EDMUND METATAWABIN, former Chief of Fort Albany First Nation, is a Cree writer, educator and activist. A residential school survivor, he has devoted himself to righting the wrongs of the past, and educating Native youth in traditional knowledge. Metatawabin now lives in his self-made log house in Fort Albany, Ontario, off the reserve boundary, on land he refers to as my "Grandfathers' Land." He owns a local sawmill and also works as a consultant, speaker and researcher.
ALEXANDRA SHIMO is a former radio producer for the CBC and former editor at Maclean's. An award-winning journalist, she is the author of The Environment Equation, which was published in 12 countries. She lives in Toronto.