Indigenous Conservation with Clayton Thomas-Müller Transcript

Indigenous Conservation with Clayton Thomas-Müller Transcript: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Indigenous Conservation with Clayton Thomas-Müller Transcript: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Danielle:
Hello, this is Danielle. I'm part of a group of students studying natural resource conservation at the University of British Columbia. Welcome to our podcast, academics and activists. Today we're speaking with Clayton Thomas-Müller, an environmental and climate change activist, to provide context and help people understand how First Nations and Canada are impacted by climate change and also the role that they play in leading climate change mitigation. Before we get started, I want to acknowledge that we are recording this on the traditional unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, and I would like to share that I am grateful for the opportunity to reside on this beautiful territory. Welcome, Clayton. Thank you so much for being here today. How are you?

Clayton:
Hey, thanks so much for having me. I'm doing really well and it's it's a pleasure to be speaking to you today from here in Treaty one territory, the city of Winnipeg, where I live and you know, this is also home of the Métis Nation. And yeah, it's a really awesome place. So hello, everyone.

Danielle:
So I'll start by asking you how you most feel comfortable introducing yourself.

Clayton:
I think it depends on the audience I know, like here in Manitoba, it's standard protocol when you go to like, you know, native organized gatherings to introduce yourself in the traditional way, you know, and being a Cree that grew up in predominantly Anishinaabe territory. I do that in an Ojibwe way and carry an Ojibwe name. So, you know, that's [boozhoo] hello in Anishinaabe. And [speaking in Anishinaabe] my name is Strong Thunderbird Man my clan is Eagle Clan. And you know, and then I always open up with I'm a Cree man from Pukatawagan Cree Nation Treaty six territory. And yeah, that's about it.

Danielle:
Awesome. So in studying conservation, I've come to learn that there are so many different definitions of conservation, depending on the person who is defining it. So broadly, as an indigenous person. How do you define conservation?

Clayton:
Well, I think that's a really good question, you know, and it's really important for people to understand. So when I share about conservation from a native perspective, it's really about responsibilities. You know, some people refer to indigenous peoples as stewards of the land, stewards of Mother Earth. But in reality, I really don't think that there is an English word that can describe the original instructions that creator and our ancestors have given our people as far as speaking for those that cannot speak for themselves. And that, of course, are all of our plant and animal relatives that live in the biosphere or the sacred circle of life. And we have a responsibility, according to our creation stories, to take care of that sacred circle of life. And so, yeah, conservation, the definition of it, our understanding of it is very complex.

Danielle:
Thank you for sharing that with us. My grandmother's sister always said to tread lightly on the land, and I've remembered that through my lifetime. Yes, we are the keepers of the land and to tread lightly on it, and to take care of the land respected and we have our rights. So with rights come responsibility. So how important is indigenous conservation in mitigating climate change?

Clayton:
You know, time and time again, we prove that we are the older brothers and sisters of the people who now call the Americas homes, and we know how to take care of our land. And indigenous peoples, First Nations peoples, Native American peoples we're directly responsible for twenty five percent of fossil fuels staying in the ground over the last 20 or 30 years through straight up asserting our title, going out on the land and saying no with not just our voices, but with our bodies to mega extraction, these things that threaten our ability to hunt fish and trap. And in Canada, those are inalienable rights that are enshrined in section thirty five of the Canadian Constitution.

Danielle:
Right, exactly. Yeah. So for listeners who are new to indigenous cultures and traditions and values and histories, what does it mean to be a land defender?

Clayton:
Well, you know, I think there's a lot of different opinions about that. I certainly don't speak for for anyone other than myself. And you know what, I've heard, you know, working in the climate movement and, you know, we're not out there protesting, you know, these governments, these corporations, they have no right to just come into our territory and threaten the ways that we subsist and threaten those sacred relationships in those beings that we have responsibilities to that our ancestors told us about and that creator tells us about. And so, you know, a land offender is somebody who is part of a collective, and what they're fighting for is not for their own individual benefit. They're fighting for the collective rights of their people, their collective responsibilities, and for those that cannot speak for themselves, like our plant and animal relatives, you know. So, yeah, a lot of people, they including the corporate media, they muddy the waters on these terms, land defenders and water protectors, and they try to call us protesters. But we're not protesters. We are title holders of our territories. It's like somebody like, you know, like somebody comes and kicks your door in at your house and like threatens your family with mortal violent, like threatens their lives with violence. And then you smoke them and then they come in and call you the murderer. Like, you're not the murderer. You're acting in self-defense for the safety of your family. You know what I mean? And it's totally rational, right? You had the right to protect your family from getting harmed. And it's the same thing in indigenous territories against the damming of our sacred rivers, our highways, the ways we go visit our relatives in other communities, or when we stand up in front of bulldozers that are trying to clear the forest to build a pipeline. And so, yeah, those are my thoughts on the definition of land defender.

Danielle:
A recent climate report from the federal government warns that Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet and that the North is warming three times quicker than the rest of the world, with most First Nations in Canada located in the North. We have the understanding that livelihood such as hunting, fishing and trapping are impacted by climate change. What are other climate related threats that indigenous communities face?

Clayton:
Well, you know, it's very diverse, but every threat is very real and has staggering consequences on indigenous peoples mental and spiritual and emotional health. And at the end of the day, the people that get hit the hardest are the people who are the most cash poor. And in Canada, that's indigenous peoples. Whether it's a climate related catastrophe or whether it's related to the destruction of their homelands by a climate causing industry because we've literally changed the chemistry of the planet, you know, with our fossil fuels centered economy. And you know, I think I think that that's why we need a very powerful people powered movement that that is rooted in in goals that are not just about creating good union jobs for anybody who wants one, but that is also in full partnership with indigenous peoples. And that doesn't only just use Western science, which is so young and immature in comparison to traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous science. But at this point, I don't think indigenous science alone can solve the adaptation challenges that we as a society have when it comes pertaining to climate change. But I think through hybrid models that are regionally that are bio regionally designed and rooted in kind of a justice framework, a reconciliatory framework, we'll be able to lessen the impact, I think, on people and community as we adapt to whatever, whatever climate change that we're already locked into. But that's going to be an ongoing process, and I think there's a lot of work to be done as far as healing. But one thing that gives me hope in the future, even in the even with all this existential threat of all of these big issues that we've talked about on today's podcast, there's great hope in our young people and they are they're pissed off, you know, so it's going to be really awesome to see what happens as we move forward into the future.

Danielle:
Awesome. Thank you so much. Clayton, I'm so grateful for you for coming today and sharing your knowledge with us. To the listeners, you can check out some of the work that Clayton is involved in like 350.org or indigenous climate action, or you can also check out his new book, Life in the City of Dirty Water. Thank you.

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