UNESCO World Heritage

Why Award-Winning Nature Photographer Ōtake Hidehiro Keeps Coming Back to Pimachiowin Aki

December 18, 2023

Growing up in the busy city of Tokyo, Japan, Ōtake Hidehiro (Hide) had never truly experienced being deep in nature. However, an eye-opening camping trip during his university days sparked his profound connection to the natural world and ultimately led him to the people and land of Pimachiowin Aki.

We recently sat down with Hide in Winnipeg to talk about his journey.

Your camping trip as a member of a mountaineering club was pivotal. You said it was the first time you realized that the environment you grew up in was human-built.

It opened my eyes to the natural world far away from cities. That’s the first moment I really loved it. Because I’m not a factory-made robot; I was born as part of nature. We set up a tent and slept under a sky full of stars. We lit a fire and fished stream trout. There was no running water or electricity. So I really loved the simple camping life and began to notice how beautiful this planet is.

The camping experience steered you away from your initial career choice and guided you toward nature photography.

Yes. At that time, I wanted to be a journalist, but I thought, oh, I really care about nature instead of the economy and politics. I have skills to explore the woods and mountains, so I really want to tell the story of spiritual nature, which probably won’t be in the newspaper. But it’s very important.

I became a photographer because I wanted to be in nature.
Ōtake Hidehiro

So how did you get your start as a nature photographer?

I bought my first SLR camera at the end of my third year of university, but I was struggling to find my first theme. Then, I had a dream. I was in a small cabin and snow was falling. A creature came in and we looked at each other. It was like a big dog. Whoa! But it’s too severe. When I woke up, I thought, oh, a wolf came; I saw the wolf walking in my dream.

Until that dream, I had never even considered wolves as a topic. Wild wolves had vanished from Japan over 100 years before.
Nippon.com, Photographer Ōtake Hidehiro: Following the Dream Wolf

I wanted to learn more about the wolf. I went to the library the next morning and found a beautiful portfolio taken by world-famous National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg. There’s a wolf. And it’s beautiful. And it’s in the woods. It looks like my dream. So I thought, I really want to go where this photo was taken, and meet Jim to learn photography under him as an assistant.

[Jim] answered my request with gentle refusal, saying that he did not need an assistant. However, he saw my sincerity, and offered a compromise. He told me, “It’s important to face the natural world alone. Good work takes time, so you should start shooting now.”
Nippon.com, Photographer Ōtake Hidehiro Finds His Path Forward

Your decision to travel to Ely, Minnesota to meet Jim in 1999 marked the beginning of your decades-long exploration of the Northwoods wilderness of North America. You recently published a photo book celebrating 20 years of work, including photos taken near and in Pimachiowin Aki.

When my publisher agreed to produce a photo book, I wanted to show four things: the northern landscapes, various wildlife including the elusive wolf, the joy and adventure of canoeing and snowshoeing, and the First Nation way of life on the land. The book has about 180 photos. Three photos of wolves were used – a lone wolf watching me from the distance, an aerial shot of wolves walking on a frozen lake, and a wolf pack feeding on a deer, which shows their behaviour and interaction.

What sets your work apart is not just the visual beauty but your deep engagement with Anishinaabeg who steward this land. A turning point in your career came in 2010 when you were invited to a Healing Camp on the shores of Weaver Lake at Poplar River First Nation.

Yes. Before then, I heard a little bit about the World Heritage project because I lived in Red Lake, Ontario for over a year between 2005-2007. I wanted to go to the Healing Camp to take pictures and learn. I met lots of people from Poplar River and other communities. After the Healing Camp, I took a flight to Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi and people showed me around. It was just a short visit. I really wanted to spend more time there.

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro, Healing Camp ( Weaver Lake)

Getting to know the First Nations people who still maintain tradition as hunters and gatherers in this land finally gave me a new perspective on the trips I was taking.
Nippon.com, Photographer Ōtake Hidehiro Is Guided by the Blaze

You have traveled to this region numerous times since. What keeps bringing you back to Pimachiowin Aki?

Culture is a very interesting thing for me. Before, I thought this place is wilderness; there are not many people. But I realized after my experience of learning from Elders and archaeologists, oh, this is a place where people have lived for thousands of years. Pictographs and a piece of pottery or stone tools can be found in places. I really want to tell the story about how they are connected to the land.

You are drawn to the stories embedded in the landscape…

Yes, now I look at the landscape and understand that it’s not just forest or water. I can feel the history of the land. When I was traveling by canoe in Pimachiowin Aki, I found many pieces of pottery around my campsite. When I showed a photo of it, an archaeologist told me that the site has been used for at least for more than two thousand years. I remembered there’s a waterfall nearby. It’s a good place to get fish. There’s a nice sandbar, so maybe it’s a good landing spot for canoes for hunting. You can walk through a nice hill, which has lots of blueberries or medicines.

I want to take photos to show it’s the wildlife’s homeland too. To get a good photo of wildlife, you have to know their behavior and lifestyle. Like that squirrel. That’s his house and he has probably never seen people before, so he was kind of getting nervous. He’s busy collecting the pinecones to survive the winter. I should be quiet and respect his space because I am just a visitor to his homeland.

So that’s a very important part of this place. I really love that Pimachiowin Aki gives me a lot of opportunities – not just wildlife and landscape and camping, you know, there’s always people there to teach me and so many things I can do, and so many places I haven’t seen. I’m not just coming here to take pictures and sightsee. I want to actually learn and experience the processes of living with nature. Most people living in cities have lost that connection and wisdom.

Photos : Ōtake Hidehiro, harvesting manoomin (wild rice) and moose

It seems only natural that I would be even more drawn to the lifestyles and culture of the Indigenous Peoples who had coexisted with this natural environment for so long.
Nippon.com, Ōtake Hidehiro Learns More Lessons of the Life Giving Earth

Your work reflects on our connection to nature, appreciates its fragility, and recognizes the responsibility we all hold to preserve it. But for many people, life is far removed from nature. What does it mean for you to connect with the natural world?

When you’re camping or traveling by canoe or snowshoe, you can feel a very deep connection to nature because you can feel wind, water and snow closely. And you can even get a fish! That’s local food. And it’s a gift from nature. So you can appreciate it more.

If you hold a paddle you can feel it grab the water. You feel the connection. And once you get on the shore, it’s nice. It makes me very happy, right? It’s like a welcoming. Just to stand on and touch it and say thank you very much for this nice landing.

And when I drink water, it connects me to nature. Sixty per cent of my body is water, so more than half of my body is from this lake. I don’t want to pollute it. So those connections—the connection with a tree—you start feeling like the tree is a friend. And even dead trees can become a good friend when you’re cutting up firewood. They make you warm. I appreciate that very much.

Cultural experiences, like learning from Elders and participating in net fishing and collecting medicine plants, have deepened your appreciation for Pimachiowin Aki. You were here this fall and spent time with Pauingassi First Nation Guardian Colin Owens and his wife Cora.

It has been great to see their lifestyle of living off the land!

What’s next for you in Pimachiowin Aki?

I would like to learn about seasonal activities and am interested in photographing life on the land throughout the year. So, spring duck or geese hunting, winter trapping for beaver and snowshoe hare would be interesting subjects.

Colin is interested in showing me how to snare snowshoe hare and catch fish by net under ice, and I would love to photograph it.

Your commitment to promoting awareness of Pimachiowin Aki extends beyond photography. You give speeches and presentations in Japan and North America and have even led tourist groups from Japan to parts of the boreal forest that touch Pimachiowin Aki.

In 2013, I took a school group to Red Lake, and in 2018 and 2019, I took two groups of people from their 20s-70s. They said it was one of the best trips ever. Just seeing a wolf track on sand or mud was a very special experience because it is now impossible in Japan! They could see the natural beauty but also experience the lifestyle connected to the land.

Is there anything more you’d like to share with the people of Pimachiowin Aki?

Photo: Ōtake Hidehiro, jackpine forest 10 years after a fire

Before, I didn’t pay much attention to my own culture. But when I’m experiencing the different culture, I am learning my own culture. Being proud of my own roots makes me stronger. Everything has a spirit in nature – I’ve grown up with that in my culture, too. And I feel the connection. I’m not born here. I’m not living here. But I really want to learn about this area. So I hope people look at their culture, the precious lifestyle and traditions you have, and are proud. It’s really wonderful. And it’s very important for all of us.

Main Photo (top): Ōtake Hidehiro

5 Years, 5 Moments to Celebrate

June 13, 2023

Pimachiowin Aki was inscribed on the World Heritage List on July 1, 2018 during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Manama, Bahrain.

It has been an exciting five years since Pimachiowin Aki became Canada’s first mixed UNESCO World Heritage site. With so many incredible moments to choose from, it was difficult to decide which ones to celebrate with you today. We are humbled and proud to share these highlights:

1. Guardians Network is established

When Pimachiowin Aki launched its Guardians Network in 2018, we had no idea how quickly the program and Guardians’ capacity would grow. In addition to monitoring the lands and waters of Pimachiowin Aki, Guardians have documented and shared customary laws, recorded place names, collaborated with researchers, operated drones, spoken at conferences, conducted bird surveys and recorded bird songs, harvested food for Elders, taken youth on land-based learning trips, and more. We thank you for your care of people and places, for connecting with the land and each other, and for sharing your knowledge and skills. You have strengthened our communities and are a gift to us all.

Pimachiowin Aki Corporation was one of 28 successful applicants in Canada for the early round of funding from the Environment and Climate Change Canada Indigenous Guardians Pilot Program in 2018. The program has since secured annual funding and established the Pimachiowin Aki Guardians Fund to carry it into the future.

2. The World Visits pimaki.ca

World Heritage status creates a tremendous opportunity to enhance understanding of Pimachiowin Aki’s cultural and natural values and share these values with the world. Since the launch of our newly designed and reprogrammed website, Pimachiowin Aki has been sharing information about The Land that Gives Life with people from around the globe. The new website has received many positive reviews, including praise for the amount and quality of information and how easy it is for people to find what they’re looking for.

The website even caught the eye of Dr. Gemma Faith, who, at the time, was a PhD researcher at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. Gemma made Pimachiowin Aki the focus of her research, which won an Outstanding PhD Thesis award. Gemma’s thesis explored how pimaki.ca communicates the unique bond that Anishinaabeg have with the land to people around the world.

3. The Pimachiowin Aki Endowment Fund Hit $5 Million

For the first time since it was established in 2010, the fund reached its highest-ever value of $5 million last year. Thank you to our generous donors who have helped us reach this milestone. Your donations help grow the fund, which is held at The Winnipeg Foundation. Annual revenue from the fund helps Pimachiowin Aki operate the Guardians Network, create and support cultural heritage education and Indigenous knowledge programs, provide training and capacity-building, and lead and support research to ensure that the world understands and respects this special place and all who live here.

Pimachiowin Aki is a small not-for-profit charitable organization with big ideas, and a mission to safeguard Pimachiowin Aki for the well-being of Anishinaabeg and the world, forever.

4. We Built a Digital Library

Along the journey to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site, we acquired over 12 thousand photos of the people and places of Pimachiowin Aki. For over two decades, people involved in the project have been documenting their experiences and sharing photos – from large community gatherings to wildlife sightings to touring UNESCO representatives on evaluation missions across the waters of Pimachiowin Aki. Many of the photos you see in our communications date back to this time.

Today, these photos, along with a vast amount of information and data collected for First Nations’ land use planning and the World Heritage site nomination, are neatly accredited and organized into folders in the Pimachiowin Aki digital library. The library continually grows as Guardians, community members, professional photographers, researchers and visitors share photos and information with us.

The Pimachiowin Aki library is an important achievement as it provides a fuller picture of the World Heritage site and offers layers and layers of information. Each time Pimachiowin Aki creates a map, such as place names maps, more detail and meaning is added from our library.

The extensive library also provides local teachers with valuable information as they incorporate the cultural, natural and educational values of Pimachiowin Aki into their curricula.

5. We Published Bilingual Anishinaabemowin/English Books

In partnership with Manitoba Museum, we contributed research and expertise developed during First Nations’ land use planning and the World Heritage site bid to create resources for schools in the Pimachiowin Aki communities.

The project is coming to completion, and five books will soon be delivered to all schools in Pimachiowin Aki, and potentially to every school in Manitoba. The books will be also available for purchase at Manitoba Museum. The books are:

Omazinaakizonan Mishibaawitigong | Photos From Little Grand Rapids
Gikino’amaagedaa Anishinaabemowin | Let’s Teach the Ojibwe Language
Onji’aawasowinan | “do’s and don’ts“ Traditional Anishinaabe Teachings (colouring book)
Azauuwiziibing Gaa-nitaawigigin | Poplar River Anishinaabe Plant Guide
Obaawingaashiing Aabijichiganan | Pauingassi Collection

Thank you to our two special donors whose generosity helped to finish this project.

This is what the children should be taught. That they should never forget their Anishinaabe language, the way the language was spoken long ago.
OMISHOOSH (ELDER CHARLIE GEORGE OWEN), PAUINGASSI FIRST NATION

A Year of Connections for Pimachiowin Aki

December 14, 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, we look back at a stellar year of connections. A traditional medicine workshop brought together community members, an art installation shared Anishinaabeg traditional knowledge, and a PhD thesis and documentary film spread word of Pimachiowin Aki around the globe. Here are eight highlights from our special year:

1. What We Do to the Land We Do to Ourselves

Filmmaker Michael Zelniker joined the Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members for a special screening of his documentary film The Issue with Tissue – a Boreal Love Story. Michael’s film features First Nation Elders and leaders from across the boreal, including Bloodvein River First Nation Elder Leslie Orvis Sr. and Pimachiowin Aki Director William Young, along with leading scientists and activists. It was an emotional experience to see and hear stories of the devastating impacts of colonization and damage done to Mother Earth as the world’s boreal forest is clearcut to manufacture toilet paper.

More than one million acres of boreal forest are lost to clear cutting in Canada every year.

Forests take care of us. But we are cutting down the world’s oldest living trees and flushing them down the toilet, Michael warns.

In early December, he spoke with CBC about his film and how the logging industry has affected the boreal forest and the life it supports. Indigenous Peoples have protected millions of acres of boreal forest in Pimachiowin Aki from destruction from human activity for over 7,000 years.

A Little Paper Creates a Big Problem

See the trailer for The Issue with Tissue – A Boreal Love Story

2. A Tiny Bird on a Tremendous Journey

For World Migratory Bird Day, Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian Melba Green helped the National Audubon Society remind the world that birds connect us all.

Melba joined Audubon’s Dr. Jeff Wells in a video to discuss the Canada Warbler, a vulnerable species that finds refuge in Pimachiowin Aki.

“Pimachiowin Aki is [committed] to protecting wildlife, birds, and land from mining and forestry, and all other things that harm the land,” Melba explains.

Millions of birds migrate to and from Pimachiowin Aki each year, including the Canada Warbler. Contrary to its name, this bright yellow songbird sets out on a heroic, international voyage – it leaves the forest wetlands of Pimachiowin Aki in August for woodlands on the Texas coast, its first stop on the way to La Semilla, a natural reserve in Colombia.

Conservation of these areas, from the boreal forest of Pimachiowin Aki to South America, is critical to birds’ survival.

“Without strong, large, intact protected areas in the boreal forest, [birds’ migratory] cycles could shut down,” says Jeff.

“It’s really important for us to maintain these areas,” Melba adds.

64 % of Canada Warblers rely on Canadian Boreal Forest for their breeding grounds.

Birds are indicators of our changing climate. Global warming is the biggest threat to their natural habitat, and shifting migratory patterns demonstrate this.

See the full video featuring Melba: http://surl.li/ebgvp

3. Women Turn Out for Trapping Education Course

Pimachiowin Aki, with financial support from the South East Resource Development Council, organized a week-long trapper education course at Little Grand Rapids First Nation.

An instructor from Red Lake taught the group of mainly women how to create muskrat boxes, a skill required to obtain their trapping licences.

Did you know?
Traplines in Little Grand Rapids span both Manitoba and Ontario. Manitoba recognizes Ontario trapper training programs for licensing in Manitoba, but you must receive training from a qualified instructor in Ontario to get a licence to trap there.

Bloodvein plans to hold a trapper training course in January 2023. The course is full, but the Bloodvein River First Nation Guardian will share information if space becomes available.

4. Pimachiowin Aki Provides Global Inspiration

If you close your eyes and think about Pimachiowin Aki, what do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

Dr. Gemma Faith had never been to Pimachiowin Aki, but three years ago, as a PhD researcher at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, she noticed that this special place came to life online with “rich and stirring content” that made her feel like she was here. Gemma was so impressed with Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence and values-based approach to management that she chose to use Pimachiowin Aki as a case study for her thesis: Evaluating World Heritage Interpretation in Online Spaces and its Potential to Prime the Development of Eco-Cultural Tourism Experiences (Virtual and Onsite): A Case Study on Pimachiowin Aki, Canada’s First Mixed World Heritage Site.

Dr. Faith studied Pimachiowin Aki over a three-year period, capturing and analyzing information, including:

pimaki.ca
Facebook page
Official documents
Zoom interviews with Pimachiowin Aki Directors and members
Insights shared by community members through written submissions

Dr. Gemma Faith graduated with a degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Ulster University in Northern Ireland in December 2022. Pimachiowin Aki’s contribution is acknowledged in her PhD thesis.

What is the purpose of the study?

With technology at our fingertips, people can explore any place in the world with a few swipes and clicks. It’s important for mixed World Heritage sites like Pimachiowin Aki to carve out a place on the internet, so that people learn about Outstanding Universal Value and why it is preserved for the benefit of all humanity.

Gemma’s study explores how Pimachiowin Aki communicates with people around the world through social media and our website, sharing the unique bond that Anishinaabeg have with the land. It also looks at ways that online communication can be used to develop eco-cultural tourism.

New tourism development is in its infancy at Pimachiowin Aki, but exploring pimaki.ca or browsing its social media is like having a local, online tour guide:

Someone to show you what makes this mixed World Heritage site special (through text, photographs, video storytelling and descriptions)
Someone to share and explain the values that preserve and sustain this protected area
Someone to answer your questions or comments

By presenting Pimachiowin Aki’s online presence as a global exemplar (a good example to the world), it is hoped that the findings of the study will aid the management of online heritage interpretation at future mixed sites in Canada and the world, Gemma says. Pimachiowin Aki thanks Dr. Gemma Faith for her gift of curiosity, and the Elders, knowledge keepers and community members who share stories and bring Anishinaabeg cultural heritage to life for our social media followers, newsletter subscribers, and web visitors from across the globe.

5. Elders Share Knowledge of Traditional Medicines

Ka mashkawak mashkiski (sage) means ‘the strong medicine’ and has a very strong scent. This traditional knowledge was shared during a discussion with Elders in Pauingassi First Nation this fall.

The community event, sponsored by Pimachiowin Aki, focused on traditional medicines.

Participants discussed traditional plant names, when to harvest them, parts of plants used for medicines, symptoms they treat, how to prepare them, and how they’re used today.

Joe Owen, Pimachiowin Aki Board member and knowledge keeper from Pauingassi First Nation, says, “The important thing is I’m trying to encourage Elders, whatever they still know, to exercise using that knowledge about medicines. The medicines help with some illnesses. It is nice to share with the people from other communities too. If Elders have any young people who come around to their houses, it is good to talk with them about some of the medicines we still have out there.”

Organizers are currently working on a document to share teachings from the workshop with community members. Watch for it in our future eNews.

6. Wildfire Sparks Art at an International Festival

Pimachiowin Aki was excited to be a part of an art installation of dancing trees created by artist Jonathan Green. The installation, which appeared during Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, was inspired in part by Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic.

“I found the graphic when I was looking for an image to explain the idea of a fire cycle,” says Jonathan. “I scrolled down to Pimachiowin Aki’s version of the cycle and immediately loved its clarity, and the way it explains details such as wild berries becoming abundant, animals migrating, and how the land changes.”

“I’ve been researching wildfires for years, but I didn’t know former burn sites make for good hunting,” says Jonathan. “The graphic is so rich in local Anishinaabeg knowledge and practice it felt like something I could trust innately.”

Jonathan credits Pimachiowin Aki’s fire cycle graphic, adapted from work by Dr. Andrew Miller, with inspiring him to include trees from the boreal in his installation, which he designed to help visitors get a better understanding of how wildfires impact habitats.

“I hope it allows us all to consider the human impact on the environment and the ways in which many recent large-scale wildfires are a direct result of extreme climate change due to this human impact.”

7. Making Strides in Digital Map Project

Fieldwork for the much-anticipated digital habitat maps, in partnership with ECOSTEM, continued this year, with tours around Aikens Lake and Fishing Lake.

ECOSTEM is now in the process of creating a preliminary version of the habitat map, which we expect to release in March 2023, followed by detailed maps of cultural features.

Elders, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians and other knowledge keepers are contributing data and information to the maps, such as knowledge of wildlife-habitat relationships, and will be able to use the maps to preserve important habitats and keep an eye on the health of the land.

“The maps won’t just show us the land; they will show us what the land can sustain,” says Alison Haugh, Executive Director of Pimachiowin Aki.

Learn more about the digital maps and how they’re created.

The challenges of mapping

It takes thousands of photos, drone and satellite imagery, and physical samples to create the maps. In the development stages, the mapping team faced multiple challenges getting what they need. Wildfires had swept through the land in 2021, accompanied by COVID-19 restrictions and a months-long drought, which made floatplane and boat travel nearly impossible.

Drones were prohibited from flying due to NAV Canada restrictions to avoid conflicts with firefighting aircraft.

These challenges postponed ECOSTEM’s image collection process to this year, when they were able to continue their fieldwork.

Though easier on their team, 2022 presented its own hurdles. For starters, massive snowfall led to record-breaking high water levels throughout Manitoba.

In addition, “drones have been grounded more than expected due to rain and high winds,” reports ECOSTEM’s Dr. James Ehnes. Despite this, the team was able to complete all of the planned fieldwork.

At times, Pimachiowin Aki Guardians couldn’t do groundwork because roads were covered with water and rapids were so strong that some areas were too dangerous to visit.

If weather concerns weren’t enough to stand in the way of the project, Transport Canada established new restrictions for transporting lithium-ion batteries on commercial flights.

“We now have to discharge the battery, get a third party to certify that they’re discharged, and ship them separately on a cargo flight,” says James. “This process has not only added time prior to getting in the field; it then takes the rest of the day to recharge the batteries.

A team effort

Miigwech to Guardian Colin Owens of Pauingassi First Nation, who travelled great distances by boat to capture images and was very helpful in transporting the crew and gear around the community each day and shipping generators to Winnipeg.

8. Happy Birthday to World Heritage!

2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which Canada joined in 1976, becoming a part of an international movement to safeguard the world’s cultural treasures.

“The purpose of the World Heritage Convention is to identify, protect, and preserve cultural and natural places across the world that are deemed to have Outstanding Universal Value, and should therefore be protected and recognized internationally for current and future generations,” says Rebecca Kennedy, Manager of International Affairs for Parks Canada.

“Canada is blessed with a diversity of natural and cultural heritage from coast to coast to coast, including 20 sites that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List,” she adds.

There was no better time than 2022 for Canadians to learn about these 20 incredible places. Many of Canada’s World Heritage Sites, including Pimachiowin Aki, offered special in-person and virtual activities to highlight this landmark year.

Take a cross-Canada video tour to celebrate the shared heritage of humankind:

We’ve Answered Your Questions: Mixed World Heritage Sites Explained

September 21, 2020

What is World Heritage?

World Heritage recognizes places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity. It is like a badge of honour provided by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). When a UNESCO World Heritage site has been added to the World Heritage List, it is the world’s way of recognizing that this place should be preserved for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.

What is Cultural Heritage?

Heritage is our legacy from the past, how we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Cultural heritage consists of everything that we value and share through generations:

Objects that we can see and touch, like cabins, travel routes, manoomin (wild rice), landscapes and artifacts
Things like language, songs, knowledge, beliefs and practices

Cultural heritage provides Anishinaabeg with:

Our livelihood, such as hunting, fishing and trapping
Knowledge of the land, like what rivers are safe to cross and what plants can be used as medicine
Skills, like how to smoke meat and cure hides

Our cultural heritage is invaluable. It connects people and unites communities, helping us understand who we are and how we contribute to the world. Cultural heritage has helped Anishinaabeg protect and preserve Pimachiowin Aki for millennia. Today, we are connected to the land and care for the land in the same ways we did over 7,000 years ago.

Types of World Heritage Sites

There are three types of World Heritage sites: cultural, natural, and mixed.

1. What is a mixed World Heritage site?

A mixed heritage site is one that contains elements of both natural and cultural significance
There are 39 mixed sites in the world with only one in Canada: Pimachiowin Aki

2. What is a cultural World Heritage site?

Cultural heritage sites are typically historic buildings and town sites, important archaeological sites, and works of monumental sculpture or painting—like the Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi World Heritage site on the border between Canada and the United States of America, for example

3. What is a natural World Heritage site?

About one in five World Heritage sites is recognized for its outstanding natural value—like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, for example
Natural and mixed World Heritage sites protect over 369 million hectares of land and sea

Pimachiowin Aki has been described as “a landmark nomination” because it is so unique—it is impossible to separate the people (culture) from the land (nature). The area received worldwide attention and inspired UNESCO to change the way it evaluates mixed World Heritage sites. Read more about how Pimachiowin Aki became a catalyst for change.

Timeline

The nomination was a long time in the making. In 2002, First Nations in Manitoba and Ontario signed an Accord to protect and manage ancestral lands and have these lands recognized as a World Heritage site. But the work started even before then.

The First Nation communities of Pimachiowin Aki were working individually on their own land management plans for many years. Board Member Ed Hudson from Poplar River First Nation says, “The protected area came into being before Pimachiowin Aki.” The Poplar River land management plan, and protection of Asatiwisipe Aki (Poplar River ancestral lands), became legally recognized in 2011.

Pimachiowin Aki became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. Here’s a quick look at how we got here:

2002 | First Nations sign an accord to protect and manage ancestral lands

2004 | Canada adds Pimachiowin Aki to a shortlist of tentative UNESCO World Heritage sites after a review of 125 potential sites

2006 | Manitoba and Ontario join the First Nations to form the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation. Together, the partners work toward the goal of a Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage site

2011 | After many years of research and community engagement, each First Nation completes a land management plan that sets out how our ancestral lands will be protected and how they can be used in the future

2012 | Canada submits the World Heritage site nomination bid to UNESCO on behalf of the Pimachiowin Aki partnership

2018 | Pimachiowin Aki becomes the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Manitoba and the only ‘mixed’ site in Canada, recognized for both its cultural and natural values (more on that below)

How Does UNESCO Protect World Heritage Sites?

Raises awareness
As a World Heritage site, people learn about Pimachiowin Aki’s history and traditions, the environment, and the importance of protecting this rare and special place.

Strengthens authority
Pimachiowin Aki First Nations maintain authority to make decisions about the land. To remain a World Heritage site, the rights of the people who live here must continue to be respected.

May receive expert advice on how to support preservation activities
Pimachiowin Aki First Nations can benefit from advice on how to explore local economic opportunities like eco-cultural tourism or ways to protect culture heritage, such as land and language programs.

Protection during a war
Once declared, Pimachiowin Aki became protected under the Geneva convention against destruction during a war .

For the last two years, Bloodvein River First Nation, Poplar River First Nation, Pauingassi First Nation and Little Grand Rapids First Nation, along with two provincial parks, have added this extra layer of protection for the land and culture. “We’re still in the planning stage for the next steps regarding the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage site status. We received the status and now we have to work harder,” Ed adds.

The work that Ed mentions will be done by all of the First Nation communities, and will include protecting cultural and natural values with these guiding principles in mind:

Continue to protect the site
Foster local economic growth
Safeguard Anishinaabe cultural heritage
Safeguard the boreal forest for the benefit of all humanity into the future

In the Ojibwe language Anishinaabemowin, Pimachiowin Aki means the Land that Gives Life. It is a gift from the Creator to share with the world. Anishinaabeg maintain this gift the way it was given to us. With World Heritage Site inscription, we are sharing the expansive boreal forest and all that it provides. In addition, we are sharing our history and inspiring teachings with the world.

See Pimachiowin Aki on the World Heritage List and view the UNESCO photo gallery: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1415/

UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

Sources: https://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco and discovercorps.com

Our first trip around the sun

June 19, 2019

On July 1, 2019, Pimachiowin Aki celebrates its first anniversary as a World Heritage Site. Described as “a landmark nomination” and “a watershed in representing the seamless links between culture, nature, and customary stewardship knowledge, beliefs and practices”, Pimachiowin Aki has received world-wide attention as a model for indigenous-led nominations and natural-cultural sites in the context of the World Heritage Convention.

Please join us as we build awareness and capacity around the nomination and successful inscription of Pimachiowin Aki, and continue to protect the site, foster local economic growth, and safeguard Anishinaabe cultural heritage and the boreal forest for the benefit of all humanity into the future. Be part of our legacy and continued success!