Canoe Foundation has been established as an Environmental Peace Organization.
All profits made from the contributions for our paddles help fund Indigenous Climate Action.
Our Mission:
Is to financially support and advocate for Indigenous Peoples, to be leaders in the movement for sustainable and effective solutions to climate change, and for a peaceful, healthy and green future.
What We Do:
All our efforts are directed towards Seeking Peace with Nature and Each Other.
Our Story:
IN THE BEGINNING
Our founder learned the way of the Canoe and the Paddle as a young boy on the waters of the Georgian Bay, a unique and integral part of the Great Lakes of North America or Turtle Island as Indigenous Peoples refer to it.
The clean waters, the fresh air, the peaceful and unspoiled landscape left a lasting impression, and eventually inspired him to launch Canoe Foundation, to help bring a better understanding of the need to live in better harmony with Mother Nature and each other.
This long and winding journey of discovery and enlightenment has taught him that it is the Indigenous Peoples of the Earth who have historically been the Protectors of the Water and the Stewards of the Land, and that we must ensure that Indigenous knowledge is a driving force in climate solutions.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The Canoe Foundation name flows from those early experiences and reflects a connection to the natural world…and our history.
While we celebrate the Canoe and Paddle as symbols of a time when we were more in harmony with nature, our celebration is tempered by the acknowledgement that the Canoe and the Paddle represent a traditional Indigenous mode of transport that transitioned into a tool of colonialism in its subjugation of those very Indigenous societies. On the other hand, the Canoe and Paddle have come to represent a cross-cultural expression of shared lands and waters, and have emerged as symbols for cultural renewal amongst some Indigenous Peoples.
Canoe Foundation’s adoption of the Canoe and Paddle as iconic images and how they form the root of the organization shows a respect and appreciation (not appropriation) for the culture of Indigenous Peoples who have shared these with us.
CHOPPY WATERS
Canoe Foundation is a young organization…we have been cautioned about and have our apprehensions about dipping our paddle into the choppy waters of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations, although we make the approach with sensitivity and respect…but we cannot let those apprehensions keep us from moving forward…keep us from treating all peoples with love and respect…given the urgency of the climate crisis.
However, we are of the opinion that caution will not get us to where we need to go in terms of climate solutions…we will take missteps, so be patient with us.
Our hope is that Canoe Foundation can be a meaningful platform to assist in working to reverse the historical amnesia concerning the treatment of Indigenous Peoples by the settler society and to help grow the awareness to the systemic oppressions that continue to this day.
THE ONGOING JOURNEY
Canoe Foundation understands that environmental issues cannot be separated from social justice and from Indigenous rights.
Canoe Foundation sees itself as a member of a diverse coalition of organizations and campaigns working for the necessary changes to spur solutions to the climate crisis and for respecting Indigenous rights.
We are hoping that Canoe Foundation can be a bridge between the two sides of the colonial divide. This is a journey of discovery for us. These are complicated issues, both the climate crisis and cultural relationships.
We are firm believers that no matter how dark, scary and chaotic this world can be, there will always be light, love and peace waiting to be discovered in the darkness.
