Autumn Peltier

Autumn Peltier (born September 27, 2004) is an Anishinaabe Indigenous clean water advocate from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. She is Chief Water Protector for the Anishnabek Nation and has been called a "water warrior".[1][2] In 2018, at the age of thirteen, Peltier addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly on the issue of water protection.[3][2]

Early life

Peltier lives on Lake Huron, one of the largest groups of freshwater lakes on Earth. She comes from the territory of Wikwemkoong, a First Nations reserve. Currently, she lives in Ottawa and attended St. Mother Teresa High School. Peltier grew up understanding the importance of water and the need to protect it. She also advocates for the universal right to clean drinking water, raising awareness towards water rights and ensuring communities have access to clean, safe and reliable drinking water. As young as the age of 8, Peltier was attending water ceremonies on First Nation reserves. She continues her work for the access of clean water concerning Indigenous peoples across the world ("Autumn Peltier" 2020).

Water advocacy

Peltier gained national and international notice when, at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations, she presented Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a copper water pot and, although she did not have time to deliver her prepared speech, she confronted Trudeau on his record on water protection and his support for pipelines.[4] Her act inspired the Assembly of First Nations to create the Niabi Odacidae fund.[4] She has attended international events such as the Children's Climate Conference in Sweden.[2]

In April 2019, Peltier was named the chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation.[5][6] This position was previously held by her great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin.

In September 2019, Peltier was nominated for an International Children's Peace Prize[7] and named as one of the United States Union of Concerned Scientists list of 2019 Science Defenders.[8] She was also invited to speak at the United Nation Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit in New York, in 2018 and 2019.[9]

Public response and impact

Peltier was given the title "Water Warrior" (NAAEE, 2018). She has been the voice for the universal right of clean drinking water, specifically safe drinking water for Indigenous communities in Canada (NAAEE, 2018).

She gained a lot of public attention when she confronted Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau in 2016 during the First Nation's annual winter meeting, telling him "I am very unhappy with the choices you made" (Zettler, 2019). Peltier expressed her concern about the lack of safe drinking water in various Indigenous communities across Canada, especially from Trudeau's support of pipelines as mentioned above. Peltier further gained attention when she spoke at The Global Landscapes Forum in New York City in September 2018, where she addressed the United Nations and important decision-makers (Zettler, 2019). This conference also allowed her to further spread awareness around the world for her cause and spark a change.

"We can’t eat money or drink oil"

— Autumn Peltier, 2018

She uses various platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, where she has over 100 thousand followers, to spread her water advocacy (Zettler, 2019). Overall, she has been receiving vast amounts of support from youth, politicians, and other activists. She has contributed greatly to bringing attention to the issues of the absence of clean drinking water in indigenous communities.

Awards and recognition
  • Nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize, 2017, 2018, 2019.[2][10][11][12]
  • Canadian Living Me to We Award Youth in Action under 12, 2017.[4]
  • Ontario Junior Citizens Award, Ontario Newspaper Association, 2017.[13]
  • Sovereign Medal of Exceptional Volunteerism, by Governor General of Canada and Lieutenant Governor Of Ontario, March 2017[14]
  • Ottawa Riverkeeper Award, 2018.[15]
  • Water Warrior Award at the Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto, 2019.[3]
  • Young Leader Award, Ontario Municipal Social Services Association Award, 2019.[16]
  • Named Top 30 under 30 in North America for Environmental Education making a difference, 2019.[17]
  • Named to the BBC 100 Women list for 2019.[18]
  • Named to Maclean's list of 20 to Watch in 2020.[19]
  • Named to Huffington Post's list of 15 Canadian Icons Who Stole our Hearts in 2019.[20]
  • Named to the Union of Concerned Scientists list of 2019 Science Defenders.[21]
  • Named as a Chatelaine 2019 Woman of the Year.[22]

References
  1. "Autumn Peltier – Canadian Water Summit". Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  2. "Teen who scolded Trudeau to address UN". BBC News. December 31, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  3. "'Water is alive': Autumn Peltier receives Water Warrior Award". CBC Radio. March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  4. Staff, Expositor (March 27, 2018). "Autumn Peltier: Wiikwemkoong's, Island's voice at the UN". Manitoulin Expositor. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  5. "Autumn Peltier named chief water commissioner by Anishinabek Nation". Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC). April 25, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  6. Erskine, Michael (May 1, 2019). "14-year-old Autumn Peltier chosen UOI's new Water Commissioner". Manitoulin Expositor. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. Erskine, Michael (September 21, 2019). "Manitoulin Island 'water warrior' Autumn Peltier nominated for international honour". Sudbury. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. "2019 UCS Science Defenders | Union of Concerned Scientists". www.ucsusa.org. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  9. Becking, Marci (September 23, 2019). "Autumn Peltier going to the United Nations to share her message about water". anishinabeknews.ca. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  10. Johnson, Rhiannon (October 5, 2017). "Anishinaabe teen only Canadian up for International Children's Peace Prize". CBC News. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  11. "Manitoulin Island 'water warrior' Autumn Peltier nominated for international honour". Sudbury.com. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  12. Erskine, Michael (September 18, 2019). "Young People's Peace Prize". Manitoulin Expositor. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  13. "Ontario Junior Citizen Awards". www.ocna.org. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  14. "Water Warrior Award". Water Docs. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  15. "Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala rides wave of success to raise record high of $270K | Ottawa Business Journal". obj.ca. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  16. "Young Leader Award - Ontario Municipal Social Services Association". omssa.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  17. "Nominate or Apply to EE 30 Under 30". NAAEE. June 24, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  18. "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  19. "20 people to watch in 2020 - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  20. "15 Canadian Icons Who Stole Our Hearts In 2019". HuffPost Canada. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  21. "2019 UCS Science Defenders | Union of Concerned Scientists". www.ucsusa.org. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  22. "Autumn Peltier: Woman of the Year 2019 | Chatelaine". www.chatelaine.com. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.