By Elsa Cunnington – Contributor

On Tuesday, Mar. 25, Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Danny Beaton joined Bishop’s students and faculty in Cleghorn to pass on his message of hope while fighting for Mother Earth. Danny Beaton is a Turtle Clan Mohawk of Grand River Six Nations (Haudenosaunee) Territory and has been working in environmental stewardship to protect our lands from environmental destruction for over twenty years. He received the Governor General’s Medal for outstanding contributions to Canadians in 1992, and he has continued to work with environmentalists and Indigenous communities since. 

The key message he left with us was that positive energy nurtures positivity: our gifts and skills come from Mother Earth, and therefore we need to gain that knowledge and cherish it. We must know our medicines and how to heal ourselves. This can be learned from Indigenous elders, but the knowledge can only be found if we dig for it. “The greatest job,” he told us, “is being an environmentalist.” It is essential to learn as much as you can and teach this gained knowledge. This path has to be chosen, he explained, as it is a spiritual and peaceful fight. 

Danny Beaton first met Dr. David Webster (who helped organize the event) around twenty years ago, explaining to us that “you can’t ignore any signs” the universe gives you. The positivity you put into the world attracts other positive people to you, but you can only hear these signs if you are awake. Being awake means learning what is natural and seeking the truth. There are many amazing environmentalist projects that we can be involved in and many positive people to help bring this about. Learning the difference between what is medicine and what is poison is also an important part of being ‘awake’ and keeping that poison out of your body. 

This medicine, he told us, is seen in natural foods, like the Chaga mushroom. This mushroom grows off the birch tree and can be helpful in building your immune system. Other medicines can be berries, corn, beans and squash, moose, fish and deer too. These sacred animals are needed to give people life.

Every day, we have a chance to build a positive community of people around us, not just when we are young.Danny Beaton explained that he is still building community, collecting truth, building love and wisdom and honouring the environment. When asked if he gets overwhelmed doing this work, he smiled and acknowledged that he does, but you have built a network of communicators to help you fight. Creativity and people are medicine, too. 

Life is a mystery, he told us, all we can do is our best and love what we do. We have much work ahead, but it is up to us – the communities we build, the good memories we make and the medicines we take – to create a better future.

“We can build it,” he said, but “you’re going to need your mushrooms.”