Around the same time I began working on an article about oil drilling activities at Crane Lake, a book called ‘We Will Be Jaguars’ became available to me on my Library app. I’m always fascinated by a coincidence, and as I listened to the stories about potentially contaminated water and biodiversity at Crane Lake, I was also listening to Nemonte Nenquimo’s memoir about growing up in the Amazon rain forest, and the contaminated water and destruction brought on by oil companies there.
Nenquimo once described the oil as the blood of their ancestors, and that stuck with me. I think of the ancient single celled organisms, the algae and plankton that died and settled under layers of earth until the heat and pressure turned them into oil.
The laptop I write this column on is a product of those ancient creatures - and those creatures were molded from the clay of stardust. The most mundane items become marvels. I try to return the sacredness to each piece of plastic I’ve bought, and I want to examine how I take part in extractive industries.
When I was 18, I took a trip to Ecuador to experience the wildlife and landscapes. I can still feel the humidity of the rainforest, and how my mind opened to devour the lushness. I also remember meeting the Indigenous people, eating cassava bread with them, and watching a ceremony with their shaman.
The woman making the cassava bread told me that these weren't her native territories. Her native land was sold, and the rainforest was cut down to plant a variety of potatoes that a large fast-food chain uses. I won’t forget the way I felt listening to her story.
I recently got to interview a man named Steve Kenyon, who taught me about regenerative agriculture and opened my eyes to just how feasible and impactful these regenerative techniques can be in Canada - and all over the world. He told me that regenerative practices are gaining momentum.
All these interesting people I get to listen to have started to talk to each other in my head, and both my head and heart can’t help but stand with them.
Getting to the jungle required me to travel through the little oil towns that I heard described in Nenquimo’s book. It makes her words feel real and close. Hearing people’s stories firsthand has made an impression, and looking at the story of industry written across the land is troubling.
When I was preparing to move to this area, I went on Google maps and was struck by how efficiently humans have harnessed the land. A patchwork quilt of agriculture, and cobwebs of inter-connected oil wells.
If there is a God who made this Earth for us, I don’t think they would be very pleased with how we treat it. What keeps my little lantern of hope lit is my continual amazement at the ingenuity of humankind. We even have robots on Mars! What marvelous beings we can be.
I see the brilliant minds and hard workers that help fuel our ambulances, they help fly us across the globe, and they feed the masses. I have so much faith in humanity’s abilities. And I would like more opportunities to listen to the stories of the innovators within these industries.
Recently, I was chatting with a local ecologist on the phone, listening to her speak about the unique qualities of Crane Lake and the ecological value of it - recreationally, environmentally, spiritually, and financially. I think that’s a path forward – fairly weighing the value of our planet and listening to the stories of the people who are closest to the Earth.
