Water walk flows to a new generation

 

May 15, 2012

Jon Thompson from Kenora Daily Miner

https://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3562273

By the time he arrives in Toronto for the week-long River Run rally in early June, the final study on mercury in the water will have been released back home. Grassy Narrows shared $16.6 million in compensation with Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) First Nation in 1986 to compensate for an estimated 10 tonnes of mercury dumped in the water upstream from the Dryden paper mill but argues the health effects of the chemical element remain to this day.

Jack will be stopping in First Nations and settler communities along the way to learn the value of water to elders across the province. He will not only be traveling with water but will endure deprivation to understand the value of water to his own body.

“There’s a lot of young people who don’t know much about the mercury incident,” the 17-year-old explained. “I thought I’d do another walk and stress that, teaching younger people about the importance of the water. If I bring young people with me, I’ll learn a lot about what really happened. We have to carry on that fight, I guess you could call it. We’re learning what we need to know about the water first before we get into what we’re really fighting for.”

The walk came to Jack in a dream and considering women are the keepers of the water in Anishinaabe culture, he sees broader social implications beyond the biological aims of the action.

“There’s a lot of abuse around here. I feel guilty as a man, seeing other men mistreating women. It makes me feel low about myself. I want to show all the people my age where they should be going. You see a lot of them, they don’t care about anything going on, on the reserve. This is going to be my way of bringing them with me.”

The walk he’s leading will be the second Jack has taken to Queen’s Park. When he was 13 years old, his mother Chrissy Swain led the youth staff along a similar path. She’s admittedly scared for him but she’s inspired to see her son following traditional teachings from both the physical and spiritual worlds.

“When I was younger, you never saw young people doing stuff,” Swain said, reflecting on the generation that has grown up in the shadow of the nearly decade-old logging blockade in Grassy Narrows. “My focus when he was that age was to spark something in them. Nowadays, you see more young people standing up, speaking out, doing these amazing things. Even in our community, more young people have an understanding of what’s going on out here. It’s planted somewhere inside them. A lot of people are quiet but when they talk to you in person, you get surprised.”

Traditional healer and community organizer Judy DaSilva was in Swain’s current position when the blockade began in 2002 and pointed out those who were too young to understand Swain’s walk in 2008 have the opportunity to explore the topic they can call their own. DaSilva will join the walkers in Toronto to speak on June 5 to discuss the chemicals that are still flowing into the water — the ones that make Grassy Narrows one of the 125 First Nations who live downstream from paper mills across Canada.

“There’s this new generation that grew up with the activism. Since Ed was a baby, he grew up hearing about his mom’s activism. My daughter is 17. She has been to so many blockades and rallies, drumming and protests. That’s what they’re raised with and to see them doing these things, it’s empowering to us too. Right on, we got the message at least through to our kids. Now, we’ll see how this walk will inspire other people along the communities.”

Jon.Thompson@sunmedia.ca