Indigenous northerners take back the power – National Observer

October 28th 2022

I was going up river with an Elder, Georgie Moses. And as we were driving up the river, we came by a creek on our way up to his cabin. There was a moose standing in that creek watching us. It was about two or three years old, just a young one, and he kind of nodded at that moose and we kept going. When we sat down in his cabin, he lit up a cigarette and he asked me: “Did you see that moose standing in that creek?” And I said yes. He said, “You know, that moose has stood in that creek my entire life.” And I thought about it in that moment, I was confused. That moose was two or three years old. How could it be there his whole life? And then I understood what he meant. There was always moose standing in that creek — generations of moose. And he said, “If we rip that creek up for gold or any of that business, we will lose those moose forever.” And in that statement, he spoke about the balance of industry and nature and where his values were and that’s what’s so important. How do you add an economic value to one of our children pulling a salmon out of the river?

— Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation

For centuries, survival in the North has depended on natural, sustainable energy provided by the land and water. For this reason, these remote lands are giving life to something remarkable in the modern age: a growing green energy revolution that defies all odds.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2022/10/28/news/indigenous-northerners-power-clean-energy-diesel

 256 total views,  2 views today