BARAGA – The People of the Heart Water Walkers will host its seventh annual Water Walk to honor Saturday – Monday (Oct. 11-13). This is the closing walk of the seven-year ceremony which began in 2019.

Water Walkers will walk nearly 90 miles through the Keweenaw Peninsula along Gichigami. The route this year will begin at Astor Shipwreck Park in Copper Harbor and conclude at the Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga.

The Water Walk is conducted through Anishinaabe ceremonial protocol with traditional understandings of the natural environment. Anishinaabekwe 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 afternoon. An eagle staff is carried beside them as protector.

The conclusion of the three-day event coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

This annual day of celebration, which falls on Monday, honors the peoples, histories, and cultures of Indigenous populations across the Americas.

Sponsors of the Walk include the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Campaign of Upper Michigan, the Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, among others.

For more information, visit our Facebook page: @peopleoftheheart. People of the Heart Water Walkers joins those of all colors, faiths, and philosophies to work together for life’s most precious resource: nibi.