Voices on the Land
Jarrett Quock
“It brought pride to me”
Jarrett Quock used to be a heavy equipment operator. He grew up spending time on the land with his Tahltan grandparents, but he’d encountered plenty of racism outside of his community and he struggled with addiction. When a job opened up at the Tahltan Land Guardians, he decided to take it.
“Being a guardian helped me get through some of the tough times in my life,” Jarrett said. “Being connected to the land and talking with a lot of elders and listening to their stories. It helped me overcome addictions. It brought pride to me. At the end of the day, I can walk away with the pride of being First Nations.”
Jarrett helped expand the guardians program, focusing on enforcing hunting guidelines and monitoring water quality. He says working with youth is one of the most important parts of the job, because he wants to inspire them to become guardians who care for the land—and the community.
“Being First Nations, it’s our duty and responsibility to keep the land the way it is. As you protect the environment and the wildlife, you keep yourself and your nation healthy
“Taking Our Power Back”
Heidi Cook is a councilor and former lands director for the Misipawistik Cree Nation on the northwestern shores of Lake Winnipeg. Misipawistik means Grand Rapids, but 55 years ago, the mighty rapids were silenced when massive dams were built for hydroelectricity. “We lost our river, a big portion of our lands,” Heidi explained. “When hydro came, my people were powerless to stop it. The reason I love the guardians program so much is because we’re taking our power back.”
The Misipawistik Cree Nation kanawenihcikew Guardian program was developed to assert the nation’s rights and title to the territory. “We have beautiful territory. We have sandy beaches, limestone cliffs, thousands of birds that sing in the summer. I love it all. And it’s the reason I do this work.”
“When we were planning our program, it was very important for us to meet with our elders. To talk about Cree laws, our values and our language—to make those the pillars of our guardians program,” Heidi said.
“That’s what I mean about taking our power back. It’s showing the huge value in our elders’ knowledge and carrying that forward for future generations. It’s showing them that it’s good to be Cree,” she said.
"For the Rest of the World”
Gloria Enzoe grew up hearing her mother talk about the love for the land and the need to speak on behalf of the water, air, trees and animals. When the Elders in her community of Lutsel K’e in the Northwest Territories began calling for a local program to manage traditional territory and get youth out on the land, Gloria knew it was a chance to honour her mother’s teachings. In 2008, she helped launch the Ni hat’ni Dene, an Indigenous Guardians program. Now these guardians care for millions of hectares of vibrant boreal forest and vast stretches of Great Slave Lake, one of the largest lakes in the world.
Gloria recognizes about the far-reaching value of their work.
“We are sustaining our traditional territory not only for us, but for the whole world,” Gloria said. “Our ecosystem is so pure, we have so many trees that we are cleaning up a lot of pollution. It means we are here protecting Mother Earth in order for the rest of the world to live on her.”
— Gloria Enzoe