A young Anishinaabe water protector speaks up for clean water
Inspired by boil-water notices she saw as a child, Autumn Peltier has spent her youth calling on leaders to protect water and guarantee safe drinking water for First Nations.
The small thing
At about eight years old she attended a ceremony at Serpent River First Nation and noticed signs warning people to boil their water. Asking why became the start of her advocacy.
The problem
Many First Nations communities in Canada have lived under long-term drinking-water advisories, meaning tap water is unsafe without boiling. Pipelines and pollution also raise concerns about the lakes and rivers that communities depend on.
Why Autumn started
According to the Canadian Museum of History, the boil-water signs at Serpent River First Nation inspired her to fight for safe drinking water on reserves and elsewhere. Her activism draws on teachings from her mother and her great-aunt Josephine Mandamin, a well-known Indigenous water activist in the Great Lakes region.
What they did
In 2016, aged 12, she spoke directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to protect the waters from pipeline development. In March 2018, at 13, she addressed the UN General Assembly at the launch of the International Decade for Action on water, urging leaders to 'warrior up' and arguing that water should have rights and protection.
After Josephine Mandamin died in 2019, the Anishinabek Nation chose Peltier as its Chief Water Commissioner. She has continued to speak at international events.
What changed
Her advocacy is about awareness and pressure rather than measurable outputs, and its policy effects have not been independently measured. Her standing is reflected in institutional recognition: the Canadian Museum of History displayed objects from her work, including the dress she wore at the UN, in 2022–23, and she was a finalist for the International Children's Peace Prize in 2022, the first Canadian to reach that stage.
What they learned
Peltier has framed water as something living that deserves rights and protection, and has stressed that clean water should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford it.
“Our water deserves to be treated as human with human rights.”Autumn Peltier, as quoted by CBC News (via Yahoo News Canada)
Copy this idea
Practical guidance written by our editors from the sources below. Adapt it to your place, and check local rules and safety first.
- Problem addressed
- An environmental injustice in your community that decision-makers are not addressing.
- What to do
- Learn the facts, learn from elders and local knowledge holders, and speak to decision-makers in public and in person.
- Materials and resources
- Reliable information, a clear message, a platform such as a school, community meeting or local media.
- Approximate cost
- Very low
- Skills
- Public speaking, listening, research.
- Time
- Ongoing; years for lasting change.
- People needed
- One person can start, ideally with family or community support.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Risks and limitations
- Public attention can be stressful, especially for young people; involve trusted adults and protect personal details online.
- How to adapt it
- Root your message in your own community's experience and, where relevant, Indigenous protocols and leadership.
- Lessons learned
- Personal, first-hand stories tied to a clear ask carry weight with leaders.
Why it matters
One young person's speeches will not fix water infrastructure. But her story shows how a child's question, backed by family and community teaching, can keep a long-standing injustice in public view and bring Indigenous understandings of water into international discussion.
Editor's note
Start year is approximate: the Canadian Museum of History says her activism began at age eight, and she was 12 in 2016. A 2026 conference biography describes her as 21 and still working as an activist and UN ambassador and contributor.
Sources: how do we know?
Evidence level: Documented. Supported by reliable published sources such as UN agencies, award bodies and reputable journalism. Not yet independently re-verified by our editors. What the person says and what independent sources establish are attributed separately in the text.
- government
Outstanding achievements of a water protector highlighted at the Canadian Museum of History — Canadian Museum of History, 15 November 2022Supports: Hometown; Chief Water Commissioner role; boil-water signs at Serpent River at age eight; 2016 exchange with Trudeau; March 2018 UN address; Josephine Mandamin; Children's Peace Prize finalist 2022; exhibition dates. - reputable journalism
Autumn Peltier, Wiikwemkoong's island voice at the UN — Manitoulin Expositor, 27 March 2018Supports: She addressed the UN General Assembly at the start of the Water Action Decade and urged leaders to 'warrior up'. - reputable journalism
Canadian teen tells UN 'warrior up' to protect water — CBC News (via Yahoo News Canada), March 2018Supports: Age 13 at UN speech; call for water to have rights and personhood; clean water as a right for all; quote. - government
Biographies – International Network of Museums for Peace Conference 2026 — Canadian Museum for Human Rights, 2026Supports: Current status: aged 21, continues as an activist and UN ambassador and contributor.