Trina Flett would like you to think about that. Her home community sits on the shores of Lake Winnipeg surrounded by one of the largest tracts of boreal forest in Canada.

The Ochiwasahow, Cree for Fisher Bay, Park Reserve provides interim protection from industrial developments, protecting the area’s thriving biological diversity, long sandy beaches, old growth forests and the waters of the lake. As the planet’s biggest land-based storehouse of carbon, the boreal forest provides a “filter” for clean air and fresh water. It also plays an important role in regulating global climate. The boreal forest is an essential part of the earth’s life support system.

It is also home to the Fisher River Cree Nation. The community depends on the boreal forest and the lake for traditional activities and economic sustainability. For centuries, the people have utilized Fisher Bay’s resources while maintaining its well being through caring stewardship.

The Fisher River community has shouldered its responsibility to further protect the lands that surround their traditional home. Together with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, they have garnered tremendous support for a provincial park on the south-west basin of Lake Winnipeg. And it has paid off as the government of Manitoba has now committed to establishing the park.

And now Trina Flett would like the rest of us to support her community’s efforts to make the Ochiwasahow Park a reality. As the Manitoba government’s Protected Area Initiative crawls at a snail’s pace, there is concern that a lack of political will may stall the process, allowing the designation to lapse.

If we consider Trina’s message of personal accountability to be of significance, our responsibility is clear. Support of the proposal to protect this large area of boreal forest can come in the way of letters to the government, signing a postcard, or becoming involved in a more active manner.

Why bother? In our busy world of jobs and children and other responsibilities that impact our daily life, why concern ourselves with something that is outside our realm of experience?

Because we have a choice and a responsibility.

Trina Flett lives that creed. Her involvement with the environment and Aboriginal issues stretches back most of her life. Awareness of her own personal impact on her surroundings led her first to support an Aboriginal environmental non-profit organization. But she knew that she could do more and that she needed more knowledge. And so she became involved with the United Way, learning the tools and strategies of that organization with the long range goal of providing First Nations peoples with the tools they need to achieve their potential for environmental stewardship.

Trina then became involved with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society due to their involvement with the Ochiwasahow Park designation. She appreciated the organization because she felt it gave a real voice to people involved with the process. She now sits on the CPAWS fundraising/development committee and continues to be impressed with their capacity to listen to the issues of stakeholders and respect their desires.

Not every person can have the passion and commitment that Trina exhibits for her cause but this dedicated woman would like everyone to understand that we can all make a choice for positive change. You “don’t need a degree or a lot of money to take action” she insists and believes that “everyone has an obligation to know as much as they can” about the environment and their own personal impact on it. “One person, one question, one choice at a time.”

Trina would like you to consider your choices the next time you dump paint thinner down your drain. What you choose to do without a thought makes its way down the river, into Lake Winnipeg and to her home waters of Fisher Bay. She wants you to think of small ways to lessen that impact every day and not allow convenience to overshadow a need that grows at an alarming rate. Protecting the lake and the boreal forest surrounding her home is the responsibility of all Manitobans. She would like you to take the time to learn how you can make a difference.

Trina Flett has made a choice to live her life in accordance with traditional values of stewardship and environmental responsibility.

What will each of us choose to do with our responsibility?

Environmental issues are a collective threat as all populations are affected. The loss of biological diversity threatens our resiliency; the loss of different ways of looking at the world or addressing a problem threatens our intellectual capacity to respond to threats.  Therefore, to ensure environmental protection, it is advised that different schools of thought be explored when creating environmental policy. “As our societies are interconnected, we need to come together to develop environmental legislation that is respectful of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews”, says Peigi. “However, Indigenous Peoples are generally excluded from environmental governance and their ideas and values are ignored or ridiculed.”

The Indigenous concept of interconnectedness views the land and people connected as one. “Interconnectedness is a concept that is quite common across many different Indigenous cultures” says Peigi. “Many traditional Indigenous cultures recognize the symbiotic relationship between humanity and the natural world. It is the notion that everything: humans, plants, birds, fish, trees, the sky, earth, and water, are all part of each other and because of this interconnection what we do in the environment has an impact not only on the environment but on us”. The notion of interconnectedness is embraced in numerous Indigenous traditional laws, such as respect for the boreal forest, or respect for future generations. Although this idea is captured in Indigenous laws it is not yet recognized in current Canadian legislation.

Canadian laws do not reflect the traditional philosophies of Indigenous Peoples and their legal systems. As Peigi confirms, “There are very few opportunities for Indigenous Peoples to participate in environmental regulation”. In her thesis, Peigi cites numerous examples of disrespect for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian environmental laws and policy. She believes that the fundamental cause for neglecting Indigenous worldviews is a clash of cultures as well as a general lack of awareness by non-Indigenous Canadians. “Indigenous Peoples generally share a worldview in that everything is connected; the majority of Canadians view things as disconnected and presume that humanity is superior to the environment”, explains Peigi. “It is these two fundamentally different ideas that I see as the underlying difference between environmental laws of Indigenous Peoples and those of Canada”. As a result, Canadian Laws do not reflect the philosophies of Indigenous peoples and their legal systems. However, an approach to environmental governance which seeks to include the notion of interconnectedness can bring numerous benefits to natural landscapes in peril such as the boreal forest.

As Peigi explains, one of the greatest simultaneous threats to Indigenous cultures and biological diversity is the ‘extinction of experience’ (Gary Naban and Sara St.Antoine). Essentially, extinction of experience is the extinction of a cultural relationship to the natural world. “The four sacred medicines: cedar, sage, tobacco, and sweet grass, are fundamental elements of some Indigenous Peoples’ spirituality as well as practical tangible elements of many Indigenous cultures in Canada”, says Peigi, citing the example of the four sacred medicines to explain the concept of extinction of experience. “Imagine if there was a blight that wiped out all of the eastern white cedar. This would make it virtually impossible for Indigenous People to use cedar as a traditional medicine and to practice their traditional religions”. Without the opportunity to experience the healing power of cedar, the notion of cedar as a sacred medicine would become empty words for future generations.  The loss of the boreal forest’s cedar for example, would create a disconnection to the natural land and as a result would greatly impact the way Indigenous peoples express their traditional culture. As the relationship with the natural world is weakened, the value of respect for the natural world becomes meaningless, promoting even greater environmental destruction.

An approach to environmental governance that seeks to include Indigenous Peoples and to recognize their traditional philosophies, such as the notion of interconnectedness, can bring numerous benefits to natural landscapes in peril such as the boreal forest.   “Incorporating Indigenous concepts of interconnectedness within the Canadian legal paradigm would promote greater pride by Indigenous Peoples in their own values, a greater awareness by other Canadians, and ideally greater respect for the natural world as a whole. The Courts have recommended reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown; part of this reconciliation must include resolving our differences in how we view the environment. There needs to be dialogue, greater education and awareness, and consensus building between Peoples. Worldviews different from the majority must be given due respect. The rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and self-government must be recognized in Canadian law.  This includes recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples to determine what happens on their lands.  Indigenous Peoples must form a third order of government in Canada with jurisdictional authority to exercise environmental decision making.”

First Nations are losing their role in national environmental governance and as a result a loss of traditional culture that supports the retention of biological diversity is occurring. Indigenous Peoples have been sidelined from environmental governance in Canada and are losing the capacity and opportunity to exercise their traditional cultures, including practice of traditional laws. Through recognition of Indigenous concepts such as interconnectedness, Indigenous Peoples environmental philosophies and modern-day governance practices can be harmonized. As Peigi asserts, this will help sustain Indigenous cultures, mitigate the extinction of experience, and support the retention of biological diversity.

photo credit Tim Swanky, UNBC

“The land makes us who we are. What identity will my daughters have when our keyoh (traditional land holding) is a tailings pond? If the land is covered with a mine, then who are we going to be in the future? It’s a scary thought, we can’t just move to another place. It’s our livelihood, our way of life, we still rely on the land for our food; it is a big part of who we are. Our territory is our responsibility; we can’t just move around. The land is so sacred we are not supposed to talk about it. We are being forced to talk about it now because we have to defend it. We didn’t talk about it before because it is just so sacred. It is the Mother Earth in us.”

Anne Marie Sam shared this with me by telephone, speaking from Prince George, BC, where she was participating in “The Canadian Boreal – Our Home”, a national meeting of First Nations leaders discussing their role in sustainable management and protection of the boreal forests.

Anne Marie is a Dakelh (people who travel by water) member born into the Frog Clan of Nak’azdli. Anne and her family are from Nak’azdli reserve, adjacent to Ft. St. James in northwestern British Columbia, a part of the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council. Her young life was strongly influenced by time spent on the land with her extended family, headed up by grandparents, and including aunts, uncles and cousins. From a young age, the children were expected to help in all aspects of food gathering and preparation for winter storage. Summers were spent in this work. The boreal forest was a rich source for them. Nak’al Bun (Stuart Lake) is crucial to the Fraser River Salmon Run. The early Stuart Salmon run makes its way to Stuart Lake and continues on further north to the spawning grounds. The salmon are a key food source. To supplement the Salmon each family is responsible for areas known as Keyoh. The Nation River Keyoh was an important part of Anne’s childhood and now Anne is able to share with her children the connection to the Nation River. The Keyoh is the area of survival where they go berry-picking, medicinal plant collecting, and lake fishing. Hunting grounds for bear, caribou, moose and beaver, geese and ducks abound in the boreal forest near her home. Anne was mentored in food gathering and preparation tasks that were age appropriate within the community of her greater family. Her importance in the survival of their clan was understood, and this instilled in her pride, a sense of place, and of her contribution to their society from a very early age.

This strong sense of self is particularly impressive when set against tragedy in her young life. Before Anne was one year old, her father died in a sawmill accident, leaving Anne’s 21-year-old mother to raise her two young daughters along with the assistance of the extended family. Time was spent on each family keyoh, experiences that cemented family ties.

“We were always grounded and we knew who we were: we were part of the Frog Clan. We were loved, cherished and taught many life skills within our family.”

Anna and her sister Liza on the Nation River

As a young adult, Anne pursued post-secondary education, first an undergraduate degree in history, and then completed the course requirements for a master’s degree in history and First Nations Studies Her energy for advocacy of the boreal forest and her Nak’azdli culture and lands are astonishing. She has three children (two still very young), a master’s degree in progress, and recently completed a term as a councilor on her band council. Her attention is focused on a mine, Shus Nadloh (Mt. Milligan) which has been proposed for her own keyoh. She is the Chair of the group First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM), an impressive gathering of female chiefs, councillors and former chiefs who are working to reform the mining process in BC to balance the economics of mining developments with respect for First Nations rights and culture, and the need for First Nations stewardship of their lands and traditional territories.

First Nations input prior to development, promotion of First Nations land use plans, and lobbying governments to restrict the ease with which exploration claims can be registered are three examples of their work. The group’s focus is on the social and cultural impacts of mining, impacts borne heavily by women and children. Healthy boreal forest ecosystems are crucial to their traditional practices, so the environmental concerns easily join with cultural concerns. Her work in boreal forest and mining advocacy takes Anne away from her family on average for a week out of every month.

When developments such as mines are proposed, there are usually socio-economic and environmental studies that take place, contracted and paid for by the company proposing the work. Anne’s work with the Shus Nadloh mining proposal led to a different approach. Studies were paid for by the mining company, but the band was able to bring in their own consultants to create a socio-cultural review of the development process, rather than relying solely on the consultants hand-picked by the mining company to do socio-economic and environmental reviews. A socio-cultural study looks beyond money and jobs being brought into a region, further examining the maintenance or restoration of cultural health throughout the economic development process.

“It is important to look at the animal life and vegetation in the boreal forests as part of development. It is also important to look at the human life and indigenous cultures that exist in the forest.”

Anne’s work in boreal advocacy as a member of FNWARM and as an individual involves a holistic approach to forest-based developments which include harvesting of trees, hydroelectric projects, pipeline routes and extraction of non-renewable resources by mining. The indigenous cultures know the intricacies of the boreal forests and the animals sustained by them. Each band or tribe knows what their culture needs from this land to regain their former health and strength; Anne is promoting the need to find balance between sustainability of developments and cultural/environmental health. She is working tirelessly to help promote this balance. Regaining a more sensitive use of all boreal forest ecosystems will, by nature of their sensitivity, promote cultural health in their residents. The forest will benefit from this approach, with improved likelihood of integrity in key areas, and an overall retention of habitat. This holistic approach benefits humans far beyond the indigenous inhabitants of the forest. A healthy boreal forest is ammunition against climate change which impacts all life on the planet. Anne Marie Sam’s work exemplifies the expression “Think globally, act locally”.

Liz  grew up in Fort William First Nation near Thunder Bay, Ontario, nestled against the shores and heaving surf of Lake Superior where one can stand and look upon the famous Sleeping Giant rock formation; a near perfect relief of some fantastic and colossal man slumbering atop the cold, black water.  From Thunder Bay, you can travel a little south into Fort William and eventually into a blanket of boreal forest and stand at the foot of Mount McKay.  This is where the community holds their annual pow-wow; near the old wishing well, and where an old and dilapidated church rests in Squaw Bay abandoned.  It was among these places, where a young Liz Esquega learned from her grandmother Josephine.

When telling me about her grandmother, Esquega recounts enigmatic and self-sufficient old women who used to meticulously document weather patterns, and live by the rhythm of the land.  She would spend her time sitting on the bed looking distantly out the window, observing and meditating.  On occasion, she would pat the bed and ask Liz to sit with her.  When she did, she would never look at her granddaughter, but instead would remain transfixed at the scene outside.  Her words were often subtle and understated, yet consistently full of insight.  I can tell by way Liz speaks about them that she has enjoyed a lifetime of decoding their finer mysteries.

“Shhhh!  Did you hear that?” her grandmother once asked.  The young and mystified Liz looked on.  “Didn’t you hear what that little bird said?  She said it’s going to rain today…”  And rain it did.

Liz tells me that this kind of knowledge is invaluable.

“It’s beyond science almost, being in tune with Mother Earth and what surrounds you, “says Esquega.  “The value of that is being in touch with the Creator and reminding you of the beauty that life has to offer and it’s all for free – it doesn’t cost anything.  And what do we do?  Destroy it.  When we destroy it, we destroy ourselves.  This is the ancient knowledge.”

As one of the many things Liz Equega does to combat poverty in her capacity as the Coordinator for SEED Winnipeg’s Aboriginal Community Collaborations, she also has taught  money management workshops to Aboriginal Seniors that live  in Winnipeg.  The strain of financial poverty is significant on the Elders living in Winnipeg, but so is the strain of environmental poverty.

“It came up at the Aboriginal Senior Resource Centre, because this is how they see poverty.  Just think about how many of them grew up.  Grandma didn’t even have running water, but she had the land and knew how to live on it.  Now the elders are living poor in the city and saving up their pennies,” says Liz.

The issue of environmental poverty eventually came up with Liz’s grandmother, too.

“Grandma didn’t see herself as poor.  She found her wealth in the waters of Lake Superior, in the mountains, and the beauty of the natural world,” says Liz.  But over time, the ever-observant grandmother who could tell how cold the coming winter was going to be by the rhythm of the tides, and how great the harvest of berries was going to be in spring time eventually remarked to Liz that the water of Lake Superior were making her sick.  And with that, the penniless grandmother who went without running water was suddenly poor in a very real sense.

This is why Liz believes in helping communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg protect the vast and pristine boreal forest that surrounds them and provides them environmental resources that they can draw on for survival.  It is also why she believes in assisting Fisher River Cree Nation in their bid to protect their traditional territory that includes fresh water reefs, boreal forest, and important habitat for animals like bats, wolves, bears, and moose.

“I think that these kinds of initiatives are good because they protect the environment and the integrity of the area,” says Liz, later adding that it would send an important message to the youth of today.  “Children of today need to learn respect.  If they can respect Mother Earth, it may help them in their walk of life.  They will carry that with them.”

As a youth, Thomas moved to the city of Winnipeg. He fell away from the environmental movement at that time, and it was not until he became involved with the Prairie Buffalo and Red Smoke Productions Theater Company that he began reconnecting with art and the interplay on human land use ethic. He spoke in an impassioned way about “how the appreciation of land was taken away to make room for people” during the time of colonization. Many of his plays focused on these issues.

Thomas was influenced by the land ethic that was instilled and passed down to him by his family. His exploration and challenge of traditional and western land use practices over the years has provided him with a more holistic understanding of the issues currently facing our nation.

Today, Thomas is the Community Liaison Heritage Resource Extension Officer with Manitoba Conservation. He assists communities in reviewing the legislation that may affect aboriginal rights and attempts to combine traditional and western knowledge in order to facilitate a better understanding of the impact that land use planning will have on our environment. Thomas cited that western science would benefit from consulting with Elders in the community regarding migration patterns of animals and the changes in the animal population. He indicated that at times, Scientists do not take the time to consult with the communities that are in close contact with the animals being studied, and instead adhere to more intrusive tactics of tagging animals which can cause physical stress on them. Thomas cited that animal populations “ebb and flow” due to a number of reasons, such as climate change and the encroachment of people on their habitats. He suggests that less intrusive methods that place value on traditional knowledge, may lead to better research.

When asked to explain why the Boreal Forest is important to him, Thomas indicated that it provides a livelihood for the people. Thomas believes in the importance of sustainable development. He does not believe that all development should be stopped, but indicated that current practices could be improved. Thomas has been a part of the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin project, which is Oji Cree for “East Side of Lake Winnipeg Governance”. It was an initiative that identified the need for Broad Area Plans for the province of Manitoba. In particular it identified the East Side of Lake Winnipeg as a unique region of the province that has a vast expanse of undeveloped, contiguous, boreal forest which is at risk due to climate change. Thomas indicated that some First Nation Communities located on the East Side of Winnipeg would benefit from the development of an all-season road. He indicated that these communities can become isolated due to the lack of reliable roads and transportation networks, which increases the cost of food in the communities, and reduces their access to social services.

In his current role, Thomas assists with facilitating the interests of the First Nations Communities, with those of Manitoba Conservation, and that of Industry. Thomas states that “looking after the environment is key” and when asked how he measures success, he stated “When both sides agree”. Thomas indicated that since beginning his position as a Community Liaison Officer, he has seen positive strides such as when the First Nation community coordinators were able to attend training sessions in land planning, use and occupancy mapping and GIS that was paid for by Manitoba Conservation.

Peggy and Stan, both from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, grew up on the landscape. Peggy grew up on a ranch, while Stan hunted and trapped with his father and uncles. The two met forty eight years ago while teaching in Moose Lake, Manitoba. Both later acquired their PhDs at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and since, have been working together as educators and counselors in multicultural and mainstream settings. Their most recent endeavour has been the establishment of a Land-Based Education Masters degree program in Education at the University of Saskatchewan. The first cohort of eight Masters students graduated in October, 2010.

This program, having sprung from the perceived need for Aboriginal students to receive a more “relevant form of education,” encourages teachers to get out of the classroom and use the land and resources around them. Most important, is to teach the students by using an Indigenist Paradigm. Inherent in this paradigm is the understanding that we are all teachers and all students. “Teaching, questioning, answering… everyone is on the same level rather than on a hierarchy. It’s about interaction,” Stan explains. The connection between people is one that ties us to each other and to nature. It is reflected in the way we act and interact with it,

“…going about gently and thus knowing you belong in nature, you are a part of it (all of creation) …we are an integral part of the environment, and must maintain an harmonious relationship with the land around us. Part of understanding the paradigm is coming to understand and read the land around us so that we can fully understand what our responsibilities are. An Indigenist paradigm recognizes that we are all related; people, plants, animals, fishes, rocks, the air we breathe, the constellations we see, the water that sustains our life and the soil on which we tread. If we misstep or otherwise disrespect any one of these components, natural justice will be served.  The Cree word that encompasses this concept is pastahowun.  The Land-Based initiative emphasizes this relational accountability” (Peggy).

Stan: “There is no standard definition of the term ‘yet’ as one would find in a dictionary. Rather it is a concept that is derived from an Indigenist world view and in our case from the Cree words ‘pastahowin‘ and ‘otcinawin’. These concepts mean that people are accountable for their actions to all their relations (all living things/beings). Being accountable means that there are consequences for the one lives their life. That provides the framework for all living including teaching and learning. It means that in order to be a good human being and contribute to the betterment of life then one must consider the impact of their actions. If one does live a destructive and dysfunctional life then natural justice will surely be served. If one is compassionate to all their relations then there is balance in the relationships. So, it is one of building relationships that are harmonious and reciprocal.

“In that scenario one does not deliberately destroy their environment for the sake of progress or profit but rather lives in harmony with the environment. One also acknowledges and celebrates the ‘gifts’ that nature and the ‘great Mystery’ provides.

“Because the sacred is in all creation one can also acknowledge and honour those relationships. There are numerous ways that can happen.

“All this is ancient Indigenous Peoples knowledge learned from living and observing the ways of nature over many centuries. Central to this is the land (Mother Earth as some folks call it). It is thus like a textbook that once one learns to read; the knowledge is there.

“This way of teaching and learning I have called ‘Indigegogy’.”

This circle of learning is perpetuated on many planes within the lives of the Wilsons themselves – through their children who all hold graduate degrees, through the family of Aboriginal scholars that is rapidly developing, and in the soon to be established (at the University of Saskatchewan) International Indigenous Doctoral Program that they have developed along with a working group of International Scholars. These varying levels of discussion enrich the circle of knowledge that exists within the Indigenist paradigm and leads to a diversification of interpretation and understanding.

This method of education does not simply mean taking university level courses off campus, but rather, embodies a much fuller concept. Students are provided with experiences and their subsequent interpretations are their own, not dictated to them or inferred from assigned text. Stan points out that though it is difficult for professors and students alike to make the shift away from learning through book text (all of the Wilsons’ past Masters and PhD students hold undergraduate degrees from the Western Paradigm’s education tradition), “…learning from the land is just as credible as learning from books.” Students must be able to analyze their experience from the Indigenist perspective (for some, a life-changing experience), develop a theory, and discuss their experience in writing in order to be able to articulate it. It teaches students to “…learn how to learn from the land.” This results in a rich combination of experience, interpretation, and balance between different forms of discourse, traditional and otherwise, “…there has to be a moving back and forth between oral tradition and written text” (Peggy).

An holistic lifestyle approach is taken in the Land-Based Education Program; all four quadrants (physical, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional) are drawn from in order to acquire knowledge. By addressing a variety of needs from these realms, students are engaged at a deeper level of participation in which they live fully and consciously. From paddling, running and the gathering of medicinal herbs, to meal preparation, students are given the experiences needed in order to fuel their ensuing thesis pursuits. However, as Peggy clarifies, “…it is not just having the experience, but being able to understand and analyze it,” which separates this program from western methods of education. It uses the ‘land as text’ as a means to develop experiential education, as opposed to a regurgitation of taught knowledge.

“For example, how do trees, like other living forms, live in families (deciduous trees are usually to be found close together so that they too will be able to regenerate their species.  Likewise for evergreens, the different families live close together.  Even rocks are in families, sand is usually found gathered together, so is gravel, boulders, sedimentary rock, granite, etc.  Water of course finds its way to gather in pools, lakes, and eventually the ocean.”

Students develop a direct relationship with the boreal forest through this program. This is done in many ways, including “…harvesting traditional medicines in order to learn about their uses from local knowledge holders who understand and can explain why certain medicines are found in specific areas.   Intellectual property rights are important and are observed here.  Students come to respect these rights, taking responsibility for carrying knowledge that can be shared only with those who respect and observe required protocols” (Stan).

The Indigenist paradigm takes root in ancient Indigenous knowledge, and from it, stems a need to engage students in cooperative learning, something this form of education, at all levels, seeks to utilize. The program takes a positive approach to study, as will the International Program. Though it will include a sharing of knowledge between different people who hold recent histories of oppression, the focus of the program is on ancient histories as seen through an Indigenist perspective. “We want to situate ourselves to come from a positive, proactive state,” Stan asserts.

A new platform for accessing Indigenous knowledge will come with the International PhD Program, set to commence in 2012. Its proposal, which will be made available through the University of Saskatchewan, presents yet another venue of discussion – that which has already been, and will continue to be, occurring between its diverse team members. This group includes scholars from Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada, who sets its focus and direction. The Wilsons expect that the University of Saskatchewan will see more Aboriginal students graduate from this program than have ever graduated from that university before. Awareness is spreading quickly. What university educators such as the Wilsons would like to see happen now is an increase in funding so that scholarships can be provided for students.

Along with their grandchildren, Stan and Peggy Wilson have a daughter at the University of Saskatchewan who has taken on the leadership of the Land-Based Education Program as head professor, a son who has authored a book on the Indigenist Paradigm, and another son who has recently filled the position of Treaty Commissioner for Manitoba. “The discussions that come with our getting together are tremendous indeed…” (Stan) and have become their own sharing circle, one which transcends teacher-student, parent-child, and scholar-scholar relationships and is a powerful circle of knowledge and experience.

Chief Nepinak took office as Chief of Pine Creek First Nation, a community with a membership of nearly 3000 located on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipegosis, in January of 2009. He has a B.A. (Honours) degree in Native Studies from the University of Alberta, and an L.L.B. law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He’s also completed the Intensive Program in Aboriginal Lands, Resources & Government, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto. But perhaps most insightful is his faith in his Elders wisdom, he comments, “I will be speaking my heart, based on the teachings I’ve received from my Elders and they have never steered me wrong.”

Two factors have motivated Chief Nepinak – his Elders and his children. For the past he feels indebtedness, of his Elders he says, “I owe it to them to carry on their message, and I’ll do it as long as people are listening.” And for his children he wishes to clear a space for them, “so that they don’t have to fight the way I have to for a better tomorrow, so they can live their lives in optimism.”

Chief Nepinak speaks with an acute awareness of the issues facing his community, many of those problems the result of differences in values between cultures. Environmental issues are very important to the community of Pine Creek. They are one of the First Nations requesting an environmental audit of the ‘past impacts and effects’ of Manitoba Hydro’s operations before any new developments occur, including the proposal to run BiPole III through Pine Creek’s traditional hunting and medicine grounds.

“The issues around conservation and protecting the interests of First Nations people is complex and beyond the comprehension of many people who come from different segments of society, whom are not familiar with the value systems we live by, nor our deep connection to the lands we know, and the lands we have always known better than anyone else.”

A primary value that comes out of this deep-seated practical as well as spiritual relationship to the lands and waters is stewardship. “We don’t separate ourselves from the environment the way some cultures and societies do. Some societies look at the land as something to be exploited for dollars. We don’t think that way. We are part of the land just like any other animal is. We have a duty to maintain that ecosystem and make sure it is intact for future generations.”

Explaining that the urban reality is quite different from that that exists in Manitoba’s northern boreal forest, Chief Nepinak advocates for the need for those relationships with the natural world to be re-instilled and reinvented. He asserts that the fast-paced economy far removes people from experiencing the valuable things in life. It is difficult to appreciate the world around us when we don’t have a connection to the land and therefore cannot understand it.

“You have to have an understanding of their [animals’] behaviour in order to survive. People see a bear across the lake and they’re terrified. Meanwhile, the bear is living, just as you are. That understanding is gone now. We’ve gone to looking at these elements in nature as being in opposition to our interests and that’s not the case at all. And that’s what makes me someone who is interested in conservation – is because of the enhancement of relationships in nature and those things that are around us.”

Restoring the balance is integral to this concept of harmony with the earth, something that First Nations people have practiced for millennia and many continue to do so. To an observer it may look like a gift given in return for a gift, a sprinkle of tobacco for picking sweet grass for example. But the concept is much more complex and embodies a spiritual relationship that identifies these things not as simply gifts but as offerings. Offerings, meant to restore the balance, are made for even the simplest activities. Chief Nepinak recounts how tobacco is placed in the small holes needed to erect the poles for a sweat lodge. He adds, “If you’re offering tobacco for something that simple to restore the balance in the relationship with the land, what are the impacts of an open pit mine, a 4000-foot deep hole in the ground? How much tobacco would it take to fill that hole up?” He laughs, but is sincere, “It’s almost impossible to reconcile and what that does is create a disharmony with the environment.”

Part of the understanding of protection of the landscape comes out of the conservation aspect of the principle of the Seven Generations.  This is a process whereby the knowledge of the ancestors is passed down through the generations of family, a conscious decision to maintain intergenerational equity by ensuring sufficient resources remain for future generations. Chief Nepinak explains that in his understanding, we are living in the fourth generation. His great grandfather (seventh generation) would have taught his grandfather (sixth) who would have taught his father (fifth, etc.). As the fourth generation, Chief Nepinak says, “I have a responsibility to take my son and daughter to the land to teach them how to maintain a blueberry patch, or make sure the sweetgrass continues to grow, all these things. And then they would have that knowledge and I would help to pass it to their kids. And then I would live a satisfied life knowing I passed on something that matters. That’s the conservation principle. The challenge is that the generational linkage has been broken in many families thereby denying many of our people of the lessons of conservation that our ancestors would have passed down had the generational oral traditions been maintained.”

‘Protection’ of the boreal forest has many meanings to Chief Nepinak and the people of Pine Creek. It includes keeping lands and forests undamaged by the processes of logging and mining so that people can maintain a traditional lifestyle and relationship to the natural world. It involves the protection of the integrity of their traditional ecosystems while obtaining fair deals in economic development on their lands.

A rather ominous but truthful statement, Chief Nepinak explains, quite succinctly, “With this disharmony today we are facing – I don’t know how imminent it is – a day of reckoning. At the same time I’m almost happy. Somewhere, somehow, there will be a restoring of balance but it may come at a great cost to human life.” A prophecy we would be wise to heed.

Growing up in the boreal forest Maria realized that “it is one thing to protect [the boreal] but it is getting people to enjoy it, respect it and experience it.” Interested in working outside to remain connected with the boreal forest Maria first acquired a Bachelors degree in Ecology. “I think nature and the land has so much to teach us. For me, it reconnects and re-inspires me, and gives me the encouragement to keep going. There is nothing like being in the forest and seeing, listening and smelling everything around you.” After completing her under-graduate degree, Maria worked as a Park Warden trainee in Kluane National Park of Canada in the Yukon, and later moved to Churchill, Manitoba to undertake graduate work.

Based out of Churchill, Maria worked with Wapusk National Park of Canada, York Factory and Fox Lake First Nations to help develop Cree place-name maps and landscape terms for the area. Part Cree, Maria is fluent in the Cree language and as part of her graduate work to obtain a Masters degree in Natural Resource Management, Maria met and interviewed Elders and community residents to learn how the Cree language was used to describe the surrounding landscapes, landforms, and waterbodies. “There is a lot of history behind names, Cree place names are very descriptive. Some names were given because of a species of animal, or the names were based on activities that they used to do there.” Regardless of her accomplishments Maria insists, “How can I have as much knowledge as someone who has lived in the area and has lived off the land for many years.”

Through their time spent in the community and on the land, Elders and community members provide insightful wisdom on many issues affecting their traditional lands and communities. Yet, control over the development of natural resources and other land uses by non-First Nation governments for example, has stifled First Nation involvement in local issues. As a result, Maria explains that perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing First Nations is the sense of helplessness and feeling of a loss of control over their traditional lands and communities. “[Communities] need funding, support, and encouragement to help motivate and empower them,” says Maria. Through her work with CIER, Maria provides technical support and helps First Nations set up programs, train individuals and also assists with finding funding to encourage community-driven participation in addressing their environmental issues. Maria’s efforts help communities regain a sense of empowerment. “It is important to get First Nations involved from the very beginning. When you work closely with the community, it has more merit, community buy-in and support, and long-term impact.”

Over the past year and a half, Maria has been involved with northern Ontario First Nations and finding ways to support them in planning for the boreal. In 2008, the Provincial Government of Ontario committed to protect half of Ontario’s boreal forest without including First Nations in the decision-making process or development of the commitment. Furthermore, First Nations have been asked to present land use plans for their traditional territories. However as Maria explains, the land use plans requested by the Province of Ontario do not correspond with how First Nations view the boreal. “We talk with the communities and to them, the boreal extends everywhere and gives them life – they don’t think of borders, rather the boreal is everywhere.”

The boreal region of Ontario flows through the traditional territories of numerous First Nations, so it is not uncommon for traditional territories, which are often based on traditional use and occupancy, to overlap with one another. This overlap is viewed as shared lands by the First Nations. “How can one community make a land use plan when there are shared lands. How is each [community] going to do an individual land use plan without it affecting those around them.” With help from Maria and CIER and other organizations, First Nations are taking their own approach and are developing their own boreal vision, “A unified voice amongst communities with the goal to ‘protect’ and plan for the whole boreal.” This broad vision hopes to inspire and provide direction for all First Nation communities to not only participate in planning for and protecting the boreal forest but to take control and make decisions that are community-driven and based.

Compared to First Nation community members and Elders, Maria does not consider herself to be an expert on First Nation environmental issues, yet, it is evident that her own personal experiences and knowledge is extensive. In her desire to help protect the boreal forest, the encouragement to respect as well as experience the boreal region has provided her with motivation to help assist First Nations to take control over their traditional territories. With Maria’s help, the wisdom and knowledge of Elders and community members will not only be heard but, furthermore, will help support the quest to develop a national, unified vision for the boreal forest.

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, so this was a better place to learn,” Valerie explains.

The Innu Nation was involved in a really innovative ecosystem-based plan for an area about 7 million hectares, an area twice the size of Vancouver Island in south-central Labrador (called Nitassinan). As an ecosystem-based plan, the plan set out to balance social, economic, and ecological values. There was no set number in mind for how much to protect when they began planning; they set out with a set of ecological criteria. The outcome was that 50 percent of the regional boreal land-base is now protected from industrial developments.

As the Forest Planner, Valerie’s first order of business was to implement the new forest management plan. Since this was largely a scientific-based plan, this involved reducing the gap between the science and the cumulative data – between standard forestry practices and what people needed in the community. Under the newly formed Guardian Program, Innu members were trained as forest technicians, interviewers and community liaisons and were responsible for meeting with community members to address what it was they needed from the forest.

“It’s really about planning for humans, and not about planning for the forest itself [...] If there’s no Innu, then there’s no Innu economy. So you have to protect Nitassiman and you have to protect the land first to make sure it can support what Innu need to be Innu, in order to create an Innu economy.”

This is where the Innu have deviated significantly from typical forest planning. The usual method has been to allocate areas for industrial development first, without any long-term planning for other land-use practices.
The Innu understood that this type of planning approach wouldn’t work for them and so set out to plan their future, and incidentally the future of their children and grandchildren. They started by determining what it was they wanted to protect. Community members provided input and were asked what areas were important to them and what needed to stay. They essentially determined what it was that made the landscape the landscape.

“The network of protected areas ended up being important cultural sites, travel routes, and harvesting areas – they were all interconnected. Protection of 50 percent is a huge area, its bigger than other forest management areas, but there is still development in some areas where people felt uncomfortable and that was because of something that just couldn’t be translated into planning – some spiritual value or a story that is associated with a place that you can’t really draw around or account for necessarily,” Valerie explains.

With such an ambitious plan, challenges are inevitable, especially when there are great differences in opinions and needs throughout the community. But these plans should, and need to be done, Valerie asserts. For the Innu Nation, the need to bring in industry and jobs into Goose Bay was evident; the alternative was to send out Labrador’s high value wood from boreal forests which would send jobs out of the province as well. The Innu Nation’s progressive ecosystem-based management plan also meant the community is well prepared and now in a position for future decision-making regarding forestry.

“Land use planning is key for ensuring that you have what you need to be you, and for ensuring that you also have a future in development and to grow. To create certainty. It’s a very important tool that you can bring to government and industry in negotiating with them to ensure that their activities don’t impact you, in a negative way anyway.”

Valerie is now the Senior Advisor of Aboriginal Relations for the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) – ‘a national convener for conservation in Canada’s Boreal Forest.’ Working alongside CBI while she was still with the Innu Nation, Valerie saw this as an opportunity to work at the policy level to affect greater change. Her responsibilities now include two significant areas in Canada’s boreal forest – Quebec’s Plan Nord and Ontario’s Far North, commitments made by the provincial governments to permanently protect at least 225,000 square kilometres in Ontario and 50 percent of the territory above the 49 parallel in Quebec. For these, she will promote land-use planning and the idea of balance between conservation and development. She will work directly with the communities, including her own.

“I feel that through CBI I can probably have a bigger impact on the opportunities for my community than I would working directly for the community [...] and have the opportunity to influence what happens because of the position CBI is in,” says Valerie.

In the tradition of a hand’s on approach, Valerie continues to define her position as a boreal leader by ensuring ecosystem values are integral in sustainable frameworks for on the ground planning, effectively inspiring those that understand this is the best opportunity for a healthy future for the boreal and its people.

Since 1990, Kaaren has also been developing and delivering Aboriginal focused trapping courses for youth and young adults. As the head trapper instructor for Treaty 3, she is helping to reestablish the sacred relationship between Aboriginal people and the boreal forest. The establishment of the registered trapline system in the 1940′s greatly affected Aboriginal peoples’ relationship to the land. “[The government] knew of Aboriginal’s relationship to the land yet wanted Native people to look at the land as a commodity, instead of being a part of them,” expresses Karen. Assigning specific sections of land was an attempt for trapping to become privatized and commodified in order to begin the shift of trapping from being first and foremost, a spiritual activity, to an economic activity, which would create a disconnection from the land. Though Kaaren says, “It never quite happened that way.”

Aboriginal people still see themselves as caretakers of the land, born into that responsibility, much as the land takes care of them. Their relationship to the land is a sacred, spiritual and cultural connection which sadly has been jeopardized from external regulation. “Provincial trapping programs teach youth that the land is a resource to make money off of,” a contradiction to traditional Aboriginal culture which views the land as part of their community of relations. Therefore, Kaaren strongly asserts that, “It is important to train young people ourselves, to help promote a spiritual activity and to keep them connected to the land.” Kaaren has done just that.

Kaaren uses spiritual and cultural traditions from the land to teach youth traditional trapping skills. When learning trapping skills, it is important for youth to be familiar with safety, conservation and humaneness. “We deal with those when we talk about the medicine wheel Teachings and the circle of relationships. Those requirements are met by talking about and understanding what respect means to us – respecting the plants, respecting the animals, and respecting all of our relations on the land.”

Perhaps the most important message that Kaaren teaches the youth is that it is not about managing the “resources” but about self-management. “It is us and our behaviour that has to be managed,” she says. This message is largely passed onto the youth through the language and practice of traditional ceremonies. Kaaren explains that all items taken from the land receive a ceremony. Traditional ceremonies are not only a time to show appreciation for all of the gifts from the land and the Creator but also helps keep one conscious of their actions. “Everything you take from the land, you first have to ask permission, from the fish, the moose, the beaver. Also you must have a ceremony.” Tobacco offerings, coins, blood and songs help keep one conscious of their actions to the land and its creatures. “Our relationship to the land is to treat it like you would treat your Mother. You just don’t go breaking branches and taking things willy-nilly.”

Through the Anishinaape teachings handed down from one generation to the next, the youth are inspired to practice and utilize traditional trapping skills and as a result, the cultural and spiritual connections between Trout Lake residents and the boreal forest are further strengthened.