A message is given that the time to grow, compete, and lead on the global stage is now. Canada needs future-shaping industries with bold ambition to carry growth forward.
March 22nd is World Water Day. A day to reflect on the importance of water. A challenge for humans today on a global stage is the growing awareness of the need for the caring of the earth, water, and repair of the environmental damage.
The spring equinox just occurred on March 20th. The spring equinox was the official new year for many global cultures around the world, including the Algonkian tribes in the northeast of Turtle Island (North America today). It is a day of balance, whereby, with the line up of the sun and moon, there is an equal amount of daylight and darkness. The return of the longer light of the sun to make things grow.
The moon controls the waters, including the tides. It represents the female water teachings connected to the carrying of water in the womb that brings new life. The sun is fire energy, which is represented by the male. In the culture, women are considered the “keepers of the waters” and men the “keepers of the fire.” The contrast is important in bringing in and sustaining new life. Similar to the sun and moon cycles impacting the Earth.
To many Indigenous nations, the earth is considered a living entity, and instructions were given in the caretaking of the land and its richness through oral history. Today, this is known as traditional knowledge. An example of this understanding is that the rivers and streams were seen as the veins of earth, like the human body. The human body is made up of about 70 percent water. Interestingly, about 71 percent of the earth’s surface is also water covered. The oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water, leaving only 3.5% freshwater globally. Utmost care is needed in preserving this resource.
The ancestors foretold that humans will be at a crossroads in the caretaking of the earth. That water would someday be for sale and not everyone will have a right to safe water.
As the Elders would remind the people in gatherings in the past: “We are here for future generations and it is not only human nations but also the animal nations, the winged nations, the ones that swim nations, the plant nations, the minerals, etc.”
With the need for industry to grow, compete, and lead on the global stage, we need to include the rising challenge of reparation and preservation of water for earth’s balance with this growth. A challenge to be seen not as a burden but an opportunity for innovative growth.
By: Elder Verna McGregor, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation