Stories

Ensuring Canada's woodland caribou, eastern wolf and other at-risk species survive will require bigger, more interconnected parks, a new report says. Canada's parks are an uneven patchwork in terms of how much protection they offer endangered wildlife, concluded the third annual review of how wildlife are faring in Canada's parks released Friday by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. "There are quite a few [species] that in fact rely very heavily on parks as their main habitat," said Eric Hébert-Daly, the group's executive director. "Having really big parks, to keep large habitat in tact, having them connected to other protected areas is quite essential." Animals tend to thrive in larger, well-managed parks, he said. "The smaller ones that aren't connected tend to be the ones that have a hard time." The report praised the government efforts to create more parks, including the recently announced Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area in B.C., Sable Island in ...

Growing up, Maria M'Lot witnessed various researchers and scientists come into her community of Cross Lake, Manitoba. The majority came, conducted their field work and left with little to no interaction with community members. “They came and left, never sending a report or summary of their work, so nobody really knew what they were doing,” says Maria. Years later, Maria is a researcher herself working with a First Nation-directed environmental non-profit organization, the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), on environmental issues including the protection of the boreal forest. Unlike the researchers that came to her community, Maria recognizes the importance as well as immense value in working alongside First Nations, citing that despite her education and hands-on experience, “I am not the expert, the Elders and community members I work with are the experts.” Growing up in the boreal forest ...

Valerie Courtois has been involved in some of the most exciting issues developing in boreal forest conservation in Canada. With modest intentions that started with a decision to swap environmental sciences for enrolment in the University of Moncton’s forestry sciences program, ‘the hand’s on’ approach was – and still is - the factor which motivates her. After completing university, Valerie was recruited by Assembly of First Nations (AFN) of Quebec and Labrador as a Forestry Advisor. Here she received an introduction to Aboriginal forestry which was, Valerie admits frustrating, because it lacked the on-the-ground experience she wanted. So when a job came up at the Innu Nation - her nation - as a Forest Planner it was an exciting and logical next move. “Up until this point there had been no industrial tenure in Labrador, new industry was being built, ...

“Aboriginal, boreal and caribou are one together,” states Kaaren Dannenmann, a local Anishinaape trapper from Namekosipiink, Trout Lake, Ontario. Kaaren grew up in the heart of the boreal forest. Her Mother is a member of the Trout Lake Caribou Clan, and her father was originally from Norway. Kaaren left Trout Lake as a teenager, going to school and returning to her homeland after she had children. She learned from her relations how to live in an environment which promoted a spiritual relationship to the land and, in particular, the caribou. “Caribou have always been really important to us, there is a spiritual connection. When they migrate back in the spring time it is really uplifting to see them and be amongst them,” she says. She was taught the Teachings and ceremonies of Atik, the caribou, to honour and ...

Recalling Our Role as Guardians of Mother Earth

The Seven Grandfather and Medicine Wheel teachings given to us by the Anishinabek Nation give us a road map or a 'way of being' in our lifetime. The teachings of Honesty, Respect, Love, Wisdom/knowledge, Courage/bravery, Humility and Truth teach us how to live our lives in a good and kind way and show us how to treat all living beings. As with all teachings of the Medicine Wheel we start in the East where life begins and the sun rises, and we work our way to the South, West and finally the North. Along the way we learn about the stages of life and the responsibilities presented in each stage. In our ceremonies we honour those teachings and those that give life. We honour the water and all of Creation. When we ...

When the cold weather comes and the boggy surface of the muskeg solidifies, the boreal region of Northeastern British Columbia becomes littered with a network of temporary roads. Searching for oil and gas, multinational companies place down kilometers of matting roads along the floor of the boreal forest. Matting roads are an expandable structure of steel and laminated wood which vehicles then use to enter the boreal in search of prospective natural resource extraction sites. Currently, one site of particular interest is the Horn River Basin. The Horn River Basin is a natural gas shale field found within Fort Nelson First Nation traditional territory. It is believed to be the largest shale gas field in Canada, which explains why multinational companies are mapping this otherwise isolated region of British Columbia. The interest in developing the Horn River Basin is ...

Celebration of Place: Ochiwasahow

Stories come out of the forest, of its waters, woods and wildlife, as regular as the eagle flies overhead. The people of Fisher River Cree Nation share a past and continue to develop a future that is braided with the landscape around them. Community member, Sam Murdock, has tales of his time spent hunting in the area and of commercial fishing on Lake Winnipeg which he’s done for the past 35 years. His stories are also of sunsets and contemplation. “I do a lot of hunting; spend time out on the land. It relaxes me and gives me a different perspective. I get a chance to sit among the spruce trees and watch them come alive.” The commercial fishery thrives in Fisher Bay, and hunting and trapping – though to a lesser extent than in the past – ...

Wildlife biologist and self-proclaimed “Batman” Dr. Craig Willis captivated 30 Fisher River Cree Nation youth with tales of secret bat caves. Not your typical caves, small holes in the ground open up below the surface to large cavernous rooms. This characteristic makes it difficult to locate the caves and as a result their total number remains a mystery. By far the most important of the known sites in the province houses 25,000 bats each winter and is adjacent to the proposed Ochiwasahow, or Fisher Bay, provincial park. The proposed park area includes abundant forests including old growth which is ideal summer habitat for maternity colonies of little brown bats. The greatest threat to the Little Brown Bat is the loss of their habitat. Fisher River Cree Nation is working to protect the area by asking the government to establish a Fisher Bay provincial park. Protecting the caves as well as the ...

By Ron Thiessen, CPAWS Manitoba Executive Director Traditional medicine man and teacher ‘Morning Star’ Garry Raven passed away on January 17, 2010. I met him in 2001 when I visited his home in Hollow Water First Nation to discuss the potential of the Manigotagan River and surrounding area being protected in a provincial park. He welcomed me with open arms and I soon became impressed by Garry’s vast knowledge and strong desire to protect the Boreal Forest from industrial developments. Since our first meeting, the Manigotagan River park has been formed and I have spent many days chatting with Garry and attending inspiring gatherings at Ravens Creek Ti-pi Village – his home and teaching place. Garry took many of his visitors on walks to locate traditional medicines and explain their uses. He also taught individuals and groups about Aboriginal spirituality and ...

Written by C. Hunnie

Bloodvein River First Nation has joined the quest for a World Heritage Site on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. As an active member of Pimachiowin Aki - a unique partnership to safeguard the Anishinabe culture and the boreal forest - Bloodvein River First Nation joins the First Nations of Poplar River, Little Grand Rapids, Paungassi and Pikangikum as well as the provincial governments of Manitoba and Ontario. William Young, band councilor and spokesperson for Bloodvein First Nation, reveals that more than half of the community’s traditional territory of 4300 square kilometres will be added to the current 40,000 square kilometres in the proposed World Heritage Site area. He states it is likely more land will be included after consultation with community membership. Bloodvein River First Nation is located 210 kilometres north of Winnipeg along three kilometres ...

By C. Hunnie

For millennia, Canada’s indigenous peoples have sustained complex relationships with the wildlife and environments in which they lived. This wisdom embraces the need to live in harmony and peace with the earth and with one another. Shawna Snache carries on this cultural tradition, inspiring change through her words and her actions. “By simply being Anishnaabe people we’ve been given a responsibility to take good care of mother earth and her children,” she states. “I’m afraid that a lot of us have forgotten but I also strongly believe that we will awaken and remember what is it we are supposed to be doing. We will remember our medicines and how to prepare them. We will acknowledge our part in Creation once again […] We are getting stronger and with that will come a return to our original roles ...

By C. Hunnie

Listen

Describing his relationship to the land Fred Stevens replies, “It is a place to meditate. It is my space.” Fred, an Aboriginal teacher and community health worker, resides north of Swan River, Manitoba on the northwest shore of the province’s second largest lake, Lake Winnipegosis. He calls it a hamlet, an old fish camp area surrounded by boreal wilderness where he and three other families live. Fred has a knowledge of the boreal forest. He explains, “We depend on Mother Earth. Our brothers and sisters depend on her; when I say brothers and sisters I mean the plants, the trees, the four-legged animals, everything is interconnected.” He shares this understanding with Aboriginal youth where he is a teacher for youth culture camps. A recent recipient of the 2009 Spirit of the Earth Award, the Mino Aski (Good Earth) ...

by Written by Kailee Carr

Kailee Carr is Nuu-chah-nulth from the Ahousaht Nation. She is a teacher (and hobby writer) passionate about First Nations issues, especially within the contexts of education, health, and the environment. When I was younger living on the Ahousaht reserve on the west coast of Vancouver Island I was aware of how greatly animals, the forest and the ocean influenced the Nuu-chah-nulth people’s history and culture, including our language, songs, stories, dances and traditions. Deeply etched in many other First Nations peoples’ way of life is their immediate link to the place in which they live, and with so many Aboriginal communities located in the boreal forests of Canada it is important to respect and protect these environments. I wrote the following story in tribute to the value that many Indigenous people place on the interdependent relationship between ...

By Billy Granger

When Dan Thomas was in grade 11, he decided he had enough. Like many other students before and since Dan’s time at boarding school, he was taught a version of Canadian history that glorified the Europeans and made footnotes of the vast and ancient history of Canada’s First Nations. As an Anishinaabe youth from Matheson Island and later Sagkeeng First Nation who grew up listening to the words of his Elders, it was clear to him that the stories being taught about Canada and its peoples were incomplete. He had to do something about it. “We decided to go on strike,” says Thomas, referring to the small cadre of students who banded together to protest the school curriculum. Their strike made a strong statement indeed, and won them some face time with the principal. When ...

By Sandy Klowak

Randy Kapashesit found his calling early in life - leaving the island of Moose Factory to obtain a sociology degree from York University, he came back upon graduation in 1986 to work for his people, and is now Chief of the MoCreebec Council of the Cree Nation, and has been there ever since. “I felt I should start here,” he said. “My own contribution should be with my own community of people.” The MoCreebec Council has a unique forest jewel. Nestled on Moose Factory Island sits the Cree Village Ecolodge. This innovative centre was designed with sustainability as its top priority, featuring composting toilets, natural construction materials and efficient energy use. Cree culture strongly influences its architectural design. According to Kapashesit, this facility is built based on a non-consumptive model of economic activity and models traditional Indigenous values of respect for the earth in a modern setting. “For the ...

By C. Hunnie

Expression of Nature

Métis visual artist, whose credo reads “based on tradition, inspired by nature,” Christi Belcourt uses the gift given to her by the Creator to “celebrate the beauty of the natural world” provoking people’s hearts and minds through the painted image. In what began as a simple experiment to paint flowers inspired by the traditional beadwork patterns of Métis and First Nation women, Christi uses a dot technique that leaves the paint raised on the canvas – as if it were a bead. When asked why she chose plants as her inspiration, she replies, “They have helped to heal me, to make me whole as a human being, and a spiritual being. Plants have spirits; they are alive just as you and I are alive. They have taught me about the interconnectedness of all ...

By C. Hunnie

Fred Stevens, an Aboriginal health worker for his community of Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, is a careful teacher and acute observer of the boreal forest landscape around him. Fred sustainably harvests non-timber products and medicines from the boreal forest near his residence just north of Swan River, Manitoba. Muskeg tea (also called Labrador tea), cedar, and sweet grass, are some of the products and medicines he hand-picks for customers, family, and for teachings. His method for collecting any product or creation from the earth is the same, a prayer is said in his language and an offering of tobacco is left. The importance of respect is clear, Fred adds, “I don’t take the whole cedar tree, I take the end branches. I set tobacco at the base of the tree, on the south or east side where the sun ...

By C. Hunnie

Guiding the Pack

Mike Pierre has worked on environmental issues that affect First Nations for the past ten years. As a research associate for the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), Mike has focused on various topics including environmental monitoring, research, and education. His commitment lies in working for people as well as the environment, a responsibility that involves all of the earth’s creations. He believes that all beings are equal and in an effort to live by this belief, he seeks to maintain sustainable relationships - the true expression of respect. A member of the Long Lake First Nation in Ontario, and descendent to a line of chiefs and medicine men, Mike was not always in touch with his Aboriginal cosmology. The son of residential school survivors, Mike had to live his early life removed from his traditional Cree ...

By Billy Granger

“Here we go again,” says William Young, former Chief of Bloodvein First Nation, through a somewhat disparaged chuckle as he tells me about a recent visit from Manitoba Hydro to his community. The crown corporation recently made it known that they wanted to run a long transmission line, Bi-Pole III, through the boreal forest of Bloodvein First Nation’s traditional territory on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. According to Young, when Manitoba Hydro came to Bloodvein to consult with the community, they were informed by its members that something would be expected in return if the new transmission line were to run through their territory. Hydro was not receptive to the community’s proposal which included revenue sharing on the billions of dollars Hydro stood to make with the plan, says Young, so they left. In other words, Manitoba Hydro came to the ...

By Kelly Selkirk - Reprinted from the Urban NDN

Growing up in Manitoba’s Interlake, you can’t help but have an appreciation of the wilderness around you. If you are away from it for any period of time, the lake itself calls to you. Its influence is age old and bone deep. Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) understands this connection to Mother Earth. In 1999, FRCN asked the Government of Manitoba to create an area to be protected from industrial developments. The government designated an 89,000 ha area a park reserve, which is now protected from development until 2010 when a final designation is to be made. FRCN continued to look at ecological studies and to consider community values. In 2006, they increased their request to include 160,000 hectares, though this additional area has yet to be included within the park reserve, and ...

By Ian Band

When the sun sets and hits the trees to the west

Ron Campbell was only two when his life was forever changed by the construction of the Grand Rapids hydroelectric dam near his community of Moose Lake, Manitoba. He is by no means the only one affected by this so-called development; thousands of other lives have been significantly impacted over the years. Yet, his story provides another unique perspective on how conservation, and particularly boreal forest conservation, is critical for the future. In 1962, Ron and his family had no alternative but to relocate their homestead at Moose Creek to higher ground, which is the presently the site of his community of Moose Lake. Their move was a result of the projected floodwaters caused by the Grand Rapids Hydro Dam, “Cedar Lake and Moose Lake became one big reservoir.” Ron witnessed ...

By Billy Granger

To television viewers across the province, the face of Waubgeshig Rice is likely a familiar one. Working as a reporter for the CBC’s News at Six program in Winnipeg, Waubgeshig (or Waub, as he is most often called) graces the TV screen several nights a week bringing Manitobans the stories that matter most to them. But Waub is more than just another face on the TV screen; he is a First Nations man with a lot to say. He is also a living testament to the value of strong, supportive families, hard work, and optimism. Among all the remarkable experiences and good fortune Rice has had in his life, he reflects most positively on growing up in his home community of Wasauksing First Nation in southern Ontario, just a stone’s throw from Parry Sound. “Growing up there was probably ...

By C. Hunnie

For the Anishnaabek, knowledge begins with trees. In Midewiwin and Sundance teachings, humankind are represented by trees, with rings of history traced in skin and bone, just as they are in bark and wood. People must ground their roots in the soil of their home, while holding up the sky with their hands. And, just as humankind possesses a sacred spirit, so do trees – and both must be protected, fostered, and nurtured. J.P. Gladu, leader, advocate, and protector of trees, is a modern day ogitchidaa, a warrior. Although only thirty-five years old, he has been surrounded by trees his entire life – having been raised on the land by his father and grandfather who were forest workers from Binwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation. Now, he has inherited his role as protector of trees with ...

Discovering boreal power: Clayton Thomas Thomas-Müller and his experience with indigenous conservation

By Ksenia Prints

While he did not know its English name at the time, Clayton Thomas-Müller discovered his interest in boreal forest conservation as a teenager growing up on the streets of Winnipeg. “For me, the most sacred and beautiful memories came from the time I was able to spend out on my family’s indigenous trap line,” he said. “There’s a profound connection there for me.” Involved in drugs and gang life in the city, Thomas-Müller felt disconnected from the community at his native Pukatawagan reserve and his Cree Nation heritage. The solution came to Thomas-Müller unexpectedly, when his brother decided to go back to his community and raise a family based on traditional indigenous values. Inspired by his brother’s commitment, Thomas-Müller left street life and became involved with the youth justice ...

By Billy Granger

In the opening moments of my conversation with Kevin Brownlee, curator of archaeology at the Manitoba Museum, I detect something in his voice; a certain buoyancy – something suggesting a departure from the cautious optimism I have often heard in the voices of other Aboriginal leaders and community members. In seeking to identify it, I conclude that beneath his articulate words and professional demeanor, he struggles to contain an almost boyish zeal for something he has yet to let me in on. He is excited about something, but… what? As our conversation wears on, I discover a man of deep commitment and fascinating interests, and the mystery of his enthusiasm gradually unravels as he brings me into the world of his life’s work. With a master’s degree focused on experimental archaeology, Brownlee has spent his ...

Managing the Lungs of the Earth -
University College of the North and its experience with Boreal forest conservation

By Ksenia Prints

With its campuses spread across the Boreal Forest of Manitoba, the University College of the North (UCN) is intent on learning and preserving what is already all around it. “UCN in its mandate is vital to the role of Boreal Forest Conservation,” said Denise K. Henning, Ph.D., UCN’s President & Vice-Chancellor. Henning, a member of the Cherokee\Choctaw First Nations, views the survival of the Boreal Forest as a top priority for the institution. Amidst renovations and expansions in its Thompson and The Pas campuses, UCN has the seemingly difficult job of balancing the needs of development and conservation. But Dr. Henning and Rob Penner, the outgoing Dean of Health and Applied Science, are certain this can be done. Sustainability guides all ...

An Interview By Billy Granger

“A lot of bad stuff happened,” says Margaret Dumas, Adult Learning Class Instructor at Fox Lake School, when explaining what it was like when hydro dams were built in the traditional territory of the Fox Lake Cree. Many men working for the dams entered the community, and with that, a time was ushered in when abuses would dissolve relationships and fracture the community. But things are starting to turn around. When Margaret Dumas was working with her husband William at the school in Fox Lake, they came up with an idea to reconnect people in the community with their language, traditions, elders and each other. The idea was to have an annual goose hunt where the community members could be on the land together, practicing traditional ways of life. ...

An Interview By Billy Granger

William Dumas remembers a time when he, his wife Margaret, and others were at a ceremony by a beautiful lake. They were having coffee in the morning and enjoying the day. “Listen,” someone in the party insisted, and the group fell silent. There was a pause then a moment of realization. “Birds should have been singing,” Dumas says. “But there was nothing.” Not far from there, they knew logging companies were operating. Even though they could not hear the machines or see the clearcuts from where they were, the effects were obvious. “It’s not just the people who get displaced,” William tells me. “The animals, the fish, even the birds. They all get displaced as they lose the resource area they need to survive.” As further evidence to ...

I want to get people interested in supporting boreal conservation because it is important for our future, our cultures, and our existence. I would like to see people recognize their part, take responsibility, have humility, and show their appreciation by using less. One of my first memories is an experience of senses. It takes place in Norway House, Manitoba, in the heart of the boreal. I kept my eyes shut tight as I listened intensely to all the sounds surrounding me. I heard the sound of trees bending against the wind, giving, flexing, and coming back to stand tall and straight. I heard the many songbirds, which were dependent on those very trees for shelter and protection. In the far distance, I could hear the lake lapping against rocky shores. All the while, my heart and cheek pressed against ...

Interview By Billy Granger

In 2002, when I was working as the assistant director for the Wilderness Committee’s Manitoba office, the east side of Lake Winnipeg had already been established as an important battleground for competing interests. Industry, government, First Nations, environmentalists, and other non-profits anted in with funded efforts and dedicated personnel to meet with the other players to discuss, weigh, and vie for their various interests, and slog through the process of deciding the fate of one of the largest remaining tracts in intact boreal forest left on Earth. It was to be a protracted and bureaucratic affair that could last decades. Between 2002 and 2004, I had been made increasingly aware of the accomplishments of a small community on the east side of Lake Winnipeg that would eventually garner international attention. Home to roughly ...

BY JOSEPH QUESNEL

Reprinted with the permission of the Drum Indigenous people in Canada should be able to say no to development activities that occur on their traditional territories, said a Northern Ontario First Nation man who has seen leadership in his community thrown in jail for opposing mining exploration on their lands without consultation. "Our people have a right to be consulted, but not the right to say no," said John Cutfeet, a spokesperson for Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation. "How is consultation 'meaningful' if you don't have a choice?" In particular, Cutfeet opposes the limited definition of meaningful consultation with First Nations over development activities, arguing that while it obligates companies to speak to First Nations, it does not provide an ultimate veto to indigenous communities that do not want these activities to proceed in the end. Cutfeet and other First ...

By C. Hunnie

The Birch was the most honoured tree in the forest. It was the most unique, envied by all others who wished that they too were like the Birch. The flaky, scaly-barked Jack Pine admired the Birch’s powdered silk skin. The dark and textured Black Spruce, and the scar-chiseled Ash with its grizzled exterior, revered the unblemished whiteness of the Birch and correlated this characteristic to purity and perfection. The Balsam Fir, excreting sap-like puss from warty fissures all over its silver body, couldn’t behold the Birch anymore and left for a more suitable place to live. Others followed. Some left because their deformities were amplified by the beauty of the Birch making them more difficult to ignore. The sobs of morose could be heard through the disguise of a nighttime rustling breeze. Others believed that they no ...

Boreal Forest Activist Receives Order of Manitoba

By Chris Webb (Reprinted with the permission of the Drum)

In 2004, residents of Poplar River First Nation convinced the Manitoba Government to stop all mining and logging on their traditional land, 600km northeast of Winnipeg, for the next five years. Sophia Rabliauskas is a member of this community and at the forefront of their struggle for full protection. She is now being recognized for her tenacity with one of the province's highest awards, the Order of Manitoba. "It feels great to be recognized," Rabliauskas says. “It’s good because it gives the whole community of Poplar River the support we need and it's also bringing a sense of pride to the community and the people." In 2002, Rabliauskas, along with several other community members developed a comprehensive land protection and management plan for their ...

By C. Hunnie

A Dream It came to her in a dream. Every year a dream comes to Mary Crate to let her know where the water walk will be. This year it was to Lake Winnipeg. A Walk A vessel that resembles a teapot is filled with the pure water before Mary dips her own cup into the spring to extract its sweet goodness. As she drinks she can feel the life-filled water flow through every vein in her body. The group of women, some who know each other, and some who do not, lead the way while carefully attentive to the children behind. The day is broken by periods of balmy weather followed by frequent spells of cloud and cold. Last in this snaking formation are the men. They are the warriors and will protect the women during this ...

Ksenia Prints

If there are two things Ron Plain seems to have in abundance, it is words and motivation. When speaking of his community’s ongoing battle with toxic pollution and the need to protect the environment, he is relentless in his hope for resolution through global youth action. “There are people across the world that see the potential that everything we’ve been taught is important. I look at it as the fundamental things: you need air, you need water, you need sustenance, and you need companionship. If you don’t have these four things, you don’t have a quality of life,” he says. “I can’t save the water, but if everybody does their own thing… When I go see the Creator I can say, at least I did my part.” “[Youth] are the stewards of the land.” Plain hails from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, ...

Elders and Pipe carriers gather to draw awareness on the importance of

Reprinted with the permission of EAST Inc. Written by Björk Bjarnadóttir

Recent attempts to lobby the government of Manitoba to reverse it’s decision on BiPole III lead Eastside Elder and Pipe Carrier, Garry ”Morning Star” Raven, Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle clan, to host a Pipe Carriers Ceremony to bring up awareness on how important the lands on Eastside of Lake Winnipeg are to cultural and spiritual values for First Nations who live in the region and who still continue to practice their traditional ways. The Pipe Carriers Gathering and Ceremony was held at the Circle of Life Thunderbird house, December 8, 2007, all were welcome to attend and listen and understand what the Pipe Carriers had to say about their sacred land. Eleven ...

Written by Anna Pellissier

As an Aboriginal Awareness Consultant, with the Aboriginal Education Directorate, Garry Robson sees firsthand the effects of cultural awareness and environmental training on children and youth. Working out of the Murdo Scribe Centre at 510 Selkirk Ave. in the North End of Winnipeg, Garry travels to schools, teacher's in-services, day care centres, and universities to foster awareness to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students about First Peoples culture and heritage.. This awareness building includes the unique relationship of the people with the land and the specific worldview that ensures Mother Earth's care. When it comes to environmental issues, Mr. Robson instils a long-range view in children and youth, "We teach about the seventh generation," says Mr. Robson, “in which every action taken should be measured by how it will affect the next seven generations into the future.” With this worldview ...

C. Hunnie

Garry Raven of Hollow Water First Nation has spent over seventeen years as a teacher and caretaker of the land. His responsibilities lie here, so naturally he needed to build a learning centre, and started – what may seem an unlikely classroom -- his own outfitting company. People from around the world, including university students and teachers, are just some of the visitors that travel to see him to experience sweat lodges, study sacred medicinal plants, and to learn about northern Aboriginal culture and its connection to the lands and waters of the boreal forest. As a member of the board of directors for Eastside Aboriginal Sustainable Tourism Incorporated (EAST Inc.), Raven finds himself in a suitable position. EAST Inc. is a not-for-profit economic development initiative aimed at supporting sustainable economic opportunities. Created and facilitated by people from the east ...

Written by Sandy Klowak

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Written by C. Hunnie

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Written by C. Hunnie

The Feather

An eagle feather held loosely in her hand, Mary Crate looks upon it inquisitively, twirling and twisting it into speckled flight. “The eagle is the highest-flying bird, and it is the eagle’s feather that is the symbol of truth and honesty,” she explains.

Mary brought the feather because she wants people to understand that what she is about to share is genuine and true: traditional indigenous wisdom from knowledge keepers like herself. She is concerned for the Earth, our Mother. She can hear our Earth Mother’s voice calling out to us for help, and Mary’s part in healing her is to share the teachings passed down to her.

“I’m an Ojibway Anishinaba woman. I am called Kookum by many young people, which means grandmother in my language. I am also known as Silver Rock woman, or Shoon-ya-asinie-kwa. Each of us

...

by C. Hunnie

Melissa Hotain, from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, is a mother of twin boys, and grandmother of two. She believes in the importance of revitalizing a spiritual kinship with the natural world. She has dabbled in many employment areas, however, never finding herself fully content, she chose to seek more challenging and meaningful ways to dedicate her time. In 1995 Mrs. Hotain applied to the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) program and was one of the first to be recruited. She is now the Environmental Policy Analyst for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. “It was something that was more grassroots; somewhere I could make an impact. Here I could change attitudes and change my own attitudes too.” As an Environmental Policy Analyst, Mrs. Hotain’s objective is to review the environmental policies that affect First Nations, and determine how they can be improved. She explains, ...

by Bev Geddes

Shaunna Morgan holds a formidable portfolio; trained as a biologist, she completed her Master of Science degree and has worked for over ten years with environmental and ecological issues. Her present position with the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER )has taken her across the country and the world working as a researcher, instructor and workshop facilitator on First Nations issues related to climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Yet, in spite of this impressive knowledge base and experience, she is approachable and genuine. And, I discovered as the interview progressed, very pragmatically spiritual. During her interview she told me of an experience she had visiting Weaver Lake, Manitoba. She recounted a feeling of returning to a place she had never been before, of kinship with the land, where things become clear and the soul finds ease. This article attempts to capture some ...

A Response to the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (WNO)

Written by C. Hunnie

Paul Chief, a member of Brokenhead First Nation, is a committed and active citizen on issues that affect First Nations. The list of the many projects he has been involved with is extensive. He has sat on the board of directors of the Manitoba Model Forest since 1996. He has served on his community’s council for four terms, or eight years. Since 2003, he has been a committee member of the Manitoba chapter of the First Nation Forestry Program. He is also the vice president of First Nation Forestry Limited Partnership. This story focuses on his experience as a participant on the Eastside Land Use Planning Committee, now known as the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (WNO). The WNO initiative attempts to bring together local communities, First Nations, industry, and environmental organizations to develop strategies for land and resource use on the east ...

Written by Anna Pellissier

As the Director of the Aboriginal Education Directorate of Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth/Advanced Education and Literacy in North End Winnipeg, Helen Robinson-Settee has a hand in a lot of different projects. Besides working as an advocate for the Directorate itself within the province, she also works externally with school administrators, educators, students, parents, Aboriginal and community organizations, and just about anyone with an interest in the kind of educational opportunities available to Aboriginal children and youth. In Manitoba, the Aboriginal Education Directorate works with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth as well as Manitoba Advanced Education and Literacy. While working to ensure that Manitoba Aboriginal youth experience an educational system that keeps their specific needs in mind, they also work within the government to initiate policy development and to further the objectives outlined in the Aboriginal Education Action Plan. ...

The Leigh Cochrane Visitor Centre: A Celebration of Community

by C. Hunnie

I drove for two and a half hours to get there, down a single lane highway that twisted and meandered like a prairie river. Like that Prairie River, I moved north. It was odd how empty and desolate that highway seemed. There was scarcely any traffic and only a few scattered farm homes. Stretching for miles was white-frozen sagebrush and aspens, blanketed in the morning’s hoar frost. As I entered into the community of Fisher River Cree Nation, I had the sense that the community rested too as if in the frigid grip of the winter day. Though as I walked through the doors of the band office, that feeling quickly dissipated. Inside, the office doors were opened wide, unable to contain the bright voices and laughter that spilled into the hallway. I happened to arrive during the ...

Need or Greed? - An Interview with Shaunna Morgan

Written by Bev Geddes

Shaunna Morgan holds a formidable portfolio; trained as a biologist, she completed her Master of Science degree and has worked for over ten years with environmental and ecological issues. Her present position with the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER )has taken her across the country and the world working as a researcher, instructor and workshop facilitator on First Nations issues related to climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Yet, in spite of this impressive knowledge base and experience, she is approachable and genuine. And, I discovered as the interview progressed, very pragmatically spiritual. It was the latter trait that I chose to highlight in the following article. Her words made a deep impact on my reflections regarding personal responsibility for our environment and future. “I’m going to tell you a story,” Shaunna begins. “It comes ...

Fisher River Cree Nation

A Community’s Journey to Create a Provincial Park.

Written by C. Hunnie

There are places that maintain a precarious existence. Desired for their economic wealth, there are places so rich in natural resources that development interests are many. These same places possess innate beauty and largely intact ecosystems and are rich in more than the limited sense of the word. Ochiwasahow is such a place. Sought after by opposing interests, its inherent value is precisely why Chief David Crate of Fisher River Cree Nation intends to keep it the way it is. If one were to have visited the Fisher Bay area 130 years ago, it would closely resemble the place we see today. But "there are many interests in this area from logging and mining companies, especially on the east side," Chief Crate explains. "There are many obstacles we face, but I’m an optimist." Fisher River ...

Manitoba Hydro's Flooded Legacy

Written by C. Hunnie

Twelve stories up, we look out upon the city. It is raining and pools of standing water are forming on the flat-roofed buildings below. It is a perspective perhaps similar to that of a bird in mid-flight; the sky is dull and grey, mirroring the colossal expanse of concrete and asphalt surrounding us. "What I don't understand is how they can get away with calling it renewable," says Greg McIvor. In a process that is not only unfair to First Nations people, but one that, according to Mr. McIvor, involves blatant misrepresentation of information by Manitoba Hydro. For generations, Mr. McIvor and his family have hunted and trapped in an area 52 kilometers south of Waskwatim Lake known as Trapline 18 (close to Thompson, Manitoba). Already impacted by surrounding hydropower generation, the trapline may be further damaged by Manitoba Hydro's plans to build ...

An Open Response to those who want a Hydro Bipole on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg Ahnee, As an Elder and a pipe carrier the lands on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg is sacred. It is the place where the Creator sits, where we get our teachings, hold our ceremonies, have our sweat lodges, a place to pick our sacred medicines and where we still hunt, fish, gather and trap for food. For those of us, and there are many, on the Eastside of Lake Winnipeg who maintain and still practice our traditional ways it is our duty, given to us by the Creator, to respect, honour and protect the thing that sustains all life - Mother Earth. Simply put, for us the land is part of who we are as a people, as a nation and as a country. The abuse Mother Earth is now suffering from in the ...

Former Chief of Bloodvein First Nation

On the Manitoba Hydro Corridor – East Side Lake Winnipeg A number of years ago, I worked with the Department of Indian Affairs in Thompson, Manitoba. One day, way, way up at Tadoule Lake, in one of the most northerly communities in Manitoba, I was complaining about what the white man does to destroy nature and people. An elder that I worked with, the late Sam T Anderson, began to laugh and said, “I used to say those things too… you white men killed off all our buffalo!” He laughed again and continued, “We didn’t even have buffalo in Norway House.” Sam taught me a lot in those years that we worked together. I often think of him as I do my own parents, Charles and Isabel Young, who are also gone to the other side. These older ...

Written by C. Hunnie

“Hello?” There is a pause as she awaits the transmission of my voice through the phone line. The consistent delays throughout our long-distance telephone conversation make Shirley Costel, Chief of Mathias Colomb First Nation, seem a world away. I want to understand what compels her to be an advocate of environmental issues. She has been active in encouraging First Nations people to become involved in boreal forest protection. She tells me her great great-grandmother influenced her significantly. “She was a medicine woman. Through her I learned to respect the land itself and the life of the water and the forest,” Chief Costel remarks. “That’s how I’ve been brought up, respecting Mother Earth. In whatever I do I try to protect it as much as possible.” For Chief Costel it is an unconscious and understood statement that the world is alive. ...