Jenpeg hydroelectric generation station, 10 miles upstream from the Cross Lake community. Dams on the Nelson River produce power for consumers in Manitoba and the U.S. Midwest (photo by Will Braun).
A decision several years ago to bring power from Canada to the GreatLakes has led to major problems for a group of Native Americans livingin northern Manitoba. That’s because dams were built on their land tosupply that power. The dams, and the lakes they created, have altered alarge portion of the landscape. They’ve also adversely affected thetraditional lifestyle of many Cree Indians. Now, with soaring demandfor energy coming from the Great Lakes region, Manitoba Hydro isconsidering new contracts for yet more dams. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Mary Stucky reports:
Transcript
A decision several years ago to bring power from Canada to the Great Lakes
has led to major problems for a group of Native Americans living in northern
Manitoba. That’s because dams were built on their land to supply that power.
The dams, and the lakes they created, have altered a large portion of the
Manitoba landscape. They’ve also adversely affected the traditional
lifestyle of many Cree Indians living there.
Now, with soaring demand for energy coming from the Great Lakes region,
Manitoba Hydro is considering new contracts for yet more dams in Manitoba.
Opposition to the new dams is growing, but as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary
Stucky reports, there is disagreement over the new development
among the Cree themselves.
(Sound of water lapping)
Until not that long ago, life for the Cree First Nation in Northern
Manitoba was idyllic …surrounded by nature’s plenty, they were able to
sustain their indigenous way of life by living off the land. But that was
before the water projects began. Sandy Beardy is an 80-year-old Cree elder
who lives in Cross Lake, a community of 5 thousand and one of the hardest
hit by hydro development.
“All this land ever since the dam was built, all of
it’s disappeared, the game, the birds of the air just pass by, they used
to stop and feed, but they don’t anymore. The environment is
totally destroyed, that we used to enjoy.”
(Sound of generators)
Beardy says in addition to this high environmental price, the Crees,
received little economic benefit from all the current dam projects. So the
overall cost to the Cree has been immense.. But the price for U.S.
consumers in the Midwest has been small. That’s because hydro power in
relatively cheap. And with the demand for energy outstripping supply, new
dams in Manitoba are on the drawing board. …a boon to the Manitoba
economy, according to the provincial premier Gary Doer, who promises
Indians will finally share in the profits of any new hydro development.
“Our cabinet has decided there will not be any dams built
unless there is economic opportunity for aboriginal people. That’s a
difference. That’s a change and long overdue.”
Four of five bands of Cree Indians in Manitoba are cooperating with
Manitoba Hydro to share in the profits from new dams. Victor Spence is a
Cree from Split Lake, one of the bands negotiating with
Manitoba Hydro.
“We are doing it in a different way, more diplomatic,
negotiating instead of the ways of confrontation and conflict.”
However, unlike their neighbors in Split Lake, The Cross Lake Cree refuse
to negotiate any new deals with Hydro . They oppose new dams, and instead
are holding firm to a 1977 agreement. That agreement promised to clean up
the environmental damage caused by the dams and to compensate the Indians
for economic and social costs. Cross Lake Cree leader Tommy Monias says
that agreement has never been honored.
“Clean the debris, clean the standing dead trees,
stabilize the shorelines. We’re not asking for dollars, all we’re
asking is for implementation of that agreement.”
In the meantime, Monias says he can’t be bought off by promises of new
riches from the next round of dams.
“At the end of the day I’m pretty sure you cannot eat money.”
The Cross Lake Cree, meanwhile, have some powerful new allies south of
the border in the U.S.
(Protest sound)
This fall the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will decide whether to
allow a new contract between the former Northern States Power — now called
Excel Energy — and Manitoba Hydro. Diane Peterson, is a Twin Cities
Quaker, she’s one of dozens of people from environmental and religious
groups who’ve been protesting every week in downtown St Paul
Minnesota. Peterson says they want to pressure the Commission into not
signing the deal.
“I’m incensed that Manitoba Hydro for short term monetary
profit is going to destroy the North American environment. It’s time
for North Americans to start respecting our red neighbors who were here
before us.”
But the best way to respect native people is to allow a new
contract, according to Joe Keeper a Cree from Manitoba who’s working with
Hydro.
“Right now the Split Lake Cree and others are trying to
work out an arrangement with Hydro so they can get some benefits from their
own land. Now if suddenly this is stopped, the people who are going to be
hurt in the final analysis are the northern Cree.”
But the Cross Lake Cree call cash from hydro development dirty money. For
them it’s a matter of right and wrong….part of a bigger conversation
about justice for native people and the environmental costs of hydro
electric power. But despite the protests, new hydro development is likely,
at least if Manitoba Hydro has it’s way….. It’s plentiful, cheap and so
far at least, it appears there’s nearly insatiable demand in the
U.S. Perhaps most importantly, many of the Indians say it’s finally their
turn to profit from nature’s bounty.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Mary Stucky.