorities in accordance with DOD instruction 5400.17 ‘Official use of social media for public affairs purposes.’”
Ryan dressed in raincoat and hard hat.
Scientist operating a boom lift high in the canopy of a Douglas fir tree.
View of Shinobazuno-Ike pond from a high window. Tall buildings in background.
Screenshot of page from Ryan's book, On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice, which reads: Meanwhile, hemlocks kept their footings in the deep, shady wrinkles of lower mountain slopes— coves shaped by intimate creeks and gorges carved by thundering rivers. Even east of the mountains, hemlocks survived on steep, north- facing slopes. In all of these places, microclimates continued to mimic conditions experienced in the region during the ice age. These isolated pockets are the last vestiges of a forest that once covered much of the Southeast. They are refugia.
Wide angle photo of Ryan paddling a canoe on the Lumbee River, reaching toward the bow to turn off an action camera. His gloved fingers are near the lens and disproportionately large.
View of Lumbee River from a sand beach, trees in background.
Brown and white sign reading “CAUTION FORT MACON WAS MADE FOR WAR NOT SAFETY PLEASE BE CAREFUL”
View of sunrise along an estuarine shoreline outside of Beaufort, NC. Flagpole and part of a grassy lawn are visible in foreground, open water and sky in background. Heron flies close to the water. Small clouds on horizon.
Photo of Ryan paddling solo canoe on New River near Jacksonville, NC during Onslow Veteran's Powwow
Screenshot of child from the film "A Christmas Story," sleeping atop a pile of toys and open gift packaging.
Video clip of first leg of Ryan's Amtrak trip home from the AGU 2024 Fall Meeting. One clip shows Possum Point power plant (#CoalAsh, #FossilFuel) in Northern Virginia.
Ryan on a post #AGU24 run through DC stands under a tunnel of blue and white holiday lights that resembles hyperspace of #StarWars. Blue Gatorade visible in gloved hand. Green Picarro beanie atop head.
AGU social media template, but instead of real content includes a list of facetious questions: Where’s my next session? Are you using that chair? Mind if I plug in next to you? 43 new text message?!? Do you remember the way back to the conference center? Tell me your name again…
Video of train (Carolinian) arriving at station.
View from outdoor train platform at Amtrak station in Cary, NC. Concrete sidewalk, rails, and loblolly pines frame the scene.
Flyer reading "Indigenous Science to Action: nsforming Geoscience through Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Meaningful Engagement with Indigenous Peoples AGU 2024" with additional information about poster session SY41F on Thursday morning and oral session SY43F on Thursday afternoon. Networking social at Duke in DC on Wednesday evening - must contact Ryan Emanuel by Dec 6 to RSVP.
Ryan’s desk setup shows a laptop flanked by two external monitors. In front of the laptop is a microphone perched atop a large stack of books, including an extremely thick volume entitled “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater.”
View of the green room at WUNC studios. Two chairs sit on either side of a table, old radio studio photos on the wall.
Image of North Carolina historical marker in Pembroke, NC commemorating Lumbee hero Henry Berry Lowry. Text on marker reads “Indian. Champion of the poor. Declared outlaw, he eluded capture and disappeared in swamps, ca. 1872. House 3 mi. NW.” #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #Indigenous
Colorized illustrations of the Henry Berry Lowry band accompanying a March 1872 feature article in Harpers Weekly. The single sheet, which shows four portraits, four landscape scenes, and a map is framed and a slight glare obscures the main image of the band “laying out” in a swamp. Lowry, a Lumbee, led a multiracial band of guerrilla fighters who were considered outlaws by local, state, and federal officials but were beloved heroes among poor and marginalized communities in the area. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #Indigenous
View of theater stage set up for a panel discussion. Part of screen visible.
Sign reading “staff, volunteers, and presenters only.”
A line of lidless glass bottles full of kombucha and muscadine grape juice, atop a stone counter. Glass and plastic containers in background. Red funnel protrudes from farthest bottle. Foam visible inside the neck of each bottle as they await lids prior to their second ferment.
Conference name badge with Ryan’s name and info draped over the cover of a copy of his book, On The Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice. Edges of book cover are visible behind badge. Book sits on a black countertop.
Portion of Lumbee tribal enrollment card showing Ryan’s name below the tribal seal. Ryan’s thumb covers personal information and a brick sidewalk is visible in the background.