by People of the Heart Water Walkers | Great Lakes Research Center
The People of the Heart Water Walkers will host the fifth annual Water Walk to honor water gifts Oct. 7-9.
The Water Walk is conducted through Anishinaabe ceremonial protocol with traditional understandings of the natural environment. Anishinaabekweg from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community will assist in the walk. In this work, women lead the ceremony carrying a copper vessel filled with nibi, the Anishinaabe word for water. The water continually moves through the 1842 ceded territory throughout the day. An eagle staff is carried beside them as protector.
All are welcome to join in this important work for water. Please be welcome to connect anywhere along the route (see below). If you are able, please consider donating food or money to help us feed the walkers. Donations will enable our cooking team to provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks to the walkers. To donate, please sign up online.
Water Walk Route:
- Saturday, Oct. 7 — Sunrise ceremony at Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor; we will walk toward Mohawk, Michigan (following M26 to the Eagle River cutoff road).
- Sunday, Oct. 8 — Water lifts near Mohawk; we will walk toward Chassell, Michigan (following M26 from Calumet/Laurium).
- Monday, Oct. 9 — Water lifts near Chassell; we will walk to Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga, Michigan.
The conclusion of the three-day event coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This annual day of celebration, which falls on Oct. 9, honors the peoples, histories and cultures of Indigenous populations across the Americas.
For more information about the walk, visit the People of the Heart Water Walkers’ Facebook page.
Sponsors of the walk include the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Campaign of Upper Michigan, the Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region, and the Mariner North in Copper Harbor.
People of the Heart Water Walkers joins those of all colors, faiths and philosophies to work together for life’s most precious gift — nibi.