Buffalo people's wisdom needed in land-use planning

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Decisions about land use should incorporate local Aboriginal people's traditional knowledge of the land, and their consent must be obtained along with government's before development, according to Allan J. Wolfleg.

Wolfleg, a Blackfoot from the Siksika Nation and a member of the regulatory advisory committee of Environment Canada, presented his views at a lunchtime seminar on traditional knowledge and environmental protection at the Environmental Law Centre in Edmonton on Sept. 20.

Both Aboriginal people and government have to pick a team and put their people together for discussion. "As one whole team, together we decide what to do and agree on some terms," he said.

All sources are worthy of listening to, added Wolfleg.

Eric Mohun, community relations manager for KeySpan Energy Canada, said companies are asked to provide wisdom, and it doesn't matter if it's Aboriginal or not.

"We are not allowed to impact on traditional values. We're asking the community to show how my footprint is going to affect the traditional values."

Mohun also said companies are being asked to undertake environmental assessments that include Aboriginal traditional knowledge.

"But then the report is being sent to an agency that's very conservative, that has to follow the rules and has no clue what's going on. You're expecting that body to improve, but all the new information isn't understood, isn't accepted . . . it takes years of teaching them," Mohun said.

Wolfleg told many stories and legends to illustrate the importance of traditional knowledge. He said the essential part of the knowledge is the experience. He told of the ceremonies and formalities for purification he learned as a child.

Wolfleg speaks Blackfoot, Cree and English. He said English terms imprison the understanding of Indian people. "We are forced to defend ourselves and to try and fit in."

There is a lot to learn about the interconnection of all beings and the earth, said Elizabeth Seale, a human rights educator with the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. The Aboriginal view of a relationship with nature is very different from the western European view, she said, adding, "What good are human rights, if the Earth is non-sustainable?"

She brought a rock that she found a few weeks ago at Buffalo Lake. "I find it soothing and comforting, reminding me of water, tears and support of women with me there then," she wrote. "I choose two cones found by a friend as she and I were walking. They speak to me of hope and reconciliation."

She also brought an ocean shell given by a friend far away: "It reminds me of all the beings around the whole wide world with whom we share this peace."