"Water is Her Life Blood"

This paper, originally presented over thirty years ago at a conference at Walpole Island, examines the waters of Bkejwanong, as reflected through the Treaty-making process, since the issuance of the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Drawing on extensive historical research and documentation, the paper offers a unique insight into Treaty negotiations surrounding Indigenous water rights and title in Canada and the United States. In doing so, it helps explain the profound importance water holds in Walpole Island First Nations’ culture, heritage, and economy, not only as a crucial natural resource, or an essential aspect of Indigenous territorial sovereignty, but moreover as the life blood of Mother Earth, the beginning and the end of life.