The Bras d’Or Lakes Charter is a document as unique as the ecosystem itself. It was created at the 2004 CEPI workshop, where the medicine wheel was used to guide participants as they developed a vision of the future of the Bras d’Or.
It was signed by:
- the Regional Directors General of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Environment Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada;
- the Deputy Ministers of the Nova Scotia Departments of Natural Resources, Aquaculture and Fisheries, Environment and Labour, and Office of Aboriginal Affairs;
- the Chiefs of Eskasoni, Membertou, Wekoqmaq, Wagmatcook and Potlotek First Nations;
- the Wardens of Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria counties;
- and the mayors of the town of Port Hawkesbury and of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
The final signature was obtained in September, 2006.
The design is based on the First Nations concept of the medicine wheel, a tool many First Nations people use to ensure balance in their lives. Different elements can be used in a medicine wheel, depending on its purpose, but generally it is used to balance one’s existence in the universe and to promote holism.
The four quadrants represent the four directions (North, South, East, and West), the four races of humans on the earth (Red, Black, White, and Yellow), and the four aspects of life (spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical). The four aspects must all be considered, honoured, and equal, or the wheel is out of balance and there will be a negative effect on the individual or subject at hand.
Another feature of the medicine wheel is that it can be used to recognize dualities. Dualities can be viewed as opposites that need to be resolved in order to restore and maintain balance.
At the 2004 workshop, participants suggested the values, emotions, actions and knowledge which would be needed to sustain a healthy Bras d’Or Lakes watershed for 7 generations, in the Mi’kmaq tradition. The commitment was made to use the medicine wheel as a constant reference point to create the Bras d’Or Lakes CEPI management plan. Those who do the work of the Bras d’Or CEPI strive to keep these four quadrats in balance as they carry out their tasks.
