Water and Canada's Aboriginal peoples

Water for Aboriginal peoples is the basis of all life. At the beginning of time, the Creator gave instructions to Aboriginal peoples to respect water, air, and the earth by keeping it pure. These original instructions are reflected in Aboriginal culture, beliefs and values.

Northwest Coast Indians located village sites on key rivers and shores. Totems poles are vivid expressions of their respect and dependence on the land, water and sky.

Aboriginal peoples consider sacred many places close to water. On a height of land in northern Manitoba, there is a pond from which water flows east into the Hayes River, and west into the Nelson. This is the Echimamish, "the-river-that-flows-both-ways." In tribute to the almost mystical reversal of flow that made portaging between the rivers so easy, Native people left offerings each time they crossed this divide.

The Inuit of Canada's North have a special relationship with water and ice. They derive a great deal of their sustenance from it – seals and fish remain the mainstay of many traditional Inuit diets. In the long dark winter, villages were established on or near the ice to provide ready access to this food source. In the spring and summer, they fished for trout in inland lakes and rivers. Many Inuit now live in permanent villages, and no longer move from camp to camp. However, the perils of living in the North remain, as does the necessity of understanding and respecting the role of water. Knowing how water can be used for nourishment and transportation can be life-saving skills. Many Inuit families are teaching the traditional ways to their children to live off of the land and water by hunting and fishing.

Canada's native populations are profoundly linked to water and waterways for both physical and spiritual health. Today the quality of many water systems is degraded by the pressures of human development. To many Aboriginal people, this degradation of the land results in the deterioration of their health and way of life, while providing them with few off-setting benefits.

Grand Chief B.G. Cheechoo, chief of the Nishnawbe-Aski Nation, explains the relationship:

Our history is tied to these waters. Our continued reliance on fishing, trapping and hunting and our desire to do so is dependent on these waters. Our future is based on these waters . . . Any threat to such waters poses a direct threat to our survival. ⁴

Water and Canadian Identity Menu  Previous  Next