Jeronimo Kataquapit, right, and his father James A. Kataquapit, from Attawapiskat First Nation, are shown on the Attawapiskat River in this recent handout photo.Jeronimo Kataquapit/The Canadian Press
Cassandra Spade, from Mishkeegogamang First Nation, gave one of the valedictorian addresses at Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, half in Anishinabemowin and half in English.
Jeronimo Kataquapit, from Attawapiskat First Nation, put down roots on the banks of the Attawapiskat River in order to defend the land from road construction in the Ring of Fire area.
Oliver King, a two-spirit filmmaker from James Smith Cree Nation, just debuted a film he co-produced at the Toronto International Film Festival.
These are just three of the young Indigenous voices for change who deserve to be heard – especially now, in September, a month set aside to commit ourselves again to truth and reconciliation in Canada. In these divisive times, where we see creeping denialism about the unmarked gravesites at former Indian residential schools amid a push to develop the land no matter the cost, it is important to focus on where the hope lies.
Take Ms. Spade, for just one example. She advocates for the language and laws of this land, and just won this year’s Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize, which is awarded to graduating law students who look to have a future in influencing equity and social justice in Canada.
As a girl, Ms. Spade realized you have to step up and get involved if you want to see change. “When I was young my sister was bitten by a dog on the reservation we grew up on,” she told me in an e-mail. “In response, and with the help of my dad, I wrote a petition to have the dogs in the community tagged and vaccinated. I walked from house to house to collect signatures. Once we had a page full of names, we brought the petition to Chief and Council and the community later decided to implement the tagging and vaccinations.”
She added: “This is the moment I realized that I could bring about change in my community.”
When I asked her what needs immediate attention, her thoughtful answer was to improve educational access and opportunities that are actually reflective of Indigenous lived realities.
Opportunities are needed where “Indigenous languages are the primary language of instruction or creating programs available remotely for Indigenous peoples to remain in their communities (should they wish to do so),” she said. “Ultimately, this supports Indigenous peoples in revitalizing their ways of life while supporting their work to advance equity and social justice in their communities.”
Last year, Ms. Spade attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, championing Indigenous language revitalization and human rights.
Or consider Mr. Kataquapit, whom I first met at Koerner Hall, after he spoke of the need to protect Tawich, the James Bay and Hudson Bay coastlines, which is home to migratory birds, endangered species and pristine ecosystems.
This past summer, he set up camp along the Attawapiskat River in order to prevent a road being built through sensitive boreal forest. “The weather’s been pretty good, and the bugs have been pretty forgiving, considering. There’s just been a lot of smoke from the forest fires,” Mr. Kataquapit wrote to me in July while he was updating his Facebook page daily. Earlier that month, he and about 20 Indigenous youth tried to attend Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with First Nations leadership, in an effort to bring youth voices to the table, but they were denied.
Or how about Mr. King, the young Cree filmmaker from Saskatchewan whom I met during this year’s TIFF, at an Indigenous Screen Office cocktail party celebrating Sterlin Harjo, the co-creator of the popular TV series Reservation Dogs.
“It was a completely surreal experience,” Mr. King said about TIFF. “I spent the last 11 years of my life dedicated to filmmaking and storytelling. The past two years I spent working on the feature film Levers, directed by Rhayne Vermette. I was uncertain about my abilities to navigate such a role, but in the end, we got the project completed and TIFF selected it for Wavelengths, which highlights experimental and artistic films.”
For the world premiere, Mr. King was in charge of helping the cast and crew get to where they needed to be. “At first, it felt like a lot of pressure but in the end, everyone said … it was a job well done.”
These three inspiring young adults represent three beams of hope in a chaotic, fractured world that seems to be breaking into more pieces every single day.
Their voices matter and their voice is our future. Let’s honour them this month – and every month.