Water walk around Lake Huron raises awareness of the Great Lakes
UPPER PENINSULA – Grandmothers from several Indian tribes spend weeks traveling the entire shoreline of Lake Huron.
The trek begins on St. Joseph’s Island in Ontario, Canada, and eventually stretches across hundreds of miles of the Naadowewi-Gichigami, also known as Lake Huron.
This tradition began in 2003 with a woman named Josephine Mandamin-baa. She was a grandmother who started the walk to raise awareness about the health of the Great Lakes. With the help of friends, she carried a bucket of water relay style across the shores of the lakes.
Male participants are now also taking part in the hike, carrying a traditional eagle staff in addition to the water bucket.
“The women carry a copper bucket filled with water. The men carry an eagle staff, which symbolizes our protection and our vision. And as we make this march, we pray for the water, send good thoughts to the water and sing to it. We believe that water is life and that without it we would not be here,” said event-goer Mary Caibaiosi.
Each step of this journey is a prayer to the water. Mandamin-baa continued the trek every year until her death.
Dozens of participants are now taking part in the hike. Some walk the entire route, others join in for sections when the group passes through their hometown.
“She wanted to raise awareness about water among everyone because we are all connected to water. We all use water and we are very concerned about the state of water at the moment, given the oil spills and pollution and everything that is happening to nature,” Caibaiosi said.
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The march began in Ontario on July 21 and is expected to end in DeTour next week.
“It is mainly elders from different communities who are taking part. Many have brought their grandchildren because for us it is a good opportunity to teach them their responsibility to take care of the water and protect it,” said Caibaiosi.
Along the way, the group often collects donations, raises awareness among the population and even receives food and accommodation as gifts from local residents.
A live map showing the current locations of hikers is available online.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: [email protected]
