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“He protected the water, and that is something that’s incredible,” Eshkakogan said Tuesday.

“He brought national attention to the Oldman dam water crisis. It was about stopping the Alberta government from doing what they wanted with our water and our land.

“Because of that, now any government in Canada can never go ahead with something like that without consulting the community.”

Born With A Tooth led a contingent of Blackfoot protesters to start diverting the Oldman River near Pincher Creek in response to provincial government plans to build a $355-million irrigation dam on the southern Alberta waterway. He opened fire during a confrontation with police and was later arrested, spending the next four years battling in the courts.

While he was convicted for the shooting, the federal and provincial governments would ultimately agree to pay $64.3 million to the Peigan First Nation and its members, acknowledging that the band owned the riverbed and the money would be paid as an annual lease.

Eshkakogan said if it wasn’t for her uncle’s efforts and the national attention it received, the nation likely would have never seen that concession.

“It really took a toll on the family, but we knew why he was doing it,” she said. “It was a necessary thing he needed to do to protect the water. We’re proud of him for that.”

After he completed his time behind bars, Born With A Tooth, who has 16 children and countless nieces and nephews, didn’t give up his activism to protect the water and the land. He continued to share that message with his people, Eshkakogan said.