People of the Heart Water Walk, Oct. 10-12, to include distance participation in honoring water resources

This year People of the Heart Water Walkers will walk 90 miles on behalf of life's most precious resource, nibi (water), from the Sandpoint Lighthouse in Baraga to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse Oct. 10, 11 and 12. (Image © Isaac Murdoch and courtesy People of the Heart Water Walk)

BARAGA, Mich. -- The People of the Heart Water Walkers will host its second annual Water Walk to honor water resources from Saturday, Oct 10, to Monday, Oct. 12 -- Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Water Walkers will walk nearly 90 miles through the Keweenaw Peninsula along Gichigami. The route this year will be reversed from the previous year, beginning at Sandpoint Lighthouse in Baraga and concluding at the Copper Harbor Lighthouse at Astor Shipwreck Park, Copper Harbor.

On the first day of the 2019 People of the Heart Water Walk from Copper Harbor to Baraga, Laura Smyth of Calumet makes an offering to the water at Jacob's Falls, near Eagle River, Mich. (File photo © and courtesy Charli Mills)

This year, because of the rise in COVID cases in the region, distance participation is encouraged. A core group of walkers will undertake the main route. Others interested in doing this work for water may share their personal Water Walk experiences virtually through the group's Facebook page @peopleoftheheart or through Google sites at https://sites.google.com/view/people-of-the-heart-water-walk.

The Water Walk is conducted through Anishinaabe ceremonial protocol with traditional understanding of the natural environment. Anishinaabekweg from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) willl assist in the walk. In this walk, 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, October 12 -- 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), the Copper Harbor Improvement Association, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

People of the Heart Water Walkers join those of all colors, faiths and philosophies to work together for life's most precious resource: nibi.