ʔəy̓ sweyəl! Hello! My name is Zoë Craig-Sparrow. I am xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and was born and raised on a Musqueam reserve in what is now known as Vancouver.
I am many things—an eldest daughter, granddaughter, niece, and big sister to five. I am an activist, a student and academic, an advocate, a fisherwoman, a feminist and an environmentalist. I am the Director of Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice at Justice for Girls and the Environmental and Indigenous Rights Fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation.
As a Musqueam woman, there are a few important things you should know about me.
The Musqueam people are matriarchal and have lived along the Fraser River for over 10,000 years. Throughout time, our women have been our weavers, our knowledge-keepers, our life-givers, our healers, and our community’s fiercest protectors. I come from a long line of strong women, and I work hard to embody their teachings, strength, and resilience.
The Musqueam people are the people of the məθkʷəy̓, the river grass, and we have stewarded the mouth of the Fraser River since time immemorial.
I developed a deep love, respect and appreciation for the environment and natural world at a young age. This love was solidified through my experiences as the granddaughter of a fisherman, Edward Sparrow.
My Papa still beams with pride as he talks of filleting fish in the backyard with me and my mother when I was a young child. One summer day, when I was barely tall enough to reach the fillet table, he looked over to find me eating fresh eggs that he had just removed from a salmon. With barely hidden laughter, he recalls me grinning as I chewed, fish juice leaking down my chubby cheeks.
There was nothing I enjoyed more than summers spent fishing on the river with my grandfather and mother. Watching the rolling waves, waiting to see the tell-tale bobs of the net that indicated we’d caught a salmon, and ‘coo-cooing’ across the water in (unsuccessful) attempts to scare away the seals who lurked nearby hoping to snag a quick lunch.
It was through this intergenerational exchange of love and knowledge that I fully understood the unique, reciprocal relationship that Indigenous peoples have to the environment.
I learned very quickly that fishing was not just about sustenance, but was about family, community, culture, traditions, language, and stewardship.
As I grew up, it became clear to me that my life and experiences had led me to three key passions: environmental stewardship, protection of Indigenous rights, and gender equality. But more than that, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that involved helping and advocating for others. I just had to find a path where I could use my unique perspective to effect equally unique change.
Before I knew it, the path became clear. At the age of 15, I did an internship with Justice for Girls and the David Suzuki Foundation focusing on how climate change and environmental degradation impacts children’s rights– especially the rights of Indigenous girls. I made a submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child where I spoke about fishing with my grandfather.
I shared my fears that, due to climate change and over-fishing, my children may not get to see the vibrant reds and greens of the sockeye salmon.
That internship taught me so much, but above all it taught me that I also had a passion for human rights.
Today, I continue to fish and feel a deep connection to the waters, lands, and animals in our traditional territory. I am now pursuing a PhD in Human Rights that ties the rights, health, wellness, and prosperity of the environment to the rights, health, wellness, and prosperity of Indigenous women.
But I certainly wouldn’t be here today if not for my incredible mother who, after my father passed when I was 9, raised me as a strong, single mother and always believed in me.
I wouldn’t be here today if not for my grandfather, who taught (and still teaches) me to fish and all that comes with it. I wouldn’t be here today without Ron Sparrow, whose brave efforts in the Sparrow Decision secured our Indigenous right to fish under section 35 of the Constitution.
And I wouldn’t be here today if not for my ancestors who came before me and departed loved ones who watch over me.
And this is why, in all elements of my life, education, and work, I think not only of past generations, but of my little siblings, future children, and generations to come. And I encourage you all to do the same!
Lift up Indigenous voices.
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