Sylvia McAdam, one of the four founding women of the Idle No More movement, was at Six Nations this past weekend touring the community.
“The people are amazing,” says McAdam. “The kindness is overwhelming.”
MacAdam was the guest of local resident Darlene Butler. After a delicious moose roast lunch with Butler, MacAdam met up with the Two Row Times to tour the new Everlasting Tree School on Seneca Road.
“What you’ve done here by creating this Mohawk immersion school, you’re declaring to the world you are a nation because there are three elements to nationhood – land, language, and culture. So what you’ve done here is reaffirmed your sovereignty.” said MacAdam.
MacAdam was in the area this weekend as a keynote speaker at the 2013 Peace and Justice Studies Association Conference, co-hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.
She also had some beautiful words for the people of Elsipogtog in their continued effort against fracking on Mikmaq territory. “I stand in solidarity with them in defending their lands and waters because I’ve just come from visiting Sarnia.”
Sarnia’s Chemical Valley bears numerous industrial and chemical plants lining the shores of the St. Clair River. The city has come under recent scrutiny this month from the Ministry of the Environment, after a number of spills leaked diesel and cleaning products into the St. Clair River. This is the source of drinking water for nearly 170,000 people, including the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
MacAdam concluded by stating, “I am even more determined to defend all the land and the waters, because ten years from now our dialogue will not be about defending land and water, but about where will we get clean water. We must make our stand now.”
Beautiful positive story of a struggle that continues throughout Canada. Educate is the underlying message we continue to produce in all we do. Woliwon to the Four Sisters who woke that education up for so many grassroots people.