BARAGA – The People of the Heart Water Walkers will host its fifth annual Water Walk to honor water resources Oct. 7-9, 2023.
Water Walkers will walk nearly 90 miles through the Keweenaw Peninsula along Gichigami. The route begins at the Copper Harbor Lighthouse at Astor Shipwreck Park in Copper Harbor, MI on Oct. 7 and concludes at the Sandpoint Lighthouse in Baraga on Oct. 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 beginning at sunrise and into the late afternoon. An eagle staff is carried beside them as protector.
All are welcome to join to do this important work for water! For those planning to attend the 5th Annual People of the Heart Water Walk, Oct. 7-9, 2023, a route map is provided below as a general guide for the three-day walk; locations are subject to change because of pace, weather, or other circumstances. For updates on where to meet Walkers as they travel through Anishinaabe Aki please visit: https://www.facebook.com/peopleoftheheart/. Or contact Kathy Smith (ksmith@glifwc.org) or Terri Swartz (kbterri@hotmail.com).
Connect with us anywhere along the route:
Oct. 7: Sunrise ceremony at Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor; we will walk towards Mohawk, MI (following M-26 to the Eagle River cutoff road).
Oct. 8: Water lifts near Mohawk, MI; we will walk toward, Chassell, MI (following M26 from Calumet/Laurium).
Oct. 9: Water lifts near Chassell, MI; we will walk to Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga.
The conclusion of the three-day event coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This annual day of celebration, which falls on Monday, Oct. 9, honors the peoples, histories, and cultures of Indigenous populations across the Americas.
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 resource: Nibi. Join us to honor our sacred water gifts! 💦
