A Native Spiritual Elder's Viewpoint on River Management

Based on speeches given by Tom Crane Bear
Spiritual Elder
Siksika Nation
October 14, 1995

Water was one of the original gifts from the Creator.

Time began thousands of years ago. One of the original gifts from the Creator was water. My people have always had a great respect for water. Water was a lifeline to every creature including land animals and those that swam under the water.

Great Respect

When I was young, my grandmother did not speak English. She lived before Christianity and education. She took me to collect water and would stop at the edge of the Bow River to say prayers. I didn't see anyone that she spoke to. She had a great respect for the water.

The Spirit of the Water

My grandmother once stopped her wagon and horses in mid-river. She prayed, gave a gift of tobacco and crossed the wide Bow River safely. She stopped again on the other side and gave thanks to the Spirit of the Water. We believe a spiritual source between heaven and the creator nurtures our spirits.

The Circle

Water is powerful. She can damage us. She can change landscapes. Without water, there would be nothing here - just rock, no trees. Everything in the circle is replenished by water. When we die, we go back to the source of the circle.

Medicine

This is the way that we look at water - as a medicine, as a healer. Some of our medicine comes from the mud at the bottom of the river. If you're sick, all you need is a cup of water. Some say that it's just water but it's very sacred to us as native people. We use water in our ceremonies for cleansing and in pipe ceremonies. We honour the rains and the snows with a ceremony each year.

It All Has A Purpose

The Europeans didn't look deep enough into our culture and they condemned us. We didn't pollute or contaminate. We knew that the animals - those that fly, walk on four legs, all the species - depend on water. It all has a purpose - the weeds and the gravel - keeping and filtering the water so that we can drink clean water.

A Sacred Gift

A lot of us look only at the dollar signs - money, money. However, I'm quite content with my values and culture. To us, the water has always been sacred - as sacred as the land. It's a sacred gift to us. It's the source of life. We don't look at the money.

Give Thanks

If we work together, we won't have to worry about water rights. The only one who has the rights to water is the Creator. Take pride in who you are and respect the gifts we're given.

Let's pray. Let's remember why we're here. Let's pray for loved ones, elders and the sick. Let's give thanks for the many gifts we receive.

We thank the Creator for food, our abilities, sights and sounds. We thank him and ask him to control our mouths so that we don't hurt anyone.

Let's give thanks now, each of us, in our own way.

Thank you.