On Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, the largest freshwater island in the world, the six First Nations tribes who inhabit this land have a very strong connection to the waters around them. This deep connection makes it painful for them to see the radical ways in which Lake Huron and its tributaries have been modified and threatened by human activity. Manitoulin Island is a sprawling countryside the size of Rhode Island, but with a population of approximately 12,000. Indigenous communities in the U.S. and Canada have been among the first to feel the effects of climate change, including warming waters and waves of invasive species.
In fact, in the culture of the Wiikwemkoongen tribe, women are the guardians of water and the guardians of the most precious resource on Earth.
Read the full article on the Chicago Tribune website »