Address to Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs - Dec. 2016

[Opening in Indigenous language] I'm 12 years old, I shouldn't have to be up here fighting for our water. I'm here representing all children, as we are the ones inheriting this world. Nibi is who we are and what we are made of. Our first teaching on water, begins in our mothers’ womb. We all have this teaching, we can't live in our mother's womb without water. All of you would not be sitting here today, if it wasn't for water. It makes me sad every time I think about the water. I'm sad because our waters are sick, not just here in Canada, but all over the world. I worry that we'll be facing the same situation in our neighbor country – where pipelines have burst and contaminated the land and water. I'm not standing here for fun, I'm here to make a serious statement. I don't want to come back when I'm 70 and nothing has been done. Mother Earth was in existence for billions of years, and she doesn't need us – we need her. It’s time for humanity to stop terrorizing Mother Earth, and give her time to heal. This land is not for sale or profit, we need to come together for our water. I would like to offer up a water song.

[Water song in Indigenous language]

Peltier, A. [APTN News]. (2016, December 8) Autumn Peltier Talks Pipelines | APTN News [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEDqbzLFOlc]. Retrieved on April 9, 2022 from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA-IcIBtmwCirNr1f-n_SRA.