earth destroyed

By Danny Beaton O Protecting Mother Earth Creates Peace n Friday, September 27, 2002, Elizabeth Penashue, Innu leader and mother of Peter Penashue, flew into Pearson Airport to spend time in Toronto to express concerns for her people, animals and natural environment. She was joined by her Labrador community friends, Theresa Andrew, Ann Philomena and Rose Gregoire. All four women were to raise awareness by speaking about the nickel mine and hydro power dam at Voisey’s Bay, Labrador. As Elizabeth Penashue put it: “the decision to accept the development of Voisey’s Bay, I believe, will hurt my people like the Churchill Falls Dam did, when our land was flooded. Some people wanted the mine because of the money it will bring. I believe that money will not solve the problems of the Innu People. I believe that we are healthiest and happiest when we are living out on the land. Voisey’s Bay will destroy our land and take people away from life in the country. People believe that our problems will be solved with the employment and money that will come from Voisey’s Bay, but this money and work is only temporary. The Innu People need the land to survive. If we protect this land, it will always be there for us. Eventually the mine will close, the jobs will dis- Mary & Michael Pasteen, Innu Elders, photo by Danny Beaton. appear and the land will be destroyed and then what will we have? When I’m out in the country and I am with the animals, the animals say to me: Elizabeth what will happen to us? We will be destroyed with all this development. For the Innu People, we only hunt for what we need to feed our families. Everything else we leave. This is part of the balance we have with our land.” In July 2002, in front of the Innu Nation office, Elizabeth organized a demonstration against the deal to allow development at Voisey’s Bay. Peter Penashue is president of the Innu Nation and chair of the Innu Healing Foundation. Inco has recently donated one million dollars to the Innu Healing Foundation. Peter, Cont On Page 30 Happy Easter To Everyone Page 18 April 2003 First Nations Drum Protecting Mother Earth Cont From Page 18 unlike his mother, believes in making peace with Bay Street and using money from industries like Inco in solving problems for his community. Inco is one of the world’s largest producers of nickel metal on the planet. The US military has been one of Inco’s biggest customers buying nickel to plate and protect their weaponry, to maintain planes, tanks and battleships. Inco employs about 10,000 people around the world to maintain their profits. At present, statistics show Inco has destroyed many lakes in and around Sudbury, Ontario. Fish life has been wiped out, possibly forever in many places. At present, Inco is being sued by residents of Port Colborne, Ontario for contamination caused by the company from 1918 to 1984 when failing to clean up after production. Port Colborne residents say Inco left large amounts of cancer causing toxins in the southern Ontario community, as alleged in a class action lawsuit. Lawyers launching the class action suit say up to 20,000 residents are affected. Inco has been served with legal papers and said the residents’ claims are without merit. Next door to Labrador, the northern Cree Nation in Quebec, National Chief of Canada, Matthew Coon Come and Grand Chief Ted Moses are selling the Hydro Power Dam Industry to their people who have hunted and gathered for thousands of years. The mentality of selling the rivers for profit has captured the fantasy of some Northern Cree leadership. the earth with thousands of pristine lakes and rivers with the largest caribou herd in North America, beluga whales and fresh water seals, black bears, lynx, beaver, moose, ducks, geese will be lost forever. The James Bay project is a virtual Death Warrant for the Cree Nation. The Natives fear that new construction will bring an influx of non-natives, further impacting Today, Cree the fragile land and territory is home to "The Innu have wild life while also the largest generators bringing prostituin the world taking in never gone hunting tion and alcohol, powerful Eastmain into a foreigner's drugs and trinkets. River. Roughly ten Who is going to years ago, Matthew land to kill the benefit from the Coon Come, Cree cattle, cows and destruction of leader, convinced Ted Earth? Kennedy, chickens that white Mother going to Who is Greenpeace, the people depend on. buy power from Sierra Club and countless others to They should leave rivers that are converted and dead? finance an ad in the us alone and let us Chief Ted Moses New York Times said the deal indicating that the continue our reached in October Cree culture and peo2002 ensures the way of life." ple were facing cul15,000 Crees living tural genocide from in nine communiQuebec Hydro Dams. The ad menties will receive no less than 3.5 biltioned that thousands of square miles lion over the next 50 years and will of flooded lands will be the catastroshare benefits derived from all natuphe at James Bay, destroying a ral resources on their territories. wilderness the size of France and an Many native elders are still ecological disaster on a scale with continuing the way of life that our devastation of the Amazon, death to ancestors lived with spiritual values the polar bears and seals and it will and respect for our Sacred Mother shatter the culture of traditional Cree Earth. Many native people are upset Indians. with the destruction of the forests, This is the most destructive rivers, mountains and animals while energy project ever in North Western culture continues to domiAmerica. If this project is completed, nate and influence some native peodams and dykes will block wild river ple to participate. The old elders who systems. Flooding will cover milare the Wisdom Keepers, the proteclions of acres, roads will be built tors, are looking at our people who through wilderness, airports and are lost in the dominant society’s power lines, power plants and buildactivities and attitudes. ings will replace the natural environMany intellectuals, scientists, ment. One of the great wild areas of Over ten years ago, the northern Cree leadership sent their cry to environmentalists, Canadian and United States governments, the public and native activists across the Americas that Quebec hydro was threatening Cree culture with genocide by way of building mega dams on their traditional hunting and gathering grounds. environmentalists, humanitarians, historians, philosophers, academics and the public are concerned about the planet becoming a wasteland for our children’s children to inherit. The people that are the leaders and visionaries must speak loud for the earth and justice now before all is lost to pollution, degradation and shortsightedness. Society can find their mental, physical and spiritual strength in being connected to the earth and speaking out for the protection of Mother Earth. There is no strength in destroying our children’s future with profiteering fantasies. We are all natural people, we must remain natural people and we must follow natural law. The earth, air fire and water are natural law. They must be respected and understood or they can turn against us. Short-term jobs that kill life, jobs that kill rivers, lakes and fish are genocidal jobs. We the people cannot sleep while our Mother the Earth is destroyed. We are poisoning ourselves with pollution of every type - pollution of the spirit, the mind and body. All people are making themselves weak from superficial activity and attitudes. Only human inventions and imagination is hurting Creation. President George Bush wants to take a small pox needle to protect himself and his army from terrorists but the real problem is the spiritual bankruptcy that creates disharmony and sickness. Canada must remain a spiritual place for healing, justice, equality and a place where real people solve real problems. No one is safe from lies; natives and non-natives must put their minds together to protect the future. It is obvious that Canada is in the super crisis in the history of the earth. We need leaders who are concerned for life, for the protection of life and for the continuation of life. Easter greetings to all our brothers and sister across Canada From Chief Johnsen Sewepagaham, Council, Elders and Nation Members of Little Red River Cree Nation Fox Lake John D’or Prairie Garden River Box 30, John D’ or Prairie, Ab T0H 3X0 Telephone: (780) 759-3912 Fax: (780) 759-3780 Page 30 April 2003 First Nations Drum