During the migration era of Indigenous people and early trade explorers the Aanishnaabe opened Territorial boundaries, pathways, and waterways for learning, sharing and trading - and most importantly with a spirit of embrace and respect to neighbouring Nations, Territories and Explorers. This concept of openness is the foundation of our learning and principle of sharing today, and has resulted in the Ojibwa Nation being a forerunner, locally and throughout Canada, in the development of housing, education programs and of roadways to social reform of the infrastructure within today’s First Nations.
Since time immemorial Anishinaabe ancestors have gathered and shared prophecy scrolls, wampum’s, medicines and ceremonies that have enriched our lives and communities and those of visitors and allies. They have demonstrated their love and respect for this land in many ways. Their story (history) speaks of and reminds us of the Love for all of the Creator’s gifts within the Circle of Life. We must use those teachings that were gifted in the present by practicing those principles in our day to day lives- and to share this Knowledge and influence our neighbors and future generations.
The recognition of Anishinaabe rites and responsibilities to preserve their culture in order to properly care for this land is understood and documented in International and National treaties and legislation and the benefits to greater society are known:
“Indigenous communities have kept their cultures alive by passing on their world view, their knowledge and know-how, their arts, rituals and celebrations from one generation to the next. Preserving their cultural heritage has also included speaking and teaching their own languages, protecting their sacred and significant sites and objects. It has also included defending and holding onto their lands and territories, since these are fundamental for sustaining them as peoples and cultures. Their cultures and traditional knowledge are increasingly seen as assets. It is important for the human species as a whole to preserve as wide a range of cultural diversity as possible....protection of indigenous cultures is vital to this enterprise. For development to be socially and economically sustainable, it must take into account and draw upon the values, traditions and cultures of the people in the countries and societies it serves. Indigenous peoples, perhaps more than any others, are aware of these relationships between culture and development (UN Publication: State of The Worlds Indigenous Peoples, Chapter II, pages 52; 76).”
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 13th, 2007, serving as a minimum standard for the protection of Indigenous peoples and their cultures. Therein it states : “Recognizing that respect for indigenous knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment.” The Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) called up all levels of government in Canada to endorse and implement UNDRIP. Within indigenous cultures can be found “ways of knowing” sometimes referred to as Traditional Knowledge. These “ways of knowing” provide a way of understanding environmental, social cultural and economic issues that because they have survived for thousands of years, have been resilient to colonialism; and provide guidance to the critical challenges facing all of humanity. As we grapple with the fact we are destroying our environment, exacting pressure on our social and cultural fabric while undermining the long-term prospects of an economy that provides for our needs, Indigenous cultural systems offer a crucial alternative and part of the solution.