People of the Heart Water Walk -- Baraga to Copper Harbor -- is Oct. 8, 9, 10

Image courtesy People of the Heart Water Walkers.

BARAGA --The People of the Heart Water Walkers will host its fourth annual Water Walk this weekend, Saturday - Monday, Oct. 8-10, to honor water gifts.

Water Walkers will walk nearly 90 miles through the Keweenaw Peninsula and along Gichigami. The walk will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday at Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga, MI, and conclude on Monday at the Copper Harbor Lighthouse overlook at Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor, MI.This map shows the route of the Water Walk. (Map courtesy People of the Heart Water Walkers)

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

Men, women and children are invited to join the Water Walkers anywhere along the route. Tentative schedule:
Oct. 8: Sunrise ceremony at Sand Point Lighthouse in Baraga. Walk to Portage Lift Bridge in Houghton.
Oct. 9: Water lifts at the Portage Lift Bridge. Walk to Eagle River in Keweenaw County.
Oct. 10: Water lifts in Eagle River. Walk to Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor.During the 2021 Water Walk, participants walked from Copper Harbor to Baraga (each year the route is reversed). Madeline, center, has participated in the People of the Heart Water Walk each year with her Mom, Donica Hope Dravillas of Copper Harbor. Here Madeline carries Nibi as the walkers continue along Portage Lake on US 41 just south of Houghton on the way to Chassell. (Keweenaw Now file photo © and courtesy Theresa Pitts)

The conclusion of the three-day event coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This annual day of celebration, which falls on Monday, Oct. 10, 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 and Development Region (WUPPDR), UP Development, the Michigan Tech Writing Center, Finlandia University, The Mariner North, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

For more information, visit the Facebook page: People of the Heart Water Walkers.

People of the Heart Water Walkers joins those of all colors, faiths and philosophies to work together for life’s most precious gift: Nibi.