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4TuesdayApril72015TheNorthernJournalisanindependentnewspapercoveringnewsandeventsinthewesternArcticandnorthernAlberta.2013CCNABLUERIBBONCANADIANCOMMUNITYNEWSPAPERAWARD2013CMCAAUDITEDTheNorthernJournalispublishedweeklybyCascadePublishingLtd.PrintedatStarPressInc.WainwrightAB.Publisher.................................................................................DonJaque867-872-3000ext.21donnorj.caEditor.........................................................................MeaganWohlberg867-872-3000ext.24newsnorj.caReporter.......................................................................DaliCarmichael867-872-3000ext.25reporternorj.caComptroller.....................................................DixiePenner867-872-3000ext.23dixnorj.caAdvertising..............................HeatherFoubertHayRiver867-874-4106adsnorj.caAdministration............................................JeremyTurcotte867-872-3000ext.26adminnorj.caProductionManager......................................SandraJaque867-872-3000ext.22sandranorj.caGraphics........................................................PaulBannister867-872-3000ext.27graphicsnorj.caLetterstotheEditorPolicyTheNorthernJournalwelcomesletterstotheeditor.Lettersmustbesignedandincludeaphonenumbersotheauthorcanbeveried.Nameswillbewithheldonrequestinspecialcircumstanceswherethereasonsaredeterminedtobevalid.TheJournalreservestherighttoeditlettersforlengthlibelclarityandtaste.Opinionsexpressedinlettersandcolumnsarenotnecessarilythoseofthepublisheroreditor.AdvertisingDeadlinesDisplayaddeadlineisThursdayat400p.m.ClassiedaddeadlineisThursdayat500p.m.Emailadsnorj.caSubscriptionRatesPricesincludeGST.47.25inFortSmith52.50elsewhereinCanada105intheUSAoverseas164.30.EDITORIALCOLUMNDeneHoniIndigeneityThebestdenitionofIndigenousIveheardcomesfromaconversationwithmyUncleReneLamothe.HesaystobeIndig-enousacertainpeoplehavetoliveinaspe-cicgeographiclocationfor10generationsormore.After10generationsthosepeoplewillbeabletodevelopaprofoundrelation-shipwiththatspecicgeographiclocationtothepointwheretheywillbeabletogetalltheirnutritionalneedsfromtheirimmedi-atesurroundings.Thisrelationshipwillin-formtheirentireworldviewtoalsoincludeaspiritualconnectionthatconnectsthemwiththelandandwater.WhenIthinkofthisIimmediatelythinkofmylateGrandmotherJudithBuggins.LaterinherlifemyGrannysdietmostlyconsistedofboiledcariboumeat.Iwouldtrytogethertohaveawell-roundeddietinclud-ingallfoodgroupsbutallshewantedwasboiledcaribou.Allthenutrientssheneededshegotfromthecariboumeatfromherim-mediatesurroundings.IalsothinkaboutmyUncleGerryAntoinewhenhetalksaboutDene.HesaysthewordDenehasfourlettersandtwosyllablesdemakingreferencetoriverorwaterandnewhichmakesreferencetoland.Thewordwehaveforhumanbeingsforourselves-Dene-doesnotseparateusfromthelandorwaterbutinexplicablyconnectsustoourimmedi-atesurroundings.TheDenehavebeeninDenendehforover10generations.Ourstoriesdatebacktopre-historicgianteaglesandbeaversandthereareevenstoriesofdinosaurs.Noonereallyknowsanexactdatebutitssafetosaythou-sandsofyearsbeforeBuddhabeforeJesus.Ourconnectiontothelandhasinformedourspiritualitytohelpusmakesenseoftheuni-versearoundus.Ourpresenceinthisgeo-graphiclocationhasseepedintoourDNAandhasbecomepartthegeneticmemoryofwhoweare.Thisrelationshipissoprofoundthatitisdifcultforsomeofustovocalizethisstrongfeelingwehaveforthislandandthesacredwaters.ThisispartofwhatitmeanstobeDenewhatitmeanstobeIndigenousinthispartoftheworld.AlthoughDeneper-tainstoacertainpeoplebeingIndigenousisnotexclusiveterritory.EveryoneonthisplanetisIndigenoustosomegeographiclocationsomewhere.Weallhaveageneticmemoryofacertaintimeinourworldshis-torywherewehadaprofoundrelationshipwithaspecicgeographiclocationthatin-formedourspirituality.Itsjustinthisloca-tionoftheworldtheDeneareIndigenous.DnezeNakehkoisDenesulineandDehchoDenefromDenendehLong-termpainfromshort-termgainAproducingoileldimpactstheenviron-mentaffectswildlifevegetationandthelandandthehighlevelofindustrialactiv-itychangesthewayoflifeinnearbycommu-nities-allpartofthepricepaidtogeneratewealthandcreatejobs-butfrackingforoilhasawholeotherlevelofimpact.Frackinginvolvesinjectingahighlytoxicchemicalmixundergroundthroughgreatpressuretoshattersubsurfacerockreleas-ingstoredpetroleumorgastobepumpedtothesurface.Aspartoftheprocessaneffortismadetorecovermostofthetoxicchemicalsbutthechemicallylaidenwaterknownasowbackuidcanneverbere-claimed.Themillionsofgallonsmustbestoredundergroundon-siteorshippedouttoalicenceddisposalfacilitytobeforeverstoresbelowground.Theout-of-sightout-of-mindattitudetotheafter-effectsofsubsurfaceindustrialac-tivityisacommontraitinthehumanpsychereectedinallthatwedo.Ifsomethingisnotpartofourawarenessoronourradaritismuchlessofapriority.Typicallypossessionswenolongerusearestashedintheverybackcornerofourbasementorgarage.Outdoorstheyarerel-egatedtoapointfurthestfromourdailyac-tivityusuallyabackcornerofouryard.Eventhoughourneighbourmaybeabletoreadilyseethoseforgottenpossessionstuckedawayfromourviewitdoesnotmatterforwhatwecantseeisnotrelevant.Thesameisdoneonamuchlargerscalebycommunitiesprovincesandcountries.Mostcommunitieshaveadumpornuisancegroundswheregarbageistakenafacilityfarenoughawayandalwaysoutofsightig-noredexceptwhenneeded.Nomatterhowmuchofamessismadeitisokaybecauseitisinvisible.Albertasapproachtotheoilsandsindus-tryisillustrative.FortMcMurrayiswaaayuptherefromtheperspectiveofEdmontonandCalgaryattheveryedgeoftheirrelevantuniverse.Thefarnortheasternpartoftheprov-inceislikethehiddenbackcornerofAlbertasyard.Itiscoveredbybushandshieldwithnoperceivedvalueknownalsoastheborealfor-est.Onlyafewindigenousresidentsliveupthere.Itisconsideredexpendable.Corpora-tionsstrippingtheforestcoverwetlandsandpeatbogstoextractbitumencanhavetheirwayunimpeded.Thoseopposingtheoilsandsindustrythinksimilarly.Thetoxictailingspondsaresobigtheycanbeseenfromspace.Thereisgreatworryaboutafewhundredducksthatlandonthepondsanddieyetlittleissaidabouttheaquiferbelow.Whathappensundergroundisnotapparenthardertobringtolightandjustice.Theaquiferintheoilsandsregionisvastcoveringthousandsofsquare-kilometres.Waterowsthroughanaquiferlikeamas-siveshallowlakeonthemove.The176sq-kmoftailingspondsaremostlylinedwithclaywithnorequirementforimpermeableliners.Toxicefuentisseepingintothegroundwater.Alargeportionoftheaquifermaywellbepoi-sonedyetthereislittleifanyoversightandminimalstudiestounderstandandverify.Itisjustamatteroftimebeforethepriceofoilrisesagainandfrackingisre-activatedintheNWTonalargescale.Thereservesareprovenandthereisbigmoneytobemade.TheNWTgovernmentisunderpressuretogrowtheeconomyanditplanstodothatthroughresourceextractionusingthesouthernmodelwherebiggerandmoreisbetter.Developmentwilltakeplacewealthwillowfromitandsomepeoplewillhavehigh-payingjobs.TheapproachtofrackingbytheNWTgov-ernmentismuchmorecarefulthanthewayAlbertaapproachestheoilsandsbutisstillwanting.Toxicsubstanceswillbeintroducedunderground.Therewillbenomandatoryrequirementtodisclosetheexactmakeupofthechemicalsinjected.Whiletherewillbesomemonitoringofeffectsinthelong-termthefrequencyandextentwillbeatthediscretionoftheregulator.Thecorpo-rationextractingtheresourcewillcarryoutthestudies.Somedothatbetterthanothersbutthedoorisopentoabuse.Therewillbemanypressingmattersthatmustbedealtwithaboveground-thingsthatarevisible-thatwilltakepriority.Ignoranceisnotbliss.Notdoingitrightandpayingforwardthenegativeeffectssofu-turegenerationshavetodealwiththelegacyisnotacceptable.Howdoyoucleanupapoi-sonedaquiferGiantMinefullofpoisonousarseniccostingmillionsofdollarsannuallytomaintainisanunsolvableenvironmentaldisaster.HowmanyofthosehavetohappenbeforethelessonislearnedTheout-of-sightout-of-mindattitudetoafter-effectsofsubsurfaceindustrialactivityiscommoninthehumanpsycheanapproachreectedinallthatwedo.StudentTiaRaeWoodwardwonthirdplaceintheseniorcategoryoftheNorthlandSchoolDivisions2015photographycontestwiththisphotoofaoatplanenearherhomecommunityofFortChipewyanwheresheattendsGrade10attheAthabascaDeltaCommunitySchool.PhotoTiaRaeWoodward