GBA Update - Summer 2020

5 ≥ www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Summer 2020 GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS I n the fall of 2008, at a special Chiefs’ Assembly held in Toronto, the Chiefs of Ontario passed a First Nations Water Declaration. In this declaration, the role of women as keepers of the water is clearly spelled out: “As First Nations, the creator gave us a specific way of life, which included teachings on how to care for our mother the Earth. Water is the lifegiving gift that our mother the Earth provided for all of us through the relationship that women have with our Mother Earth that they are the keepers of the special ceremonies needed to ensure waters are respected and that future generations will continue to experience this gift.” The role of women as water keepers is rightfully theirs because water is seen to be profoundly maternal. Women bring babies into the world, carrying them first in water in the womb. Water is therefore the first environment for life. In Anishinaabe culture, women identify with the moon and speak of her as Grandmother. Grandmother moon represents continuous birth and renewal. The 28-day cycle of a woman’s fertility is reflected in the 28-day cycle of Grandmother moon. During this cycle, Grandmother moon causes the waters of the great oceans to rise and fall. Among First Nation people, women’s concerns about environmental degradation have traditionally been heeded because, as the caregivers of the children and elderly, they are often the first to notice when something in the environment is in trouble. First Nation teachings also impart the idea that water is the bloodline of Mother Earth: all water, including puddles, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. And like blood does for the body, water carries sustenance to the rest of creation. So, in First Nation culture the properties and energies associated with water are deeply tied to women. Niibii – Water – Sacred Medicine Photo Credit: Marilyn Capreol Niibii – Water – Sacred Medicine Marilyn Capreol Early in the spring of 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to Montreal. Beautiful clear day. At the arrival door were several taxicabs waiting and one came forward to take me on a journey. Lovely man who talked and drove hands free, meaning, often his hands were in the air along with his talking, but he missed the potholes. As we went along, I saw water and asked him what i t was. He said, “Madame, she is the great St. Lawrence.” I asked him if he could get me close to the river. “Oh oui,” and off we bumped along. My heart cried. I watched a mother muskrat and her babies swim by, ducks gliding this way and that, seagulls, garbage float by, and the grace of a blue heron, our teacher of patience. Although I was in a fenced area, I could see, offer saamaa (tobacco) and prayers for the water and water life. Early the next morning I had a dream about Nokomis (Grandmother). She asked me to look back at Earth Woman and observe her. I could see Nokomis laying in a fetal position. She showed me the water shape of lungs, Lake Superior. She showed me the water shape of the human body, Lake Huron. She showed me the water shape of the heart, Lake St. Clair. She showed me the water shape of the bladder, Lake Erie. Showed me the water shape of the stomach, Lake Ontario. Next she showed me the umbilical cord to the Great Waters, the St. Lawrence. She took me on to the place where the salt water changes to fresh water, about Matane, Quebec. This special Sacred place of the changing waters is CREATOR made, it is not man or scientific made. Nokomis, gifted me with a Sacred healing song for the water life. It has been awhile since the travel to Montreal and still I cannot find a word that describes the state of the St. Lawrence River, the lifeline to fresh water. Chi Miigwi’ch (big thank you) Nbiish Kwe Marilyn Capreol Shawanaga First Nation Band Member off reserve c Three Feathers October 11, 2019 Introduction by Bob Duncanson, Past Executive Director, GBA