SUSTAINING PEOPLEThe Seal River Watershed sustains our people, cultures, and languages.
Relationship
Dene and Cree peoples have had a relationship with the watershed since time immemorial. Our ancestors followed the caribou, fished in the lakes, and gathered plants here for generations. Our knowledge systems reflect the deep understanding that comes from caring for these lands for millennia.
We honour our responsibilities and transfer our knowledge by being on the land in the Dene and Cree way. Spending time hunting and fishing with our children, walking along eskers with our grandchildren, sharing stories in camp with Elders. This is how the next generation continues our traditions. Because every aspect of our cultures and identities is rooted in our relationship to the caribou and the land.
Health and Wellbeing
The watershed helps strengthen our people. The trauma of residential schools and relocation continues to reverberate in our communities. Time on the land is one of the most powerful ways to heal from the impacts of colonialism. It reconnects us to our cultures and restores pride in being Dene and Cree.
The caribou play a central role in this healing. When we respect the relationship with caribou through traditional practices, it helps us feel whole. People say that when we make a drum from the caribou, it’s like we open a spiritual connection with the caribou. We feel it when we are around a fire and people are drumming. We are reminded of who we are as Indigenous Peoples.
“Being on the land and fishing and setting nets with my uncles gave me a sense of identity. Learning that the caribou give us what we need, that we are descendants of the caribou. It’s who we are. It’s what keeps us strong. Protecting the watershed is what is keeping our culture and traditions alive!”
— Desirae Denechezhe, Northlands Denesuline First NationFor the Future
The Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected Area will ensure the land remains healthy and sustains us far into the future. It will create a safe space to be who we are as Dene and Cree Peoples. It will help us pass along languages and traditions to the next generations. And it will generate jobs for our young people based in Indigenous knowledge and law.
All of this is tied to the land and the caribou. It is our responsibility to care for them as they care for us.
“It should be protected so that our way of life is protected! And so those future generations can get taught traditionally from the land and waters.”
Catherine Inglis, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation