Autumn Peltier facts for kids

Autumn Peltier, born on September 27, 2004, is a young Anishinaabe leader. She comes from the Wikwemkong First Nation in Ontario, Canada. In 2019, she became the Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation. When she was 13, in 2018, Autumn spoke to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. She talked about the important issue of water protection.

Autumn Peltier's Early Life and Inspiration

Autumn Peltier was born and grew up on the Wikwemkong First Nation. This community is located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world. Autumn went to St. Mother Teresa High School and lives in Ottawa.

Autumn learned early on how important water is and why we must protect it. She started speaking up for everyone's right to clean water when she was very young. She wanted all communities to have safe drinking water. By age eight, Autumn was already taking part in water ceremonies with her First Nation.

At one ceremony in Serpent River First Nation, she saw signs of polluted water. This pollution was caused by things like pipeline leaks. Her mother told her about a 20-year boil-water advisory there. This meant people had to boil their water before drinking it. Autumn was very surprised by this news. This experience made Autumn want to protect water even more. Soon, she joined water ceremonies all over Ontario.

Autumn works to ensure Indigenous peoples across Canada have clean water. She also speaks out on other important Indigenous matters. She wants to make sure future generations have a healthy land and ecosystem.

Autumn learned a lot from her great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin. Josephine was a famous clean water activist. She was also the Chief Water Protector for the Anishinaabek Nation. Autumn received this important title after Josephine passed away in 2019.

Autumn's Views on Water Protection

Autumn believes in protecting water in a way that connects with traditional Indigenous ideas. This means seeing nature and all living things as family. We are all connected to the Earth. She explains her beliefs about water:

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 strongly believes that women play a special role in protecting water. She says that when we are in our mother's womb, we learn two important lessons: to love water and to love our mother. She feels women have a deep spiritual connection to water.

Autumn also believes young people have the power to make a big difference. She encourages other young people to work together. She knows that today's youth will make important decisions for their countries in the future. She has shared her frustration that young people often deal with problems caused by older generations. Even with these challenges, she feels good about her work. She is also happy to see other young people taking action.

Autumn worked with the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation. They helped over 500 First Nations homes get short-term access to water. This partnership is a big effort to help Indigenous communities. It is not funded by the Canadian Government.

A big part of Autumn's work is about environmental fairness. She talks about how First Nations communities in Canada face unfair challenges. These challenges often relate to their water rights. Autumn says that the needs of Indigenous peoples in Canada are often overlooked. She believes this happens because they are Indigenous. Autumn has pointed out differences in how Indigenous people are treated compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. She notes that First Nations citizens sometimes face unfair treatment. Meanwhile, other Canadians living in remote areas always have access to water.

Autumn Peltier's Water Advocacy and Impact

When she was 12, in 2016, Autumn became known across Canada and the world. She met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a meeting. She gave him a copper water pot. She also spoke to him about his actions on water protection and pipelines. She said:

"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."

In a 2020 interview, Autumn looked back at her meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau. She wondered how people could trust him. She pointed out his past decisions about the environment. For example, he approved the construction of the Kinder-Morgan pipeline after an oil spill in British Columbia.

Her actions inspired the Assembly of First Nations to create a special fund called 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 share her message about water protection around the world. She was also invited to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York in both 2018 and 2019.

"We can't eat money or drink oil"

Autumn uses social media to share her message. She has over 200,000 followers. She also appears on international news. She uses these platforms to talk about unfair situations for Indigenous people. She also highlights the lack of clean drinking water in many Indigenous communities in Canada. She gets support from young people, leaders, and other activists.

In April 2019, the Anishinabek Nation named Autumn their Chief Water Commissioner. Her great-aunt, Josephine Mandamin, held this role before her. Josephine passed away in 2019. When Autumn was chosen, Chief Glen Hare of the Anishinabek Nation said it was an easy decision. He explained that Autumn has a lot of "nibi giikendaaswin," which means water knowledge. She had already been drawing global attention to water problems for years.

As Chief Water Commissioner, Autumn represents 39 First Nations in Ontario. She shares their concerns with the Anishinabek Council.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Autumn spoke about how important clean water is for health. This was especially true for First Nations communities, where the pandemic hit hard. Autumn hopes that the world's response to COVID-19 can help solve the drinking water crisis for First Nations in Canada. She believes change is possible.

On September 29, 2022, just before Canada's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Autumn's petition was mentioned. This petition asks for clean water solutions. It has over 112,000 signatures and keeps growing.

Awards and Recognition for Autumn Peltier

• 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