Water Walkers to walk around Lake Huron

Posted: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Water_Is_Calling_1000_px.jpg
A poster of the Lake Huron walk of Anishnaabek Grandmothers and Water Walkers.


Water Walkers are walking 1,767 kilometres, in 30 days, around Naadowewi-gichigami (Lake Huron) to honour and protect the freshwater of the Great Lakes.

This initiative is led by a group of Anishinaabe-kwe grandmothers who are leading a series of Water Walks, over the next four years, throughout their traditional home waters, The Great Lakes. 

You are invited to join the grandmothers as they walk to honour Nibi (Water) and connect the communities around these great bodies of water. 

The Naadowewi-gichigami (Lake Huron) walk begins on July 21, 2024 on St Joseph’s Island, Algoma District.

Along Lake Huron's southeast shore (stretching from Tobermory to Sarnia), the grandmothers are scheduled to reach, in the first week of August, locations including Kincardine; Goderich; Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation; and Sarnia.

In answering the question 'Why We Walk,' according to The Water is Calling website: "We walk to honour and speak to Nibi and to all the water spirits, as our ancestors did. We pray for the return of healthy rivers, lakes, and oceans for the generations to come."

The Water is Calling website describes how: "Anishnaabek women hold a sacred connection to Nibi (water). It is a responsibility and duty to love, honour, respect, and thank Nibi for its work with all of creation on Mother Earth."

The Water is Calling initiative is supported by Algoma University and NORDIK Institute.

To learn more, including a map of the Water Walkers' route, visit: The Water Is Calling website.

If you would like to donate to support the Water Walkers, to cover costs associated with transportation, food, materials, and accommodation for the Grandmothers as they walk to bring awareness to the importance of The Great Lakes' freshwater, please visit The Water is Calling donation web page.