This interview was originally published in Rebel Youth #25, released in Summer 2020, as exclusive print-only content. Our new issue, Rebel Youth #26, is coming to your mailbox this week! Subscribe here in order to be the first to receive it, and to read more exclusive print-only RY-JM content.
Terre Chartrand is a food sovereignty activist, seed keeper, artist and traditional beader who works with urban Indigenous youth in addressing erasure of Indigenous people in Southern Ontario. She is also a proud auntie to her community! It is an honour to get the opportunity to hear her perspective, stories and words of wisdom.
This interview was written by the interviewer on the traditional, unceded, occupied territories of the səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. In acknowledging this, we must be in solidarity with the struggles of the peoples of the territory in which we occupy.
Rebel Youth would also like to acknowledge and thank Comrade Alex Reid for putting us in contact with Terre Chartrand for this interview.
Rozh: What is your name, and what Nation are you from? If comfortable, we would love to know a little bit about your story and background.
Terre: My name is Terre Chartrand and I am Non Status Algonquin Nation. My parents are both from Northern Ontario, my father from Temiskaming and my mother from Sudbury/Nipissing. I grew up in Southern Ontario in a small rural French community near Windsor but still spent my time on the land in both places. In the north we struggle with logging, mining, and in the past, with spraying Agent Orange in harvest areas — in the hydro cuts where we would collect berries. In the south it was crop dusting and Chemical Valley in Sarnia which would “accidentally” discharge into our waterways and sources of drinking water, the Great Lakes.
Rozh: Why is the struggle for land sovereignty important to you?
Terre: Land sovereignty has represented a big part of my concerns for much of my life. My father taught Dudley George, and being a Great Lakes Indigenous person I have watched as lifeways have been eroded by settler and corporate greed. I grew up with the news of Oka and witnessing as a teen the violence done against our people when Dudley George was murdered by the OPP. This has carried on into my adulthood where I watch cycles of pronounced drought and flooding decimate our ways of life as settler greed ramps up into deep violence against the land.
We have maintained this land for 10,000 years here since the Great Ice retreated, and it is only in the last 150 years that we have seen environmental decimation.
Sovereignty is also important to protect foodways. The Canadian neoliberal system reflects its greed in who gets fed, as well as the health value of that food. My father is pre-diabetic, with [diabetes] running rampant through our families due to malnutrition. He also suffered from rickets as a child – a softening of his bones due to bad food access. Food and access to it has marked my life since before I was born.
Rozh: How have oil and gas companies, along with the Canadian government, inflicted violence and injustice against Indigenous peoples in Wet’suwet’en?
Terre: There should first be mention of all of the above not respecting treaty, and in some cases, [implementation of] land agreements based on pretty fictitious or not largely-agreed control of land. I am also from unceded territory, mine being Ottawa, and I do not consent to the projects and institutions being harboured on my territory either. I have much empathy for Wet’suwet’en when it comes to the colonial takeover of land. In our case, the mortar of the Parliament buildings was made from sand that contained the burials of my ancestors, so my ancestors’ bones are quite literally encased between the bricks and blocks of the Parliament Building. But as an Indigenous person, whether it is our own physical ancestors or the lives of any of our relations facing such violence, it is still kept within that container of exploitation by settlers against the lives of all Indigenous beings. In the case of Wet’suwet’en, the Canadian government and their corporate controllers are actively waging war as a foreign force in an invasion of sovereign territory. Every measure that is not fully consented to by the people is indeed an act of war.
Rozh: What are some of the demands Indigenous peoples have/are struggling for in Wet’suwet’en and across Turtle Island? What are your hopes for the future?
Terre: I would love territorial recognition and sovereignty. I would love for governments to stop kidnapping our children. My list of demands, and those of most Indigenous people, is for simple recognition and rights as nations and as people. I hope for pan-Indigenous struggle to be wrapped in solidarity while we maintain our cultural uniqueness, never forgetting our own ways and customs.
Rozh: In what ways are Indigenous peoples, and others who stand in solidarity with them, resisting to protect land?
Terre: Indigenous people are the only non-neoliberal force who protect the land without a personal or corporate agenda. We do so with our bodies, our words, our art, our occupation and land use, our building of our children through the culture, and we do so with the lives of seven generations in mind.
Rozh: On mainstream news, we have heard direct action tactics, such as railroad blockades, being demonized. However, we are more interested in how these kinds of actions have been useful tools to protect Indigenous land. What can you share with us about these forms of actions?
Terre: The blockades halted the transport of people and goods, and showed through force of action that we will not be bullied. I participated in the organising of some “slow rolls” on the 401 Highway in Ontario where slowing traffic increases the visibility of Indigenous struggle, but also creates havoc on settler and corporate systems. This, to me, is critical. Their structures are weak, whereas ours have stood the test of time. It is good to expose the weaknesses in their systems. It also creates a defined view of solidarity among Indigenous people. It is so good to not feel alone in a struggle.
Rozh: Many non-Indigenous peoples have shown their solidarity with Wet’suwet’en. What do you think are some useful ways to show solidarity and support Indigenous land protectors? What is the strongest form of support Indigenous nations can get?
Terre: I am very careful with these types of questions as many members of my community face disability and other matters of health that keep them from “direct action”. From posting online, amplifying messages, flying solidarity flags, to direct action… every bit counts. I hesitate to rank them because for many in my community, the effort they put in can only be counted by knowing directly that they’re doing all they can to demonstrate solidarity and carry the fight in the ways that their bodies, minds, and spirits will allow.
Rozh: We also found labour unions, such as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who treated blockades as picket lines, as displaying important shows of solidarity to Indigenous peoples. Are there any other actions you think labour unions can take to show their support?
Terre: I would love for more labour force to shut down transport. The actions of the ILWU were great, but more need to participate.
Rozh: In line with this, we also found students who have shown their solidarity, including high school students who have been initiating climate marches/strikes, as critical and useful. What messages do you send them, and is there anything else you believe they can do to support the struggle?
Terre: I’ve spoken at a few climate strikes. I’ve shared that they were powerful and their voices would not only strike hearts, but also that their voices were the future. But on top of this, I made it clear that Indigenous people needed to be heard, needed to be listened to, and needed to lead the struggle including their own.
Rozh: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. We very much appreciate that you are willing to share your story and knowledge with us to help our readership, members, allies and friends learn more about your struggles and the importance of decolonization and Indigenous self-determination. We stand in complete solidarity with Wet’suwet’en and strongly oppose the genocidal, colonial, and pro-corporate measures the Canadian state has taken to put profit into the hands of the ruling powers, the capitalist class.
Terre: Miigwetch.
Click here to read an accompanying speech by Terre Chartrand, written in support and solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.