Water eLearning

The southeastern US is one of the most biodiverse regions on the earth. The Blue Ridge Mountains are the oldest mountains on the earth. Stone Mountain is the largest, oldest and one of only two such granite outcroppings on the earth. The other is Ayers Rock in Australia.

There was a time when a squirrel could hop a tree in Savannah and not touch ground till he reached Texas. This was Creek Country. There were no lakes in what is now called Georgia. Our people lived along the waterways and honored the “hatchee” or running water as the source of life and peace. The running water was sacred and called the long man, coming from a place that has no beginning and going to a place that has no end. We couldn’t imagine a time when we could see the end of water. Now that time has come. Water is a living being that gives life to us with total forgiveness and unconditional love. Our bodies are 70 – 80% water not unlike our Mother Earth. Water flows up from the earth, down from the sky, out of our skin, into our bodies and as the essence of creation, gives life, even to those who disrespect, disregard and turn their backs on the Long Man.

In the days when water-honoring ceremonies were the start of every morning, this wasn’t an issue. Today as a result of turning our backs on the Long Man nearly two billion people have no drinking water and another 2 billion have inadequate sanitation facilities. We are so fortunate to live in the medicine heart of Turtle Island where the water flows. Imagine living in a country where you must walk five miles each way for your ration of drinking water. Or consider Santa Fe, New Mexico where water is the center of a lawsuit in a struggle between golf courses and drinking water. In Atlanta, we are now drinking our children’s water from the year 2030.

What are our children to do? Groundwater runoff, along with underground and surface streams, is at an all-time low. What are we going to do? Did you know that all the rivers in Georgia have their origin in Georgia? If anyone is to do anything, it must be us. Some have suggested conserving our tributaries and monitoring our rivers on a full-time basis as our drinking water seems like a top priority to these folks. Others have suggested privatizing the water. Should corporations own our water source? What do you think? There are several, but not nearly enough non-profits doing wonderful work on, with and for the waterways. Locally, there is the Georgia Environmental Organization, EarthKeepers, Riverkeepers, and the Trust for Public Lands just to name a few. It has been suggested that the community join, support, donate to and generally encourage these groups and the ones not mentioned here to continue the dynamic work they do and to get involved in local water coalitions, various teams, and community groups to know, care and be most concerned about our water, where it comes from and where it goes.

In March of this year, the indigenous people of the earth met in Kyoto, Japan to discuss our relationship to water, what it means for our children and for us. Here is how their declaration begins:

We, the indigenous peoples from all parts of the world assembled here, reaffirm our relationship to Mother Earth and responsibility to future generations to raise our voices in solidarity to speak for the protection of water. We were placed in a sacred manner on this earth, each in our own sacred and traditional lands and territories to care for all of creation and to care for water.

We recognize, honor and respect water as sacred and sustains all life. Our traditional knowledge, laws and ways of life teach us to be responsible in caring for this sacred gift that connects all life.

Our relationship with our lands, territories and water is the fundamental physical cultural and spiritual basis for our existence. This relationship to our Mother Earth requires us to conserve our freshwaters and oceans for the survival of present and future generations. We assert our role as caretakers with rights and responsibilities to defend and ensure the protection, availability and purity of water. We stand united to follow and implement our knowledge and traditional laws and exercise our right of self-determination to preserve water, and to preserve life.

The challenges for the water sector have been highlighted in many forums at international, regional, national and local levels. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) provides impetus and political support for solving the water crisis. The political declaration, the Plan of Implementation, and many head of state and government declarations confirm that water is a key issue for poverty reduction, sustainable development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals on Water. In Johannesburg, South Africa, during the WSSD, the international community reconfirmed its solid commitment to contribute to ensuring that: by 2015, reduce by half the proportion of people who do not have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation: by 2005, develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans in all countries. “The Water for Life and Peace Dialogue” which will be held in October of 2003, will be a benchmark in the current efforts to reestablish a viable working relationship with this precious resource of which we all so necessarily depend. There is much we must do starting today. Please contact local groups, agencies and organization in your community. Get involved now on the issue of pure drinking water and water rights. We are the ancestors of the future. When our children look back, it is our efforts that will become the legacy on which they will stand.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, contact Tom Blue Wolf at bluewolf@earthkeepers.net or call 770-495-9496.