Say the Names: February 2011

Say the Names...

Al Purdy wrote a wonderful poem called "Say the names say the names" which celebrates the names of Canadian rivers - Tulameen, Kleena Kleene, Similkameen, Nahanni, Kluane and on and on in a celebratory song.

Enbridge is planning to build a dual pipeline that will carry bitumen and condensate across hundreds of waterways between Edmonton and Kitimat. Some of these waterways are rivers like the Parsnip (or what's left of it), the Nechako, the Morice and others are smaller creeks whose names are often known only to the folks who live along their banks or who fish in their shadows or who bend to wash or drink as they cross paths.

I want to collect the names of these rivers and creeks, to collect your stories, your poems, your songs so we can collectively give voice to the land living under the line Enbridge plans to draw.

People have also sent me copies of their presentations to the community oral presentations. If you'd like to add your voice, email me (sheila.peters900@gmail.com) your stories and I'll post them for you. The copyright remains with you.

All the best.
Sheila Peters

Sunday, February 6, 2011

You can speak through the map

Morgan Hite, Smithers writer and cartographer extraordinaire, has created an interactive map where you can post your stories about the places you know along the Enbridge proposed pipeline route. Follow the link and you'll find instructions - but it's likely easier if you just send me the story and its location and we can attach it to the map.

On the Line Movie

I've added a new link for those of you interested in following Frank Wolf and Todd McGowan as "bike, hike, raft and kayak the GPS track of the pipeline on a fact finding mission that takes a ground-level look at the pipeline from the perspective of the people who live along the proposed route." Check out the On the Line link.