Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations in Contemporary Society

Appendix 2.5.1 (Continued)
You go up a hill, you look over the lake, you know that the lake is somehow kept alive, unpolluted by a
river nearby with all the water somehow coming up from the river and back down again to the river.
This is the way it was meant to be. Any disruptions such as a beaver damming the flow of the water
somehow effects the lake, but nature sometime in the future fixes those interruptions without polluting
the lake and restoring it back to its natural state. I can go on and on to describe those experiences I have
at camps. But I’ll only say this that nothing in a big city can compare to this kind of experience.
There are so many things you want to do in a hunting and fishing camp you just don’t seem to have
enough time to do all of them.
Twenty-four hours during the longest summer days seems only but a few minutes. Things you do at camp
such as getting wood, water, and hunting for food for some people, is a lot of work. But at a hunting and
fishing camp, these are fun things to do. You don’t even get tired, because you love to do these things.
I would like to spend a few moments to touch upon the term “Hunting” or “Fishing” in Cree language.
Hunting in our language does not mean sports, it’s part of the work that has to be done which is
necessary, if you want to eat or want food for yourself and for your family. It’s completely different from
the term, how the white man uses it. I know that hunting and fishing is under the category of “sports” in
the white man language.
Imagine brothers and sisters, all the beauty I have described above being under polluted contaminated
water. How would you feel? Imagine too, all the beauty in the trees, the flowers, the plants, and the plants
which are the essence of all living creatures, described earlier, being under that same water. That’s what
will happen once the hydro project is built in our area.
I am sure you would feel the same way I do. The proposed hydro project threatens all the things that I
have described.
Brothers and sisters, it’s because of this concern about the beauty of our land that our people are opposed
very strongly to that proposed hydro project.
Finally, in closing I want to say that this is the first time I have ever spoken in public and I am glad I did,
for such a worthy cause.
I dedicated this speech to my grandfather who still lives off the land and comes to town only on special
occasions such as Christmas. I also dedicated it to my parents who have encouraged and supported me in
preparing this speech on behalf of my people.
Thank you for your patience and time, Thank you.
Stella Sarah Maseetayapeemeko (Masty)
Unit 2 - Page 23
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