Autumn Peltier facts for kids

Autumn Peltier was born on September 27, 2004. She is an Anishinaabe Indigenous rights activist from the Wikwemkong First Nation in Ontario, Canada. In 2019, she was named the Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation. When she was just thirteen years old in 2018, Autumn spoke to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly about protecting water.

Autumn Peltier's Early Life

Autumn Peltier grew up on Wiikwemkong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world. She learned early on how important water is and why it needs to be protected.

How Autumn Started Protecting Water

Autumn began speaking up for the right to clean drinking water when she was very young. She wanted everyone to have access to safe water. By age eight, she was already going to special water ceremonies with her community.

At one ceremony, she saw signs of "toxic" drinking water. This was caused by things like pipeline leaks and pollution. Her mother told her that the community had been under a boil-water advisory for 20 years. This meant they couldn't drink the tap water without boiling it first. This experience made Autumn want to become a water protector. She soon started taking part in water ceremonies all over Ontario.

Autumn's Inspiration and Family

Autumn's great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin, was a famous activist for clean water. She was also the Chief Water Protector for the Anishinaabek Nation. Josephine Mandamin taught Autumn a lot about water and inspired her work. After her great-aunt passed away in 2019, Autumn was given the same important title.

Autumn continues to speak out for clean water for Indigenous peoples across Canada. She also champions other Indigenous issues, like fighting racism and supporting future generations.

Autumn's Views on Water Protection

Autumn Peltier believes that water is very special and sacred. Her culture teaches that water is a living thing that we should honor.

In my culture, my people believe that water is one of the most sacred elements. It's something we honour. It is a living organism. My people believe that when we're in the womb, we live in water for nine months and our mother carries us in the water. As a fetus, we learn our first two teachings: how to love the water and how to love our mother. As women, we're really connected to the water in a spiritual way. We believe that we're in ceremony for nine months when we carry a baby. Another way to look at it is that water is the lifeblood of Mother Earth, and Mother Earth is female.

Autumn also strongly believes that young people can make a big difference. She supports other young activists who are working together for change. She feels that young people often have to fix problems created by older generations. But she also feels good about her own work and seeing other young people step up.

Helping Communities Get Water

Autumn has worked with the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation to help First Nations communities get short-term access to water. As of November 2022, they had helped over 500 homes. This partnership is one of the biggest efforts to help Indigenous communities that is not funded by the Canadian Government.

Fighting for Environmental Justice

A big part of Autumn's work is about environmental justice. She talks about how First Nations communities face environmental racism when it comes to water rights. She believes that the needs of Indigenous peoples are often ignored because they are Indigenous. Autumn points out that white Canadians in remote areas are never denied water, but First Nations citizens often face challenges like police brutality and racism.

Autumn's Water Advocacy and Impact

Autumn Peltier first gained attention at age 12 in 2016. She met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations. She gave him a copper water pot and told him she was unhappy with his promises about water protection.

"I'm very unhappy with the choices you made and broken promises to my people...I don't think he should have made that promise, because now I'm going to hold him accountable."

Autumn later said that she questioned how people could trust Prime Minister Trudeau. She pointed out that he had allowed the building of the Kinder-Morgan pipeline, even after a big oil spill in British Columbia.

Speaking to the World

Her actions inspired the Assembly of First Nations to create the Niabi Odacidae fund. Autumn gained more attention when she spoke at the Global Landscapes Forum in New York City in September 2018. There, she spoke to the United Nations and other important leaders. This helped her spread awareness about her cause around the world. Autumn was also invited to speak at the United Nation Secretary-General's Climate Action Summit in New York in both 2018 and 2019.

"We can't eat money or drink oil"

Autumn is very active on social media. She uses platforms like Instagram and Twitter to share information about Indigenous inequalities and water issues. She has over 200,000 followers and gets support from young people, politicians, and other activists. She has highlighted the lack of clean drinking water in many Indigenous communities in Canada.

Chief Water Commissioner Role

In April 2019, Autumn Peltier was named the Chief Water Commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation. This important role was previously held by her great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin. Glen Hare, the Anishinabek Nation Ground Council Chief, said that Autumn was the clear choice because she has "extensive nibi giikendaaswin (water knowledge)." As Chief Water Commissioner, Autumn represents 39 First Nations in Ontario. She shares their concerns with the Anishinabek Council.

Water and Public Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Autumn spoke about how important clean water access is for public health in First Nations communities. She believes that the global response to the pandemic shows that it's possible to solve the drinking water crisis for First Nations in Canada.

On September 29, 2022, the day before National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, Autumn Peltier's petition for clean water solutions was mentioned in the Canadian Parliament. The petition has over 112,000 signatures and continues to grow.

Awards and Recognition

Autumn Peltier has received many awards and honors for her important work:

• Top 3 Finalist for The 2022 International Children's Peace Prize
• Nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize, 2017, 2018, 2019.
• Canadian Living Me to We Award Youth in Action under 12, 2017.
• Ontario Junior Citizens Award, Ontario Newspaper Association, 2017.
• Sovereign Medal of Exceptional Volunteerism, by Governor General of Canada and Lieutenant Governor Of Ontario, March 2017.
• Ottawa Riverkeeper Award, 2018.
• Water Warrior Award at the Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto, 2019.
• Young Leader Award, Ontario Municipal Social Services Association Award, 2019.
• Named Top 30 under 30 in North America for Environmental Education making a difference, 2019.
• Named to the BBC 100 Women list for 2019.
• Named to Maclean's list of 20 to Watch in 2020.
• Named to Huffington Post's list of 15 Canadian Icons Who Stole our Hearts in 2019.
• Named to the Union of Concerned Scientists list of 2019 Science Defenders.
• Named as a Chatelaine 2019 Woman of the Year.
• "Planet in Focus" Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero, 2019.
• Feature in Short Documentary Film The Water Walker, 2020.
• RevolutionHer Community Vision Youth Award, 2021.
• Canada Walk of Fame, Community Hero Award, 2023.

See also

In Spanish: Autumn Peltier para niños