Eriel Deranger, a tireless, passionate activist for the rights of Indigenous people, Communications Coordinator of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), a community of 1,200 people living downstream from the largest industrial project on the planet, the Alberta Tar Sands, has been on the frontlines of the global fight against the ravages of fossil fuel extraction. The ACFN’s resistance is a prime example of Indigenous resurgence in Canada, revealing how Indigenous peoples are shaking up how we do and see things and pointing the way forward for the protection, preservation and future governance of Mother Earth. Introduction by Clayton Thomas-Müller, Idle No More.

This speech was given at the 2015 Bioneers Annual Conference.