The ‘Water is Life’ Legal Summit, presented by Keepers of the Water and the Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom Centre, shed light on topics related to Indigenous sovereignty and the protection of water from an Indigenous worldview.

Announcement of a joint statement from Indigenous Climate Action, Keepers of the Water, and Environmental Defence Canada on April 17, 2023.

Indigenous leaders speak against Pathways Alliance industry event hosted by Canada at COP, as allies walk out of event.

If you missed this event live you can still watch the replay of this vitally important collaborative webinar!

Here’s What is Happening This Week with Keepers of the Water!

Keepers of the Water and Indigenous Knowledge Wisdom Center are pleased to present this two-day in-person gathering. Indigenous people have stewarded the land since the beginning of time, we hold the answers to protecting water and this will be discussed by looking further at the following topics; UNDRIP, Doctrine of Discovery, Free Prior and Informed Consent, Criminalization of Indigenous people on our lands, The Indian Act, Canadian Legal System vs. Indigenous Legal Systems, Alberta Regulatory System, Before Contact, Looking at how much Canada spends fighting Indigenous people in the colonial court systems, and The Alberta Tarsands Tailings Ponds and the threats to Water and how this infringes on Indigenous Rights.

Due to travel accommodations, we've adjusted the start time of this presentation to 5 pm to allow for those leaving the opportunity to attend this important event.

Keepers of the Water Presents: Living Downstream of the Oil Sands: What You Need to Know About the World’s Largest Industrial Project

Northern United Place, 54 St & 50a Ave, Yellowknife, NT on Thursday, July, 21st, 2022, 5:00 pm till 6:30 pm. This free event is open to the public

In 1884, traditional Indigenous ceremonies such as the potlatch, ghost dance, shake tent, and sundance were banned under the 1876 Indian Act. Our people were arrested for conducting or participating in traditional ceremonies and the Canadian government forcibly took their ceremonial materials away. Our songs, prayers, sacred items, and ceremonies were hidden in order to be secretly kept alive until such a time comes for our Peoples to return to our Land and live our traditional ways in a modern world. The ban on our traditional ways remained in effect until 1951.

Keepers of the Water, Board of Directors Co-Chair, Cleo Reese

Treated tailings from Alberta’s tar sands operations may be flowing into NWT waters as early as 2025. Tailings are a toxic, liquid by-product of bitumen extraction and upgrading. This industrial waste is stored in man-made lakes that have grown to an unfathomable size of 1.1 trillion litres.