Grassy Narrows First Nation (Asubpeechoseewagong) and White Dog First Nation (Wabaseemoong), both Treaty Three Nations located in Northern Ontario, have been in the news this month as the Provincial Government has FINALLY committed to cleanup the mercury that was dumped in their shared river system in the 1960s and 70s. Read more about the announcement here.
- Over 90% of residents are currently experiencing symptoms of mercury poisoning.
- Federal and Provincial Governments have known about the problem for years, but have largely ignored it.
- Dr. Masazumi Harada, a Japanese scientist who studied Minimata disease in his own country, documented and studied the poisoning in these communities.
Highlighting Community Resilience and Activism
The community of Grassy Narrows has historically been especially vocal about this issue, and has continuously pushed for justice. You can read more about this work on Amnesty International's website and on www.freegrassy.net.
You can also:
- Learn more about Treaty Three.
- Visit the Grassy Narrows website.
- Follow the Facebook account of Grassy Narrows Youth which will keep you up to date on the activism youth from that community are undertaking.
- Follow the Grassy Narrows Youth twitter account.
Questions to Consider
How can we center the self-determination and resilience of Indigenous peoples when exploring social justice issues in our classrooms?
In 2016, the youth of Grassy Narrows wrote and recorded the song Home to Me about their pride in their community and culture. Last year, the video was featured on CBC's the National.