The Energy of Place and People
Edmonton is bidding for EXPO 2017, and its theme will involve
energy and sustainability. When I think of energy, I recall that
the Cree have long understood everything in the cosmos as being
animate or inanimate. The animate world, or that imbued with spirit
or life force, is the entire cosmos: the earth, sun and moon, all
animal life, the natural forces of wind, water and fire along with
humans and human thought. So, when I think of energy or life force,
I first consider how geological and climatic forces shaped this
biological transitional zone on which Edmonton is located between
the northern boreal forest and the southern great plain with the
North Saskatchewan River meandering through it. Then I think of the
ideas or life force exhibited when indigenous peoples chose this
location because of its geography and its available water, its
nearby migrating bison herds, and its quartzite and chert deposits
for tool making.
It is this human capacity or animate power to alter the
landscape which fascinates me when I think of energy. The energy of
human thought to attract like energy in the creation of something
that will make human habitation possible or easier. The energy
which grows exponentially when increasing numbers of individuals
cooperate to shape the place they settle by building a fort, even
though all the provisions and building materials must be
transported thousands of miles on York boats or in Red River carts.
The energy that accumulates and attracts more and more people to
settle in this location until it becomes the present-day city of
Edmonton with a population of close to a million people.
Over time, similar life forces continued to alter the landscape
of Edmonton: the series of bridges spanning the North Saskatchewan
riverbanks, notably the High Level Bridge, the construction of the
Parliament buildings and the Macdonald Hotel, the design and
completion of the Muttart Conservatory, City Hall, and the Art
Gallery of Alberta. Human energy or life force is what initially
selected the Edmonton site for settlement and it has shaped the
look of our city today. It will continue into the future. When
Edmonton welcomes the world to its doorstep in 2017, it will simply
be a continuation of the energy that has always been here.
Marilyn Dumont, Author, Poet,
Writer
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