Background
Mother Earth Water Walk 2011 is a group of Anishinabe women and men who are walking hundreds of thousands of miles for water.
Along with a group of Anishinabe-que and supports, they walked around Lake Superior in Spring 2003, around Lake Michigan in 2004, Lake Huron in 2005, Lake Ontario in 2006, Lake Erie in 2007, Lake Michigan in 2008, and St Lawrence River in 2009.
Their mission is to raise awareness about our water.
Send a Message in a Blue Bubble!
Show your support by sending messages of solidarity for the water, and the walkers. Just email your message to [email protected] with the subject line ‘BLUE.’ Be sure to include the place you are writing from, or what body of water you would like your message to be placed in, or gps coordinates. The organizers of the walk are posting blue bubbles on the map of solidarity messages. You can see the messages on the map so far by clicking here.
The blue bubbles support images and film too. In the past, for other events organizers have photographed images of people holding handwritten signs. People are welcome to do that, or submit little film clips with their solidarity messages. Organizer Joanne Robertson says, “Love for the water is what we’re looking for!”
They are also looking to translate the message: “I will do it for the water” so if you know another language, please send the translation along with your message.
This year’s walk
The water walk from the West began on April 10th in Olympia, Washington. A small group of Anishinabe women, a male staff carrier and a support driver set off and completed 23 miles their first day. Every day since, they have averaged 35 miles. The original three women walking include Grandmother Josephine Mandamin (Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig student), Shelley Essaunce (Saskatchewan), and University of Toronto student Sylvia Plain. All are far from home, and all are committed to doing it for the water, for all life, 7 generations into the future. They walk equivalent to a marathon every day, and will continue to do so for 65 days until they reach Bad River, Wisconsin on June 12, 2011 where the Pacific Ocean salt water they carry will merge with the other salt water being carried from the other directions… the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and Hudson Bay (Arctic Ocean water).
Please visit the Mother Earth Water Walk website for the full history of the Water Walkers.
Where are they going and where they now?
There is much to be done and many communities we have not yet reached. I ask you to please go to the website to see the communities on the different routes. They can also click on the line “Click here to see where they are right now!” to get the current GPS location of the water pail… tracking is updated every 10 minutes.
Your help is needed!
Anyone who would like to be a support walker, staff carrier, driver or host community organizer can contact our coordinator Joanne Robertson at [email protected]. All walkers are responsible for their own needs, but we do ask communities along the route (via the map and word of mouth) if they can help out by providing food, accommodations, and gas for their vehicles. Maybe your community or organization could sponsor a First Nations
student to walk.
The walkers do not take corporate or government funding so if you would like to make a donation, please visit the website here.
We hope that you can promote the efforts of the water walkers and get the word out to the local people who might see them, welcome them, host them and/or join them.
If you could help us spread the word, letting people know that the Mother Earth Walkers are coming and they need our help, we would be very grateful.
Thank you / Miigwech!
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Nick Seebruch, editor
I will do it for the water.
Je le ferai pour l’eau.
Lo voy a hacer por el agua.
