Water Walks & Healing Walks Listing 2015

This listing is not complete and is being updated regularly as we receive more information. If you know of any Water Walks or Healing Walks not listed here, please send details to info@idlenomore.ca, and include organizer contact info and relevant links, groups, photos and or videos. 

 “As women, we are carriers of the water. We carry life for the people. So when we carry that water, we are telling people that we will go any lengths for the water. We’ll probably even give our lives for the water if we have to. We may at some point have to die for the water, and we don’t want that,” Josephine Mandamin – Grandmother, WaterWalker

 The Migration Water Walk 2015 – June 23rd, 2015

“We have much to be thankful for in planning for the upcoming Migration Water Walk 2015.  The East relatives have been communicating about where the original migration began, history will emerge as we bring about the truth about the original migration.” Josephine Mandamin – Grandmother – WaterWalker

“The plan is to start on June 23rd 2015, after the ancestral spirits have spoken to their people. Then we will know where the Migration Water walk will start.” Josephine Mandamin – Grandmother, WaterWalker

You can find more information about the Migration Water Walk 2015 here.

You can also join the Facebook group Water Walkers United here.

Winnebago Water Walk 2015 – April 19 – 26, 2015

“At one time, this lake was teaming with great multitudes of fish and wildlife;  wild rice grew in abundance; and giant cedar trees grew upon its shores.  Lake Winnebago is the ancestral home of the Ho-Chunk Nation, whose ties to this water go back to time immemorial; likewise for the Menominee Nation, whose creation stories include wonderous creatures born of these waters.  And at one time, the Ojibwe, Stockbridge and Brotherton people also called Lake Winnebago their home.  Indeed, these waters are sacred!  Today, like all of our fresh waterways, Lake Winnebago is in need of our attention and action” Shared with permission, from the Lake Winnebago Water website.

You can find more information about the Lake Winnebago Water Walk 2015 here.

You can also like the Facebook page here.

Chippewa River Water Walk – April 19-24, 2015

Walk begins on April 19 at New Post, Wisconsin at the convergence of the East and West Chippewa Rivers and ends at Wabasha, Minnesota. This walk is in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire to commemorate Aldo Leopold’s work. 

For more details you can check on the Nibi Walk website here.

James River Unity Water Walk – May 11 – 22, 2015

More details to follow.  This walk is in collaboration with Indigenous Women who reside in the state of Virginia along with the James River Association. Once more details come in you will be able to find them here on the Nibi Walk website.

Vimeo channel, Keenly Kernan about the James River Unity WaterWalk:  

“The Nibi (Water) Walks are Indigenous-led, extended ceremonies to pray for the water. The St. Louis River Water Walk began on October 13, 2014 near Hoyt Lakes, MN and ended at Jay Cooke State Park.”

Cuyahoga River Water Walk | June 22 – 26, 2015

Begins at the headwaters on the 22nd and ends in Cleveland at the mouth of river on June 27. This walk is in collaboration with Bright Water Rising, a local organization lead by Kathy Skerritt.

We will gather at Headwaters Park on the EAST branch of the Upper Cuyahoga on Monday, October 20, 2014 at approximately 2 p.m.

For more information you can like the Facebook page Bright Water Rising here.

Refinery Corridor Healing Walks April 18 – July 19, 2015

We are walking for clean water, air and soil. We are walking for a vibrantly healthy future for all children. We are walking for a just transition beyond fossil fuels. Join us helping create the future we want!

Each walk begins and ends near the Bay. We start with prayers at the water led by Native American women at 8:00 a.m. The walks begin at 9:00 a.m. and are led by Native American elders in prayer. The walks range from 7 to 14 miles each. There will be support vehicles for folks who need a break from walking. Water is supplied, please bring a reusable water bottle and lunch/snacks. Walkers are encouraged to imagine the world they want toward the end of each walk. At the end of each walk there will be an opportunity to draw/write your vision of the world you want on a muslin square. These squares are being sewn into a quilt for each walk. There will be another prayer for the water at the end of each walk by the waterfront. We are looking forward to seeing you! 

Each walk begins and ends near the Bay. We start with prayers at the water led by Native American women at 8:00 a.m. The walks begin at 9:00 a.m. and are led by Native American elders in prayer. The walks range from 7 to 14 miles each. There will be support vehicles for folks who need a break from walking. Water is supplied, please bring a reusable water bottle and lunch/snacks. Walkers are encouraged to imagine the world they want toward the end of each walk. At the end of each walk there will be an opportunity to draw/write your vision of the world you want on a muslin square. These squares are being sewn into a quilt for each walk. There will be another prayer for the water at the end of each walk by the waterfront. We are looking forward to seeing you! 

Each walk begins and ends near the Bay. We start with prayers at the water led by Native American women at 8:00 a.m. The walks begin at 9:00 a.m. and are led by Native American elders in prayer. The walks range from 7 to 14 miles each. There will be support vehicles for folks who need a break from walking. Water is supplied, please bring a reusable water bottle and lunch/snacks. Walkers are encouraged to imagine the world they want toward the end of each walk. At the end of each walk there will be an opportunity to draw/write your vision of the world you want on a muslin square. These squares are being sewn into a quilt for each walk. There will be another prayer for the water at the end of each walk by the waterfront. We are looking forward to seeing you! 

• Saturday, April  18, 2015 –  Refinery Healing Walk from Pittsburg (proposed WesPac Terminal) to Martinez (Shell & Tesoro Refineries), approx 14 miles: Water Ceremony 8:00 am – Walk starts 9:00 am

• Sunday, May 17, 2015 – Refinery Healing Walk from Martinez (Shell & Tesoro Refineries) to Benicia (Valero Refinery), approx 7 miles: Water Ceremony 8:00 am – Walk starts 9:00 am

• Saturday, June 20, 2015 – Refinery Healing Walk from Benicia (Valero Refinery) to Rodeo (Conoco Phillips 66 Refinery), approx 14 miles: Water Ceremony 8:00 am – Walk starts 9:00 am

• Sunday, July 19, 2015 – Refinery Healing Walk from Rodeo (Conoco Phillips 66 Refinery) to Richmond (Chevron Refinery), approx 14 miles: Water ceremony 8:00 am – Walk starts 9:00 am

You can join the walk or follow the Healing Walk on their Facebook page, Refinery Corridor Healing Walk.

 The Kawartha Water Walks – Nibi Emosaawdamajig – Those Who Walk for the Water

This year, our 6th Water Awareness Walk will take place again on Mothers Day, May 10th, 2015, around the Otonabee River between Trent University and Lakefield. Grandmother Josephine Mandamin will be with us once again. Stay tuned for updates on our Facebook group Nibi Emosaawdamajig.

We invite supporters and stakeholders to walk with us as we honour the waters and strive to bring a greater awareness for the need to have clean water for future generations and for all Creation.

We are a group of men and women from Peterborough and the Kawarthas. The historic Kawartha Lakes waterways are the traditional home and territory of the Mississauga Ojibwe Nation. We Anishinaabeg (First Nations) believe that all creation is interconnected. The elders teach us that our actions today will affect the next seven generations to come. So we have come together to braid ceremony, spirit, and community to awaken stakeholders to the urgency of maintaining clean water for us now in the present time and for our children in the future.

The Kawartha Water Walks are the vision of Elder Shirley Williams and Liz Osawamick. Mother’s Day weekend in May is the symbolic date for the Water Walks. It is a fitting choice because as we pay homage to our mothers and grandmothers, we also remember and honor our Earth Mother and her life-giving water that nourishes and sustains all creation.

The first water walk took place in May 2010, around Rice Lake. It was an arduous 110 km trek through wind, rain, snow and sunshine! In May 2011, we walked 75 km around Upper Stoney Lake. It was a perfect weekend of sunshine, warm weather and camaraderie. In 2012, we walked around Upper Chemong and Buckhorn Lakes. It was another perfect weekend of warm weather and new and renewed friendships. We were honoured to have Grandmother Josephine Mandamin walk with us. In May 2013, we once again walked 110 kms around Rice Lake. The weather was reminiscent of the first walk, with rain, snow and sunshine all weekend. This walk completed the circle, fulfilling our initial commitment to walk around a lake each spring for four consecutive years in the Kawarthas. After four years of Water Walks, support has come from all four directions. As a committee, we were encouraged to continue the work of bringing awareness about the sacredness of water to our communities. So the decision was made to continue for another three years, which brought the total number of committed Water Walks to 7. In May 2014, the 5th Water Walk took place on a beautiful, sunny day on Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation Territory, with the highest number of walkers ever. MSIFN was overwhelmingly supportive throughout the 27 km trek, from supplying water/juice and fruit/snacks to providing the evening feast to thirsty and hungry walkers. Each year gets bigger and better!

Native American Healther Center’s

4th Annual Water Ceremony Walk, Ocean Beach, SF – May 19th, 2015 

For More information please contact:

Michele Maas: 415-503-1046

Aurora Mamea: 415-621-4371 Ext: 593

Visit us at www.nativehealth.org

Follow us on Twitter: @7Gen1D