Traditional ceremony puts focus on water concerns
Sustainability group member says, ‘We believe the solution is working together’
FORT QU’APPELLE Lorraine Yuzicapi was born on the edge of Echo Lake and remembers clear water in her childhood.
Now, at 73, she sees the Qu’Appelle waters as “green and slimy” lakes that are killing fish, animals and plants.
Yuzicapi was one of five pipe holders during a pipe ceremony at the Treaty 4 Governance Centre in Fort Qu’Appelle on Tuesday.
About 80 people attended the ceremony, which was held to raise awareness of a project proposed by the Quill Lakes Watershed Association. It intends to build a 25-kilometre channel to divert surface water from Kutawagan and Pel lakes toward Last Mountain Lake.
The lakes are saline, and there is concern that diverted water would be hazardous to the Qu’Appelle water system.
The provincial government has not approved the project, but has determined that it does not require a detailed environmental assessment or public consultation, as it does not qualify as a development.
“We’ve lost our voice. In the (environmental impact assessment) process, they engage the stakeholders. They’ve eliminated that, so our voice has been removed,” said Aura Lee MacPherson, chair of Calling Lakes Eco Museum and a member of the Saskatchewan Alliance for Water Sustainability (SAWS).
“We’re very concerned about the salinity, we’re very worried about our fish, we’re very worried about the amount of water,” said MacPherson.
She referenced the raw sewage in their water, which floated downstream from Regina in 2014, and a proposed Yancoal potash solution mine near Southey.
“We’re not opposed to economy, but we want development done right. We’ve taken a lot and now they want us to take the salt of the Quill Lakes (watershed project), and we’re saying it’s too much. We haven’t thought about this enough,” she said.
“The lake has gone down 19 inches and I believe if our government starts enforcing and closing some ditches, we have time,” she added.
“The lake went down, so let’s work together and find a solution.”
MacPherson said the proposed drainage project has divided the community.
“People don’t even say hi to each other anymore,” she said.
“It’s a divisive process and our government has done that to us. I feel bad for the farmers, because the provincial government has said, ‘Here, you guys solve this problem,’ but they didn’t give them any capacity .… So they came up with a ditch.”
She said Saskatchewan could look to its neighbouring provinces for alternatives.
“There is a division and it seems to be those that are environmentally friendly or green friendly versus those that aren’t,” said Wendell Starblanket, a member of the Starblanket First Nation and a traditional helper during the pipe ceremony.
“When we look at how our political organizations are structured, how our current world is structured, when it comes to environmental issues and resource issues, it always divides people and it’s always over money and it’s always over the resources and who gets what,” he said.
MacPherson would like to see a collaborative process involving all levels of government — including First Nations and Metis — as well as universities, farmers and resource industries.
“We believe the solution is working together,” she said. “We believe we can build a stronger Saskatchewan sustainably, rather than just moving a problem from one place to another and giving it to someone else.”
During the pipe ceremony, Yuzicapi represented the Dakota people, while four men represented the other linguistic groups of Treaty 4 — the Lakota, Nakota, Cree and Saulteaux.
They took turns praying aloud in English and in their First Nations languages.
One man shared a memory from childhood: “The elders told us that one day this water would be hard to get.”
“Without water, none of us would be here. Without water, we wouldn’t have life,” he added.
Collin Starblanket sang and drummed as people prayed and smoked “kinnikinnick,” a mixture of red willow, sage, sweetgrass and cedar.
Smoke filled the big teepee as about 50 men, women and Bert Fox High School students sat in their respective circles, passing pipes around and tapping the pipe on each of their shoulders. About 30 others sat in chairs around the room and observed.
The discussion continues Wednesday as the Qu’Appelle Valley Environmental Association hosts a monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the Centre for the Arts in Fort Qu’Appelle.