NIBI Nibi Journey by Autumn Peltier Mskwaagiizo kwe, Migizi ndodem
IN THE BEGINNING WHO KNEW WHERE OUR PATHS WOULD LEAD TO, AND WHERE WE ARE NOW
ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHILDREN S CLIMATE CONFERENCE IN SODERTALJE, SWEDEN
INVITED TO SHARE OUR MESSAGE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE & OUR SACRED WATER AT THE ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS CHIEFS ASSEMBLY
STOOD UP FOR MY PEOPLE AND TOLD THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS BROKEN PROMISES TO MY PEOPLE
OUR WORK IS CONTINUOUS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRAY FOR OUR WATER -- WATER WALKING IS ONE WAY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
CEREMONY IS A WAY OF LIFE, IT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND OUR CONNECTION TO THE LAND AND WATER, WE BEGIN TO LEARN AT A YOUNG AGE
MY WATER WALKING FAMILY
WE DO THIS FOR OUR WATER NIBI, SHE SUSTAINS ALL LIFE, AND SHE S NOT ONLY ALIVE, BUT SHE HAS A SPIRIT
IT IS OUR ROLE AS ANISHINAABE-KWE TO PROTECT OUR WATER AND OUR EARTH
OUR FIRST TEACHING HAPPENS IN THE WOMB Bringing life is one of our holiest acts we have as women, bringing a spirit being into the physical world Thinking we come from a long river of ancestral waters from many grandmothers before me, just this very thought can be overwhelming on how sacred our waters are Also the waters of my ancestors flow through me, hundreds of years and hundreds of strong grandmothers before me Keeping our sacred waters balanced and clean is our first act of respect and love for new life We create and mould the future in the nine months spirits live in our womb Mother s practice balance of all things, our first lesson in multi-tasking, balancing life, balancing water, balancing emotion and physical being
WE NEED TO SHARE OUR TEACHINGS OF THE SACREDNESS OF WATER WITH EVERYONE
DON T WAIT FOR ANYONE, JUST DO IT
I SHUT DOWN A MAJOR SECTION OF THE TRANS CANADA HIGHWAY TO CREATE AWARENESS AND TO STAND WITH STANDING ROCK
I TRAVELLED TO WINNIPEG TO SPEAK FOR THE CANADIAN ROOTS EXCHANGE & MET WAB KINEW, MP OF MANITOBA
GOT TO MEET WITH OTHER YOUTH AND MADE NEW FRIENDS, WHO INVITED ME TO PARLIAMENT HILL
WENT TO MEET PETER SCHIEFKE (MP & CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTALIST) TO SHARE MY MESSAGE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER
I HAVE HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK ABOUT THE SACREDNESS OF WATER
WATER IS SO SACRED AND WATER IS ALIVE
I HAVE BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED FOR MY ADVOCACY AND FOR SPEAKING UP FOR OUR WATER
MORE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND MY QUOTES BEING SHARED
THEN THINGS STARTED TO CHANGE AND MY VOICE FOR THE WATER WAS BEING HEARD INTERNATIONALLY
LEADERSHIP AND TREATY ALLIANCE OF CANADA
AND TREATIES I GOT ASKED TO SIGN A TREATY, ONLY CHIEFS SIGN TREATIES BUT THEY INVITED ME AS A FUTURE CHIEF AND WATER ADVOCATE
RECOGNITION FROM PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
LOTS OF MEDIA.
INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN, KANAHAUS MANUEL, BUFFY SAINTE MARIE, AND MY AUNT JOSEPHINE
MORE MEDIA
MEETING DR. DAVID SUZUKI (CANADIAN ACADEMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST) IN VANCOUVER
AWARDS: ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZENS AWARD, SOVEREIGN S MEDAL FOR VOLUNTEERS
KINDER MORGAN PIPELINE NOT MY FRIEND
MY FIRST PROTEST
MY FIRST PROTEST, KINDER MORGAN PIPELINE (BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, MARCH 2018)
INTERVIEW BEFORE WORLD WATER DAY (NEW YORK, NEW YORK)
UNITED NATIONS WORLD WATER DAY
UNITED NATIONS ADDRESS TO WORLD LEADERS
MEETING CANADA S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND SITTING WHERE CANADA SITS AT THE UN
YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHERE YOUR PATH WILL LEAD YOU, BUT, YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE AND ANYONE CAN DO THIS WORK.
UNITED NATIONS ADDRESS TO WORLD LEADERS
IF THIS IS OUR WATER NOW, THEN WHAT WILL OUR WATER LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE
SPEECH SAMPLE #1
SPEECH SAMPLE #2
TRADITIONAL TEACHINGS IS WHERE I LEARN ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR PEOPLE
AUTUMN BACK -TO-BACK, AND BEHIND THE SCENES MURAL AND OTTAWA RIVER KEEPER VIDEO
ADVOCACY FOR OUR MOTHER EARTH
SHEDIAC, NEW BRUNSWICK
SOME OF THE WORK I DO
WATER CEREMONY-ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS, SPIRIT NEVER WAITS FOR ANYONE!!
I M JUST A KID TOO, AND I CAN BE SILLY SOMETIMES
WHERE I M AT TODAY. I have travelled over 200,000 KM across Canada and the USA sharing my message with women of all ages My goal is to empower youth to stand up for our peoples basic human rights as we shouldn t have to worry about these issues but my great great grandchildren are inheriting this planet and I need to ensure there will be a planet for my descendants Climate change is 100% preventable. When my grandfather was a little boy nothing came in plastic, plastic is destroying our planet and killing our animals. Even making plastic is damaging Everything humans do has an impact and we need to be mindful and respectful, but not everyone is listening and mother earth is taking action with natural disasters My work is only beginning, and I don t know how long I will keep going We need to help the one person who inspires me as she needs to retire and its now our turn to help mother earth.
ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU CAN DO? Any amount of work for the water helps An activity to create awareness or cleaning the land is something that is better than nothing Share your story with youth Visit the elders and listen to their stories of how the old ways were and how we can go back and we can change our thinking Teach the children young, as children do as they learn from their parents Be creative and any idea is a good idea
I DO IT FOR THE WATER.