Cree Proverb: “ka-kí-kiskéyihtétan óma, namoya kinwés maka aciyowés pohko óma óta ka-hayayak wasétam askihk, ékwa ka-kakwéy miskétan kiskéyihtamowin, iyinísiwin, kistéyitowin, mina nánisitotatowin kakiya ayisiniwak, ékosi óma kakiya ka-wahkotowak.”
“Realize that we as human beings have been put on this earth for only a short time and that we must use this time to gain wisdom, knowledge, respect and the understanding for all human beings since we are all relatives.” (“Plains Cree Elders Quotes” n.d.)
This quote was mentioned in the section of Jobin's book (page 240-241) where she discusses the Cree normative principle of ᑲᐦᑭᔭ ᑲᐊᐧᐦᑐᐊᐧᐠ (Kakiya kawahkotowak): We Are All Relatives. This proverb struck me on the first read-through of the book because it seemed to encapsulate a big part of the Cree economic ideology in one simple sentence. The proverb gave me pause to reflect on how its message is very antithetical to the current colonial arrangement of economies and business structures, as there is no awareness of the commonality and interconnectedness among all human beings and even non-human beings (as Jobin's work points out on many occasions). The capitalist business arrangements tend to focus solely on individual and immediate profits with severe disregard for how this may adversely affect others and the environment in the long-run. In particular, though climate change has been noticeably affecting the planet for many years, this summer has been quite clear in demonstrating exactly what happens when we push our planet to the brink. The gif depicted below represents a gas leak from an underwater pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico on July 3, 2021. It quite literally set the ocean on fire. As well, this summer we have been seeing unprecedented levels of heat in the Pacific Northwest, unfortunately resulting in many casualties and wildfires.
Employing the Cree principle of Kakiya kawahkotowak a long time ago may have prevented some destruction and harm to our environment. I find it extremely profound that Cree ideologies recognized the finite resources of the earth and the importance of understanding how we are all connected as human beings long before disruptive capitalist economic practices wreaked havoc on the human race and the environment. Similarly, another principle inherent in Cree economic relationships, ᒫᒪᐃᐧᐦᐃᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ (Mâmawi-h-itêyihtamowin): Thinking About All, ties into this need to consider the collective. Otherwise, consequences (ᐅᐦᒋᓀᐃᐧᐣ; Ohcinewin) flow from the disobeying these principles that guide Cree economic relationships, and takes the form of negatively impacting individuals, communities and the environment, which is evident from the state of the world today.
The focus on Jobin's work is to provide a framework that can help with the revitalization and resurgence of Cree economic relationships and I hope to contribute to that discussion in future posts. In this post I wanted to respond to the existential threat of climate change that appears to be looming larger these days, as I found the Cree economic principles to be very instructive for the current state of the world.