Page 4 - Canadian Wilderness spring summer 2017

The Peel is Life:A Gwich’in Elder on his connection with the land

For thousands of years, Gwich’in people in northwestern Canada have lived off the abun- might bring money for some people
dant natural resources of the Peel Watershed.They have depended on the migration of the outside of our territory. However,
Porcupine Caribou, the fish, and fresh water from seven pure rivers, and the rich history these industries use toxic chemicals
traced back through generations.“People of the headwaters” is the English translation that are dangerous to the lakes, creeks,
of the Teetl’it Gwich’in, who today live in Fort McPherson, in the Mackenzie Delta of the and rivers that we have within our
Northwest Territories.They are standing alongside CPAWS and three Yukon First Nations to environment.
protect the Peel from industrial development.
Almost every spring, we are flooded
- Elder Fred William Koe, shares his thoughts on development and his connection to the Peel because our land lies low within the
delta, and in some years, people are
Here in the Mackenzie Delta, we have to trap and hunt.We also have moose, flooded out of their homes. I want to let
clean water from the Peel Watershed bears, and caribou that live there in Canadians who have never been up here
and we have muskrats, beavers, mink, winter and summer. Drilling for oil and know about the Gwich’in Settlement
martens, lynxes, foxes, wolves, and all gas, and mining for gold, diamonds, and area and places like Fort McPherson,
kinds of birds and fish that we continue uranium in the Peel River Watershed Aklavik, Inuvik, and Tsiigehtchic.There
might be development within the Peel
Watershed in the future. If there is an
oil spill or a tailings pond run-off during
high water, the whole Mackenzie Delta
would be contaminated, all the way
to the Arctic Ocean.These, and other
concerns, should be kept for future
generations.

I still drink water from the Peel River
in the summer and from the ice in the
winter. I am not afraid the water might
contain toxic chemicals or might be
polluted with oil or gas. It is delicious
water! I have been drinking Peel River
water since I was born, which is almost
70 years ago now. I do not want to
see anything happen to the beauty of
what we call God’s country.We do
not want this place to be damaged by
development within the Peel Watershed.
Our sincere sympathies go out to those
people across Canada and the world
trying to protect their land, natural
resources, and water.

- Elder Fred William Koe
For more information, visit www.protectpeel.ca

4 • Canadian Wilderness • SPRING/SUMMER 2017 Top: Paddlers float over the aquamarine
waters of the Wind River. Photo: Peter Mather.
Bottom: Brothers and Sisters of Basook
Creek, born and raised on the banks of the
Peel River. Back:William Koe, Betty Manthla,
Colin Koe, Dorothy Koe, Fred Koe, Paul Koe.
Front: Peter Koe,Abraham Koe

www.cpaws.org