Reconciliation and stewardship through land conservation in Mi’gmaq traditional territory of Fort Folly First Nation and the UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve.

https://canada.ca/nature

* * * * * Transcript * * * * *

(NARRATOR)

The Mi’gmaq
are known as the people of the dawn.
We believe we come from the land.
It is made and shaped all of us.
Since time immemorial,
the land has provided for
and taken care of us.
It's now our time to step up
and take care of her.


(Chief Rebecca Knockwood, Fort Folly First Nation)

Conservation means to me being able
to do what we have always done,
we can take care of the lands
like our ancestors did in protecting it
for future generations.


(Michelle Knockwood, Land conservation project co-ordinator, Fort Foll First Nation)

Indigenous protected and conserved areas
are indigenous led long term commitments
to conservation that elevate indigenous
rights and responsibilities,
putting indigenous laws and values
at the forefront.


(Chief Rebecca Knockwood, Fort Folly First Nation)

Salmon's really very important
to first Nations people.
I want to be able to bring that back
so that the future generations
can have a piece of that culture
so they know what it's like to have
the salmon and be able
to feed themselves and feed their family.


(NARRATOR)

In Mi’gmaq, we call Salmon and Plamu.
Plamu has always been important to
the Mi’gmaq people here on the East Coast.
This is why, since 2001, Fort Folly
Habitat Recovery has been working on the Big
Salmon River watershed
to help repopulate and bring back
this endangered salmon,
which was so important to the people.
We all need to come together
not only for the future of the land,
but also for the future of our culture,
of our way of life.


(Nicole Porter, Mi’gmaq cultural coordinator, Fort Folly First Nation)

So if we want to be here
going forward in the future,
we have to take action now and protect
what was given to us and honour it.


(Michelle Knockwood)

Conservation and protection to me
means that we are taking care of the land,
the waters,
the animals in the same way
that our ancestors did.
It is up to us to make sure
that our forests, our medicines,
our brothers and sisters are taken care of
in a sustainable way
to ensure their survival
for the next seven generations.