This graphic art entitled, “The River Knows What It Needs: Our Responsibilities to the Fraser,” documents a community dialogue about the health and revitalization of the Fraser Watershed, as situated within the laws of the Land since time immemorial. The Fraser is one of the greatest salmon rivers in the world, and yet is the most endangered river in the province of BC. Colonial activities such as flood control structures, gravel removal, effluent discharge, and global warming threaten this significant and sacred watershed. All people carry a sacred responsibility to care for the lands where we live, however, as Simon Fraser University’s history is entangled with that of the Fraser, the responsibilities of the university feel heightened.
In response to these concerns, q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie) Elder Rick Bailey and SFU Faculty member Cher Hill hosted a gathering to bring together these communities to discuss issues affecting the Fraser and the needs and rights of the River. We invited SFU faculty with diverse knowledge of river systems, including Drs. Ann Chinnery, Jon Moore, Katherine Reilly, Gillian Russell, Craig Orr, Jeremey Venditti, Vicki Kelly, and Celeste Snowber, and SFU alumna Kristen Bradford, to share research stories that could potentially help the Fraser. This sharing was situated within collective responsibilities to the Fraser inherent within q̓íc̓əy̓ laws described by Land Guardians, Roma and Mike Leon, as well we within the Indigenous laws governing the Lower Fraser watershed discussed by Leah Ballentine (LFFA, 2021).
The gathering was held at the q̓íc̓əy̓ village on Oct. 18th, 2024, and was supported by Elders, Ed and Yvonne Pierre, as well as Dr. Vicki Kelly, who enlivened connections to the Fraser through music, prayer, song, and story. We began in ceremony at the banks of the River and invited her to be part of the conversations. SFU’s Sustainability and Climate Equity Manger, Kim Thee, helped in numerous ways to carry the work. This visual of the ideas shared, was created by artist Adriana Contreras and was conceptually guided by Vicki Kelly’s work on many-eyed seeing, which honours “multiple perspectives in the circle of understanding” (Kelly, 2013, p.18).
We hope that this beautiful art will encourage others to understand and uphold their responsibilities to the Fraser and other River systems. We give permission for this poster to be used for educational purposes, acknowledging the contributors: Elders Ed and Yvonne Pierre and Rick Bailey; Land Guardians Roma and Mike Leon; RELAW lawyer Leah Ballantyne; Manager of Sustainability and Climate (Equity) Kim Thee; Drs. Vicki Kelly, Ann Chinnery, Jonathan Moore, Craig Orr, Katherine Reilly, Gillian Russell, Jeremy Venditti, Kirsten Bradford, Celeste Snowber, and Cher Hill; and artist Adriana Contreras. For more information, please contact Dr. Cher Hill (chill at sfu.ca).
