b'The documentary shares somewomen, spiritual leaders and watercan provide funding, and we can educate, statistics about water: protectors on the front lines of waterbut it comes down to a governance level. care and protection. We need to make anWe must find our way back so we can One third of the worlds population does not have access to safe water. incredible correction to how we managelook forward to a long future.our water and take care of the water forBy taking care of the water, we are Within 10 years, much of our accessthe next generation. honouring the original instructions given to fresh water will be limited.Canada contains seven per cent of theWe, as First Nations Peoples, haveto us from the Creator. Water is life, and we better protect it. We are at a critical worlds renewable fresh water. a way of purifying the water. We needstage. Dont wait for someone elseThere are several stressors onto be able to share the very best of our Indigenous wisdom, traditions andspeak for the water.the water, including increasingknowledge systems to lift First NationsWater is available to watch now on Vimeo: population, demand, contaminationPeoples for what they have and know. Wevimeo.com/705484136/78a42267e8. and climate change/variabilitywe do not know how much water we have for the future or how safe that water is.Microplastics are being found in thewater and human blood.The documentary also stresses that caring for the water is not about management. It is a relationship and respect, and we are to reciprocate all the life that has been given to us to be sure the rest of life can continue. Every drop of water is important, and it needs to be our biggest priority if we want to see life continue on earth. Every creature is affected by water quality. Communities cannot flourish without clean water, warns Sheri Longboat, BES, MA, BEd, Ph.D. and Associate Professor at the Universityof Guelph.We need to care for the water as we care for ourselves because, as Kahaontakwas Diane Longboat, from the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Nation in Six Nations Grand River Territory, shares: Water is the blood of the earth. Every river has been damned. All the veins have been redirected, or stopped, or slowed down. Whatever we do to the earth, we do to ourselves. Throughout the documentary, various women emphasize the importance of moving forward, of looking after the water for future generations and the knowledge that we are not the be-all and end-allwe need humility. We are just one grain of sand in relation to creation, and if you dont have water, you dont have life. We need to acknowledge the past to see why we are here in our current condition and see how to move forward. Thats the seven-generation outlookseven generations before and seven generations after. We need grassroots I ssue1 2022C hIefs ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazIne l 19'