Autumn Peltier: Anishinaabe Water Protector Carrying Forward Generational Wisdom and Global Advocacy

By: Tavo Amador 

Autumn Peltier is an Anishinaabe water protector from wiikwemkoong in Canada, and she has made her name known around the world for speaking up about how important clean water is for the world. For her and her peoples water meaning something more than what it might mean to a lot of us, as water isn't something that we just drink it's a living part of nature that i think gives life to almost everything on this planet, and what Autumn dud shows how that indigenous teachings and traditions can help us better understand this and help us care for the world better. 

Autunm was influenced by her grandma Josephine who also was a water activist who wanted clean water, But her grandma would do something that i feel like a lot of people wouldn't, she would walk around the great lakes to teach people that the water wasn't just their but that we needed to respect and protect the waters. Her grandma would end up passing away but what she was pushing for did not has autumn would pick up where she stopped, and i think this is a good example on how traditions and story's get passed down to each generation, and by autumn being able to learn from her grandma ma she's able to speak to the people of today to keep her culture strong. 

Autumn is a chief water commissioner for the Anishinabek nation and autumn has used her power to speak and talk to world leaders and has a sort of famous quote that “we can't eat money or drink oil” and i think this is powerful because it really shows how blind we are for money and that are health and the worlds health doesn't really come to mind first and that protecting are earth is more important than are profits. Autumn fights for the right that all people should have clean water and the indigenous people should also have control of their land, Autumn doesn't just fight for clean water but fights for land rights and climate change and teaches us that its caring for are future. 

I chose autumn Peltier because my mom really likes what she's fighting for but also, she shows that anyone can push for change and it doesn't matter how old you are, she made me think more about the world around me and how I might being polluting and effecting it, but Autumn also made me better understand and realize that we are all connected to earth and protecting it should always come first. 

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