Community Spotlight: Sagkeeng Attends International Nuclear Waste Conference

article submitted by Brenda Morriseau — Niigaan Aki Program Manager

The Niigan Aki Program of Sagkeeng Anicinabe First Nation attended the Nuclear Waste Conference in Phoenix Arizona, March 2024 to provide the Indigenous perspective on risk assessment to the environment pertaining to nuclear waste on Sagkeeng's ancestral lands and treaty territories. This is the largest Nuclear Waste conference in the world.
 
I never thought talking and presenting would take me places, but it did, and it included colleagues: Nathan Dorie – Mentor for Guardians, Carl Fontaine – Elder and Community Liaison Committee Leader, Cindy Guimond – Youth representative for the CLC Committee. The knowledge shared as an Indigenous Panel participants consisted of sharing concerns of Sagkeeng's community members, elders, hunters, fishermen, and gatherers. Any plans made regarding treaty and ancestral land must be laid out on the table for the people to completely be informed. The ideas and plans of the people regarding the environment must be used in the planning and not just a box to tick off as consultation. It is highly important for settlers to understand that land sharing is not entitlement from the Indigenous perspective. To quote an elder, "How can you say you own something, when it was never yours to begin with."
 
Regarding the grout containers at the Nuclear Waste site it was shared that with talking to community members and other Indigenous people, "I can confidently share that 99% of Sagkeeng members do not want Nuclear Waste to be left in the earth because they do not trust that the future, 7 generations and the environment will be safe from poisoning of the chemicals stored. 
 
The signing of the treaties was remembered in the risk assessment, that 6 inches of the axe used and it is how much that settlers were allowed to dig and use and this is still in effect, "For as long as the sun shines, the waters flow and the grass grows the treaties are still valid and have to be upheld regarding the lands”. They were also reminded that they have been going beyond that amount for 150 years.

Image submitted by Brenda Morrisseau

It felt empowering to be heard by other Indigenous peoples from America who completely understood my Indigenous perspective. "We have made all the changes in our relationship with settlers on Turtle Island and it is time to meet us where we are at. I have not seen settlers take on our way of life yet." I invited people to start getting to know us and our perspective regarding the environment by meeting us in our communities and including our protocols into the way scientists do things including the way conferences are held.
 
All these reminders are talked about to tell the truth and not to offend but from the Indigenous perspective it has to be talked about because it is important because we are still a part of the land, we did not give up the land and rights to it and the agreement to share and not interfere with each other has not been upheld and somewhere sharing became entitlement to the settlers.
 

The talks were received well and we were invited to return in 2025 because the WM Symposia 2025 will be in Canada as the highlight of the conference. They would like Sagkeeng to have a booth. No decision is made at this time to take them up on it.

image submitted by Brenda Morrisseau