The roughly 850 Anishinabek residents of Aamjiwnaang are in a situation reminiscent of the contest between David and Goliath. They are determined to protect their ancestral lands from over forty petrochemical companies. Dubbed “Chemical Valley”, the region was, not so long ago, a source of national pride. In the early 70s, the Canadian 10-dollar bill was adorned with an image of one of the local refineries.
The assault on the land began in 1827, when the British seized the area around the Great Lakes. Treaty 29 created four reservations, including Aamjiwnaang. Over the years, through controversial lands deals, their territory shrunk from 10,000 to 3,100 acres. What they lost became the property of Shell, Enbridge, Suncor, Imperial Oil, Dow Chemicals, amongst roughly forty others. The list of noxious leaks is long, and so is that of the health concerns caused by daily toxic emissions.
In response, resistance is strong. In this toxic landscape, Aamjiwnaang remains a green lung, a haven for all its dwellers.
Our Grandfathers Were Chiefs
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario
2010-2017