|
Electric Beads and
Our Dam Future: Hydroelectric Development on Cree Territory
by Ramona Neckoway
I was driving to my community, Nisichawayasihk
Cree Nation (NCN) in northern Manitoba, under dire circumstances.
There had just been a suicide, and my children's great-grandfather
lay clinging to life in a hospital in a nearby town. I felt a plethora
of emotions on the nine-hour drive home. My initial sense of confusion
and grief would be replaced with frustration and anger as I neared
my destination. I couldn't help but wonder at what point our values
were sacrificed for material gain. As I passed the community of
Grand Rapids, where I had recently worked on documenting appalling
stories related to hydroelectric development, resentment, perhaps
what Native Studies professor Dr. Kulchyski refers to as 'the legacy
of hatred,' came over me.
From Grand Rapids, a succession of steel towers
and electrical lines accompanied me northward, as if to taunt me.
They were a cutting reminder of how the industry that develops them
and a society that covets their output have invaded, undermined
and decimated, in a span of less than four decades, the values and
lifestyles of Ithinewuk, known as 'Cree' in English, who have inhabited
northern Manitoba since time immemorial. A sense of rage crept over
me as I thought about the recent events in my community. I thought
about the unnecessary deaths and the devaluation of our elders,
our young people and our way of life. I also thought about the divisiveness
and fear within the community. I recalled the despondent look on
that faces of some of my community members; this was (is) the face
of neo-colonialism. Are the unfortunate events in my community related
to the hydroelectric development of our land? I couldn't help but
think that the turmoil and despair in my community was directly
connected to the steel towers that ran along side me on my journey
home, and I couldn't help but wonder about our dam future.
Hydroelectric development in northern Manitoba
is not new. Dams have been built, rivers have been diverted, lands
have been flooded, and communities have been relocated and permanently
disrupted. But the latest hydroelectric deal is different, so we
are told. The efforts of Hydro and the NCN leadership can be viewed
as a "partnership" performance in the latest attempt at
something "new". Manitoba Hydro is suddenly a concerned
promoter of the good of the community in its role associated with
the Wuskwatim Paternership. The outside sees images of a happy and
thriving community, replete with fallacies of 'traditional' activity
and cooperation, which are entirely at odds with the stark reality
in my community. Within Nisichawayasihk, a gentle and resilient
people suffer in silence. The decaying infrastructure and social
crises, resulting largely from a decay of the spirit, have become
the harsh reality. The performative façade engineered by
the proponents of the Wuskwatim Partnership is convincing; we are
purportedly a community that will be leading the way with a mutually
beneficial economic development strategy. This performance has been
an effective tool in sending the message that is an innovative means
of realizing an improved standard of living for NCN, one that other
indigenous communities could look to.
What impoverished community would turn away the
lure of jobs and economic prosperity? This seems to be the lucrative
deal, but is it really? We pay over 65 million dollars into the
development of a hydroelectric dam in our traditional territory,
endangering an already fragile ecosystem and incurring a debt load
that is beyond the resources available to us, and we have the "opportunity"
to "own up to 33%" of the dam. But wait. The lure presented
to NCN sounds quite like the shiny beads tactic that was undertaken
in the fur-trade era. And are these not the same kind of promises
that were made during the treaty-making era? Is this really a progressive
move, or are we being deceived into believing that this is the only
opportunity available to better our community, at the cost of our
land and values? Economic security on a reserve with a crippling
unemployment is very tempting. And yet, somehow, I can't help but
think that behind the performance lurks the same old ending. It
is like watching the same play twice and hoping it will turn out
differently. In his book related to hydroelectric development, As
Long As the Rivers Run, James Waldram has observed:
The philosophies and procedures whereby governments and public
and private electrical power utilities have secured the right
to construct hydro facilities, and thereby alter and frequently
destroy the livelihood of many [Aboriginal] peoples, represents
a continuity with the past…the processes are the similar:
a resource is identified as valuable to the general society, and
the Natives must be convinced that they should surrender it for
the 'common good'…once the resource has been secured and
the Native people have been appeased, they are largely ignored
(1988, 4).
Waldram's observations are applicable to NCN. NCN signed on to The
Northern Flood Agreement (NFA) in the mid 1970's, which compensated
the Band for previous flooding and failed obligations. The utility
failed to meet its obligations under the NFA. Same old story: promises
made, promises broken. When will we learn? When considering the
Wuskwatim project, Carol Kobliski, spokesperson for the Justice
Seekers, puts it this way: "The Cree and Metis of Northern
Manitoba impacted by the Churchill River Diversion were given similar
promises 30 odd years ago [,] and all we have to show for it is
continuing devastation, misery, and heartbreak" (for Kobliski's
full testimony, see http://www.reidreporting.com/cec/june804.txt).
Our past is littered with these deals. We have had treaty deals.
We have had education deals. Somehow, the deals never come out quite
the way we envisioned. The electric beads that are being thrown
our way offer but a potential sting to NCN.
Manitoba Hydro's new partnership performance has,
among other things, created a division within the community. In
this performance, we sell our souls and lose our land to the mighty
dollar. On the one hand, the elite and the leadership tout the political
and economic innovation of the deal, while a grassroots opposition
group, called the Justice Seekers, has raised doubts about the entire
process. In this show, the forward thinking business partners are
pitted against the wary grassroots group. Clearly, those in opposition
to the dam project have some valid reasons to doubt that entering
into a deal with a company that has devastated river systems and
livelihoods all over the north is in our best interests, but they
are at a clear financial and public relations disadvantage. Who
can go up against Manitoba Hydro and the elected leadership of the
community?
Is the Wuskwatim project really our only option
for economic prosperity? Is it really our only chance to secure
a future for our children? Is it the only way to develop our resources?
These are the questions in my mind as I drive past the steel towers
leading north to my home, a stricken community in stark contrast
to the promotional images created to sell the deal. Do we want to
be a part of this dam future?
For more information on the hydro issues in NCN, see: http://www.ncncree.com/people/people.html.
or http://www.justenergy.org for a critical analysis of similar
issues. Verbatim transcripts of the Clean Environment Commission
are available at: http://www.reidreporting.com/clients.html.
Ramona Neckoway is from Nisichiwayasihk Cree
Nation in northern Manitoba and is currently completing a Master's
of Arts degree in Native Studies at the University of Manitoba in
Wiinnipeg, Canada. She has taken a keen interest in hydroelectric
development and intends to explore issues related to it in
a doctoral upon completion of her MA.
|
