Mushkegowuk Chiefs designate Ring of Fire as ‘protected homeland’

Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs have passed a resolution designating “the Ring of Fire as protected homeland on which development, and any projects or activities in support of development, cannot be undertaken without first acquiring the free, prior and informed consent” of any impacted Mushkegowuk First Nations.

The resolution, passed at a meeting held in Ottawa on July 15, reiterated “demands that Bill 5 and Bill C-5 be withdrawn and repealed and that Inherent, Aboriginal and Treaty Rights of the Omushkegowuk be fully protected.”

The motion was drafted and passed at that meeting following a passionate presentation to the chiefs by Jeronimo Kataquapit, a 21-year-old Attawapiskat resident who recently formed a grassroots movement called Here We Stand. His presence in Ottawa was the first time in 27 days that he was away from the banks of the Attawapiskat River, where he, his parents and supporters have set up a camp to reassert Omushkegowuk presence in traditional homelands.

“Everything that we’re doing isn’t just about the minerals in the ground,” Kataquapit explained in his presentation to the chiefs. “That’s not the only thing that’s at stake here, but it’s the very essence of who we are as Indigenous people, as Mushkegowuk people, as people of the land.

“Everything comes from the land. All of it: The language, the stories originate from the land, our history comes from the land, the very essence, the very spirit of who we are comes from the land. We are the land. The land, the water – it’s our identity.”

“If we don’t do anything in response to Bill 5 and Bill C-5 and let whoever come into our home and do whatever they want, then everything our ancestors have fought for … would have been for nothing. They endured years and years of hardship and suffering, just for us to be here, just to give us the opportunity to utilize the lands, to utilize the waters — to protect it.

Kataquapit said, “Being on the land, starting this movement ‘Here We Stand’ is not a choice. It’s a responsibility — a responsibility our people have passed down from generation to generation to generation.”

Moved by the words of this passionate youth, the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs passed three resolutions.

They voted to support the efforts of Here We Stand along with the rights of all Mushkegowuk people to take steps to protect the traditional territories of the Omushkego and to designate the Ring of Fire as a protected homeland.

The chiefs also agreed to provide financial support to ‘Here We Stand’ in the amount of $8,560, matching the amount raised to date through a GoFundMe campaign. This is in addition to the more-than-$35,000 donation that Mushkegowuk Council (through its Lands & Resources and CreeGeo departments) has committed towards this cause. Those funds are being used by ‘Here We Stand’ to help pay for food and supplies and help cover any additional miscellaneous transportation costs.

Mushkegowuk Council is a regional organization that represents the collective interests of the Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Chapleau Cree, Missanabie Cree, Moose Cree, Taykwa Tagamou and Attawapiskat First Nations in northeastern Ontario.