Article contentArticle contentLAND PROTECTORArticle contentRoger Toney is a Mi’kmaq land protector who left a camp site on Hunters Mountain to attend the conference. Article content“It’s not a protest,” he said. “It’s a gathering for we land protectors.” Article contentHe invited others to come up to the Mi’kmaw campsites and see the effects of the clear cutting of trees for themselves. Article content“Come have a tea or a coffee and a chat. See for yourself the devastation that’s been happening in our abundance of resources.’ Article content“We’re all treaty people and we’ve signed this treaty as a whole. And to make it work, we have to work together as a whole. The treaties aren’t being listened to.” Article contentThe Mi’kmaw land protectors have set up checkpoints on the road to the logging site, despite recent provincial laws that legislate blocking or impeding roads to logging sites. Article contentBritish Columbian land protector Terry Doward was also at the conference and had travelled up Hunters Mountain to see it for himself. Article contentArticle content“The government of Nova Scotia cannot run roughshod on the Mi’kmaq rights and responsibilities to their land. They’re trying to protect their way of life. We’re living in the 21st century and this colonization and these aggressive tactics have to stop.” he said in an APTN (Aboriginal TV) interview. Article contentAlso at the convention was Nova Scotia Regional Chief Andrea Paul. Article content“The protectors at Hunters Mountain are doing this not for fame, not for fortune – they do this because they want to protect all species for the next seven generations,” she said. Article content One of the knowledge keepers and land protectors at last week’s National Conservation Gathering in Membertou was Dr. Albert Marshall of Eskasoni First Nation. He encouraged delegates from First Nations all across Canada to keep the good energy going that he felt from the sharing of wisdom and concern for Mother Earth. ROSEMARY GODIN/Cape Breton PostArticle contentMINDFUL ACTIONSArticle contentDr. Albert Marshall, elder and knowledge keeper from Eskasoni First Nation spoke at the conference. Article content“This has been an informative session,” he told delegates. “It’s impossible for me to grasp all the wonderful knowledge that we have shared with each other.” Article contentA leading environmental voice in Unama’ki (Cape Breton), and a highly regarded spokesperson for Mi’kmaq natural resources and environmental issues, Marshall said he wanted to leave people with a message. Article contentArticle content“I want us to ponder by asking ourselves individually: can we fathom for a moment how our life could be if we really humble ourselves and find a way to walk together for the benefit of us all?” Article contentMarshall encouraged everyone to take actions that are mindful of how they affect others. Article content“Make a concerted effort that your actions will never compromise future generations of their abilities,” he said. Article contentThe elder said the reason people were at the conference was to set a path forward for the younger generations to take over. Article contentHe asked people to keep the energy going that had been created at the conference around being good stewards of the Earth. Article contentArticle contentRosemary Godin is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for the Cape Breton Post, a position funded by the federal government.Article contentArticle content
First Nations have moral authority for nature, Membertou convention hears
