ABORIGINAL JUSTICE: Grassy Narrows youth ask, ‘what shall we drink?’
CPTnet
5 June 2012
ABORIGINAL JUSTICE: Grassy Narrows youth
ask, ‘what shall we drink?’
by Chris Sabas
Sweet, precious, clean, clear water: without it, the fragile
human experiment will quickly cease to exist. With convenience stores and
twenty-four hour access to plastic-sealed Swiss Alps freshness, it is hard to
imagine a time or a place where this basic staple is beyond our reach. Can we
even fathom the despair gripping the ancient Hebrews, who upon departure from
the parted Red Sea encountered bitter water in the wilderness of Marah? Complaining
to Moses, they exclaimed, “what shall we drink!?” (Exodus 15:24). Miraculously,
the water became sweet, and civilization continues to this day, with apparent
unlimited sweet water.
Enter seventeen-year-old Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation’s youth Edmond Jack. He and five other Grassy youth are making a 2,000-kilometer trek on foot, from the reserve north of Kenora to Toronto, to learn about the value of water from elders across the province.
In 1986, Grassy Narrows and neighbor Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) First Nation shared $16.6 million dollars in compensation for almost ten tons of mercury dumped over an eight-year period from the Dryden paper mill, then owned by Reed Paper, in water upstream from their reserves and traditional territories. Significant health impacts are still evident among Grassy community members to this day. Some have been born with congenital abnormalities and many more suffer from symptoms associated with mercury poisoning, including tingling, loss of balance, walking and hearing difficulties, tremors and tunnel vision. Complications include diabetes, thyroid problems and strokes.
Jack and the others also want to raise awareness, particularly among the youth throughout the province, of the legacy of the chemical poisoning. Water contamination is one of the countless ways that Grassy Narrows and other Indigenous peoples in Canada have experienced the devastating impacts of government- and corporate-caused environmental destruction on their sovereign territory.
 Walkers on the journey from Grassy Narrows First Nation to Toronto (L-R): Jolene Hookimawillillene, Maryanne Swain (support van driver), Shanice Desrosiers, and Edmond Jack. Three other walkers are not pictured. (Photo: Nicole Ireland/CBC) |
They arrived in Thunder Bay on 22 May. The group plans to coordinate their arrival in Toronto to participate in River Run 2012, beginning 5 June. River Run is a series of events led by community leaders from Grassy Narrows that will culminate with a march and rally on 8 June. The walkers will stop at First Nation communities and other cities in southern Ontario, with scheduled speaking engagements, community dinners and other events.
The Aboriginal Justice Team will assist in River Run 2012 in furtherance of CPT’s value of supporting grass roots initiatives as we seek to follow God’s Spirit. We pray for God to transform complacent attitudes towards water, to challenge our current practices, to make nourishing what has been deadly, and to make attainable vital resources continuously denied by settler authorities and companies. We pray for ears to hear Jack and the other walkers, because some things crucial to our well-being must be pure and sweet or we will die.
Expressions of solidarity or arrangements for support to or connections with the Walk may be made through alex.hundert@gmail.com.
