This is a wonderful opportunity for you to write a postcard, letter, or send a photo to a loved one to be read in the future.
Given the serious threat of climate change, this allows you to identify what concerns you and to outline what you are doing to help your loved one.
This is open to anyone. Write to a child, grandchild, or connect parent to child, child to parent, or to your future self. Let an Aunty know she’s important, or a nephew know he is valued through your actions to slow the climate crisis.
We must talk about climate change from a deep understanding of place, of joint responsibility and reciprocity – of real relations among ourselves and all life. Finally, we need to act out of love. We believe that until we think differently,
Our Name:
Kina gdi-gwendaagininaanig - To All Our Relatives came out of a wonderful conversation we had with two Anishnaabe Elders as we searched for the best way to explain the work that we need to do to help the climate crisis. In fact, we had originally been negotiating with Dear Tomorrow – a beautiful website that originated in the USA. (Do visit their website www.deartormrrow.org) However, their mandate, in our opinion, did not meet our Canadian Indigenous experience. We believed strongly in the Anishnaabe way of including all life in the circle of responsibility, reciprocity, respect and recognition. We knew that if all Canadians understood that need to connect with the earth deeply, and to live a life of gratitude, we would not have the same problems of climate chaos that we are enduring today.
Back to lunch with the elders. Elder and Knowledge Holder Dorothy Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation and Elder Dr. Shirley Williams, Professor Emeritus at Trent University, helped us better understand the meaning of to all our relations. However, as Elder Shirley said, this is a phrase used in prayers and other ceremonies and that we should not use it in the website. A few minutes later, Dorothy cheerfully chimed in: “but they could use – to all our relatives”. Elder Shirley, an Anishnaabe language specialist, quickly developed our title. Our dream was fulfilled. We have a name that recognizes the Indigenous history of balanced relationships with the natural world and with each other that will help us all find renewed hope in the task of changing current attitudes that have generated the climate chaos.