When I think of Canada, I imagine her majestic mountains, her pristine glacial fed lakes, her flowing rivers, her lush green untouched boreal forests stretching across the land and the Northern Lights dancing in the winter night skies. I think about her abundant wildlife and the pure wildness of the land. It is a land I see myself connecting once again with nature. From my early memories I dreamed of riding the Canadian trails on horseback, canoeing the abundant lakes and rivers, and walking the woodlands for wildlife. And one cannot forget about the original peoples of Canada – the First Nations, who’s traditions, cultures and ways of life spurs the imaginations of so many who dream of living with the land as the First Nations have for thousands of years.

Archie Belaney (Grey Owl) was one such person from England and dreamed of living with the Indians of Canada. His dream was fulfilled and eventually became a spokesman for the beaver and conservation. His love and connection with the land was learned from his stay with the Ojibwe People.

I think for the dreamers who dreams of the wilderness, a part of this experience would be to live with the aboriginal people of the land because they know and have the knowledge of the rhythms and flow of nature and our relationship with her. These traditional peoples makes up what Canada truly is. Like the grizzly bear, the black bear, the caribou, the moose, the beaver, the eagles and all that is Canada, so are the First Nations, Canada – as the Native Americans are America, The Native Hawaiians are Hawaii, the Maori are New Zealand, the Australian Aboriginal are Australia and the list continues with all indigenous peoples and their home lands.

Since Europeans arrival in North America, a steady decline has occurred to the original peoples and their traditions through disease, war, genocide, forced assimilation and the taking of their lands. And even today, there is a silent genocide occurring against these indigenous peoples that the majority of people who occupy their lands choose to blindly ignore.

In Northern Alberta in the Athabasca Lake region above the Alberta Tar Sands mines there are First Nations communities consisting of Athabasca Chipewyan, Cree and Metis peoples. These peoples who have been in the region for over 10,000 years and have lived traditionally from the land are still getting their food from Athabasca Lake, Athabasca River and from the forest. Their drinking water also comes from the lake and river. This area was once pristine until the Tar Sands began polluting the river and lake with toxic sludge consisting of high levels of lead, mercury and other toxins and high levels of arsenic in the air. It was soon after high rates of cancer were developing within the Native community. As mentioned, these communities relied on the natural resources for sustenance. Meat from game animals, drinking water and fish from the lakes and rivers, waterfowl, as with other game. They also relied on plants for food and medicines. The toxic poisons from the Tar Sands are in the air, land, water and in the animals, fish and plants, so the people of these communities are being exposed to these toxins daily and in everything they consumed. The oil companies and government are not taking any responsibility for this toxic pollution nor the illnesses and deaths attributed to the high levels of toxins in the environment caused by the Tar Sands. More development and expansion are planned for the Tar Sands that will wipe out these Native communities that have been there for over 10,000 years and making the once pristine waterways, lakes and forests, waste lands, scaring this fragile ecosystem for many years to come.

This is not an isolated event, it is happening in other parts of Canada, in America, impacting the Native Americans, in Hawaii, in Australia, South America, in Africa, and in the rest of the world impacting the indigenous communities who have no voice. Multinational corporations from the oil, gas, mining, logging and chemical industries are killing people, devastating their communities, their cultures and destroying the environment and it seems the rest of the world does not care. These are crimes against humanity by governments and corporations and we better start caring because it could happen to us.