La vitalité

A Zest for Life

In the quest to protect the world’s natural water sources and provide clean water for all, the determined voice of fifteen-year-old Autumn Peltier stands out from the crowd. Inspired by her great-aunt, water activist Josephine Mandamin, she began advocating for clean water at the age of eight. Since then, she has been nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize for the past three years, received several awards and honors for water conservancy, and made waves at the Assembly of First Nations in Canada, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York, and the Children’s Climate Change Conference in Sweden. Her actions inspired the Assembly of First Nations Youth Council to create the Niabi Odacidae fund for clean water. She has also taken on the mantle of Anishinabek Nation’s chief water commissioner, a title previously bestowed upon her great-aunt Josephine.

Autumn Peltier is an Anishinaabekwe and a member of the Wikwemikong First Nation in northern Ontario. She has become internationally known as a “water warrior” thanks to her advocacy for clean water.

Photo by Linda Roy / Ireva Photography