Environment and Relationship to the Land

Reconciliation Conversations

Overview - Environment and Relationship to the Land

Awareness of the past

• Relationship to the land: FNMI Cultures

Acknowledgement of harm

• Land disconnection: The Reserve System, The Pass System, The Residential School System
• Link between violence against the land and MMIWG
• Environmental racism
• Indigenous peoples on the front lines of climate change

Making amends for harm caused

• In policy: UNDRIP, The Canadian Constitution, Nunavut Land Claims Agreement
• #landback: What does it mean?

Actions to change behaviour

• Land acknowledgements
• Shifting our understanding

Activity: Whose land?

Challenge: Places to Protect

Resources

Awareness of the Past

Environment and Relationship to the Land

Each tribe within Indigenous communities has different understandings and connections to the environment and the land of Turtle Island. Any belief is not right or wrong, and must be respected by settlers, governments, and those on the land.

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Do you believe the these connections have been respected? Why or why not? By whom?

Jasyn Lucas - Turtle Island

Relationship to the Land: First Nations

Relationships between First Nations and the land are intricate, respectful, spiritual, and physically dependent.*

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These relationships are based on stewardship, not ownership. First Nations believe that they have been given a moral responsibility to care for the land and sea, and all of the creatures that occupy it.

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This responsibility is more than an emotional; First Nations believe that they are also spiritually connected to the land and its creatures.

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Traditional knowledge, languages, cultural practices and oral traditions built up over millenia are all connected to the land in some way or another.

Mohawk warrior flag**

Relationship to the Land: Métis

Métis peoples were raised to use the land as a communal resource to be able to provide the necessities of life, rather than a possession that can be exploited.

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The modern concept of individual ownership of land was not practiced within Métis communities, as they believe everyone has a right to the land.

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Métis believe that the land sustains their spirits and bodies.

Métis flag

Relationship to the Land: Inuit

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For millennia, the Inuit have relied heavily on the environment for natural resources to adapt to the cold and harsh climates of the Arctic North.

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Above all, Inuit believe their story is based on how their people were able to learn how to live in balance with the natural world.

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Out of respect for the land and ocean that provides for them, when hunting, the Inuit, like most Indigenous peoples, make use of all parts of the animal efficiently.

Nunavut flag

Indigenous Peoples as Land Caretakers

Studies show that Indigenous peoples are the most effective caretakers of the Earth’s biodiversity. Though Indigenous peoples make up less than 5% of the global population, they manage about 25% of the land surface and protect over 80% of the world’s biodiversity!

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Based on what you have learned about Indigenous peoples’ views of the land, why do you think this is?

Christi Belcourt - Water Has No Flag

Acknowledgement of Harm Caused

Land Disconnection

Turtle Island & the arrival of settlers

There are many ways that the Government of Canada has disconnected Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands. Based on what we’ve learned in other units, can you name any of them?

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When European settlers arrived on Turtle Island, they claimed the land was ‘empty,’ not acknowledging that many Indigenous peoples inhabited and took care of the land before their arrival.

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Settlers did not share the same values as Indigenous peoples in regards to the land. Settlers saw the land as something to be bought and sold for profit, and did not think of the long-term consequences. Can you think of any consequences you see today?

Examples of Land Disconnection:

The Government of Canada has worked to disconnect Indigenous peoples from their lands through:

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• The Reserve system
• The Pass system
• The Residential School System

The Reserve System

What is it?

Under the Indian Act in 1876, the Government of Canada created Reserves which set aside land across Canada for the use of ‘Indian bands’.

The Reserve system is still in place today.

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How does this affect Indigenous peoples’ connection to land?

• It does not allow for Indigenous peoples to freely use the land and water of their ancestral lands
• Reserves were placed in areas throughout Canada that were deemed less valuable and away from basic needs like running water in some areas

Reserve land = red dots

The Pass System

What is it?

In 1885, the Government of Canada developed the Pass System. Indigenous people needed to have passes approved by an ‘Indian agent’ to leave or return to their reserve.

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Contribution to Land Disconnection:

• The Pass System was used to control people’s movements and prevent large gatherings where culture and language would be practiced
• This system also restricted the sharing of other lands, creatures, and water for ceremonies and livelihood
• People lost connections to land outside of their own reserve
• Many traditional teachings around land practices and customs were lost

Reserve pass, 1889

The Residential School System

What is it?

The Residential School System was a system created by the Government of Canada to assimilate Indigenous peoples.

The goal was to “kill the Indian in the child”.

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Contribution to Land Disconnection:

• Children were often taken far from their homelands. Some never returned.
• Indigenous knowledges, including those regarding respect for the the land, its preservation, and spirit were not passed down

Edmonton Indian Residential School, 1930

MMIWG & Resource Extraction

What is it?

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The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) started in 2016 and concluded in 2019.

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The report revealed that colonial structures like the Indian Act, residential schools, sixties scoop, and contemporary laws and policies of Canadian society have left Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA at a higher risk of experiencing violence compared to non-indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA.

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The exact number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA is unknown. A 2014 report by the RCMP estimates the number to be over 1,000.

MMIW2S & Resource Extraction

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The Final Report delivered 231 individual Calls for Justice directed at governments, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.

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Resource Extraction Industries

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The Final Report found a substantial link between increased rates of violence among Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA and migration camps composed of mostly non-Indigenous men.

*Content warning: sexual assault*

Impacts of Forced Land Disconnection:

First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have seen their land harmed and exploited by settlers for centuries and have often been forcibly moved and relocated. The impacts of this include:

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• Negative impacts on mental health and wellbeing
• Loss of land connection, teachings, and spirituality
• Loss of land sovereignty and land determination

Erika Richard - Disconnect

Environmental Racism

What is “Environmental Racism”?

Environmental racism is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on racialized peoples.

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There are many examples of environmental racism against Indigenous peoples in Canada.

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Can you think of any? Think of what you’ve heard in the news.

There’s Something in the Water

Mount Polley

• On August 4, 2014, a section of the Mount Polley copper mine tailing pond collapsed, releasing 25 million cubic metres of mine tailings and waste water into Quesnel Lake in central British Columbia.
• Parts of the crystal clear lake filled with thick, grey mining sludge
• Studies show that the area of Quesnel Lake shows higher levels of bacteria and metals
• Indigenous peoples in the area and downstream rely on healthy waters for food and cultural practices
• The company responsible for the mine, Imperial Metals, has not been fined, charged or sanctioned for the disaster

Site C Dam

• Site C Dam is an $8 billion joint federal-province project for a run-of-the-river hydroelectric dam near Fort St. John in British Columbia
• This dam would flood more than 80km of the Peace River Valley that holds a unique ecosystem and is home to First Nations and Métis communities
• These communities rely on the valley for hunting, gathering, sacred medicines, and to hold ceremonies
• There are multiple burial grounds known to be on these lands
• $2.4 billion has already been spent on this project, despite outcries from Indigenous communities, and is currently in court

Indigenous Peoples on the Front Lines

Indigenous Peoples on the Front Lines

Indigenous peoples, especially Inuit living in the Arctic, are the first to feel the effects of climate change and are the most affected by it, even though they contribute the least to it.

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Brainstorm: Why do you think this is?

Discussion

Discuss the following questions while analyzing the next slide:

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1. What do you notice about these photos?
2. What do these photos tell you about environmental racism?
3. Why is it important that Indigenous communities are informing allies of their lived experiences?
4. Why do you think the police are in a lot of these photos?

Making amends for Harm Caused

Making Amends: Decolonization in Policy

There have been multiple policies and agreements that have been enacted to try and move forward together in the spirit of reconciliation regarding land:

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• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)
• The Canadian Constitution
• The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement

UNDRIP Article 25 States:

“Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard.”

The Canadian Constitution: Section 35

“Aboriginal title is a right to the land itself. That land may be used, subject to the inherent limitations of aboriginal title, for a variety of activities, none of which need be individually protected as aboriginal rights under Section 35.”

Nunavut Land Claims Agreement

Negotiated in 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement gave Inuit control of Nunavut, their traditional territory, with the goal of:

• providing rights to ownership and use of lands and resources, and of rights to participate in decision-making concerning the use, management and conservation of land, water and resources;
• providing Inuit with wildlife harvesting rights and rights to participate in decision making concerning wildlife harvesting;
• providing Inuit with financial compensation and means of participating in economic opportunities;
• encouraging self-reliance and the cultural and social well-being of Inuit

#LandBack

One of the loudest and most frequent demands of Indigenous people is for the return of land.

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The Land Back project works to reclaim Indigenous jurisdiction, returning rights and responsibilities over land back to Indigenous peoples in Canada.

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What might this look like?

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What might the benefits be?

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What might be the hurdles to achieving this?

Action to Change Behaviour

Land Acknowledgements

Watch the video.

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Discuss:

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Are land acknowledgements good or bad?

Why or why not?

What is their purpose?

Land Acknowledgement - Baroness von Sketch Show

Land Acknowledgements: Statement or Action?

• Land acknowledgements are important to actively engage in reconciliation in your speaking, practices, and activism

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• Land acknowledgements can act as reminders of where you are learning, living, and working

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• Land acknowledgements cannot just be a script or a political checklist

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• They must be actionable and meaningful!

Shifting our Understanding: Decolonization

“Decolonization and reconciliation affirms the sacredness of all life and restores our relationship to the earth”

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• Harsha Walia, Undoing Border Imperialism, 2013, p. 274

Shifting our Understanding: Settlers

For settlers on Turtle Island, it is important to understand and recognize the following:

• Decolonization begins with the understanding that we all benefit from the illegal settlement of Indigenous lands and unjust laws forced upon Indigenous jurisdiction, locally and globally.
• The wealth of Canada is based on the colonial theft of Indigenous lands, waters and resources.
• Canada has forcibly and deliberately displaced many Indigenous communities and has put in place systems against Indigenous self-determination
• The system teaches us these are “Indigenous issues”, not settler issues.

Therefore, responsible and critical participation in reconciliation and decolonization is necessary!

Shifting our Understanding: Society

Consider the following ideas. What feelings or thoughts do they bring up?

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1. Nature having Human Rights: ie. Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio

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1. Trees as citizens:

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“My Onondaga Nation neighbors call the maple the leader of the trees. Trees constitute the environmental quality committee - running air and water purification service 24-7. They’re on every task force, from the historical society picnic to the highway department, school board, and library. When it comes to civic beautification, they alone create the crimson fall with little recognition.”

- Robin Wall Kimmerer, p. 169

Activity: Whose Land?

1. Go to https://www.whose.land/en/ or https://native-land.ca/ to determine whose land you are on.

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1. Learn or review the creation story of the people whose land you are on.*

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1. Read or watch a land acknowledgement for that territory.**

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1. Prompts:

How in-depth is it?

Does it speak to commitments to protecting that land?

Can you pronounce all the words in it?

How does it honour the original keepers of that land?

Challenge of the week: Places to Protect

Step 1) Take, draw or paint a picture of a place, body of water or non-human being you wish to protect and explain the meaning of that place to you, your family, or your culture.

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Step 2) Post to Experiences Canada’s Reconciliation Conversation Facebook group!

Sunset at Waneskewin National Historic Site

Other possible actions

Watch: Invasion, Angry Inuk or There’s Something in the Water

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Read: UNDRIP, or the Treaty or land claim for your territory

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Listen: Stories from the Land podcast

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Act: donate to an Indigenous-led environmental organization*, sign a petition**, or write a letter to your MP or Senator in support of the implementation of UNDRIP in Canada

Resources

350: https://350.org/

4 Rs - LACK BACK! What do we mean?: http://4rsyouth.ca/land-back-what-do-we-mean/

Assembly of First Nations - Implementing the UNDRIP: https://www.afn.ca/policy-sectors/implementing-the-undeclaration/

The Canadian Encyclopedia - Reserves: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-reserves

The Canadian Encyclopedia - Turtle Island: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/turtle-island

CBC Docs - Angry Inuk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85Ns94DWAQ8

Climate Action Network: https://climateactionnetwork.ca/

Eco Justice: https://www.ecojustice.ca/

Ecology North- Climate Action Training: https://ecologynorth.ca/project/climate-action-training/

EdCan Network- Land Based Learning Case Study Report https://www.edcan.ca/articles/land-based-learning/

Experiences Canada - Treaties and Comprehensive Land Claims in Canada: http://experiencescanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/EC_Treaty_Map_EN.pdf

Fridays for Future Canada https://fridaysforfuture.ca/

Government of Canada - Aboriginal Treaty Rights Information System: https://sidait-atris.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/atris_online/home-accueil.aspx

Government of Canada - Treaties and Agreements: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100028574/1529354437231

Indian and Cowboy - Stories from the Land podcast: https://radiopublic.com/stories-from-the-land-GM0qQ8/episodes

Indigenous Climate Action https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/

Resources

Indigenous Foundations - Reserves: https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/reserves/

Kimmerer, R. W. (2020). Braiding sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. London: Penguin Books Ltd.

Land for Healing: Developing a First Nations Land Based Service Delivery Model https://thunderbirdpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Thunderbirdpf-LandforHealing-Document-SQ.pdf

The Leap: https://theleap.org/

Manidoo Makwa Graphic Novel https://www.feathersofhope.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/FOH-CIB-Graphic-Novels-Manidoo-Makwa-144DPI.pdf

MMIWG Student and Youth Engagement Guide: Their Voices Will Guide https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/commemoration-art-and-education/their-voices-will-guide-us/

Nature United Emerging Stewards Program: https://www.natureunited.ca/what-we-do/our-priorities/investing-in-people/seas--supporting-emerging-aboriginal-stewards/

Native Counselling Services of Alberta - Water the Sacred Relationship: https://www.sacredrelationship.ca/videos/

Native Land: https://native-land.ca/

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples :https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf

UNDRIP for Indigenous Adolescents: https://files.unicef.org/policyanalysis/rights/files/HRBAP_UN_Rights_Indig_Peoples.pdf

UNESCO - Climate Frontlines: http://www.climatefrontlines.org/

Unist'ot'en Camp - Invasion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3R5Uy5O_Ds&vl=en-CA

Whose Land - Territories by Land: https://www.whose.land/en/

Yellowhead Institute - Land Back: https://redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org/

This presentation was created by Katherine Koskie along with other Youth Leaders.

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