Sault Ste. Marie Tribe hosts Paddle For the Future event against Enbridge's Line 5

By Michele Bourdieu

On Saturday, August 29, 2026, participants in the Paddle For the Future event opposing the Line 5 pipeline and proposed tunnel paddle kayaks and a large canoe -- jiimaan -- in the harbor at St. Ignace, Mich. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

[Breaking  UPDATE: As we prepared to post this article we received news from Oil and Water Don't Mix that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated on Sept. 9, 2026, that she and EGLE Director Phil Roos are halting a key tunnel environmental permit and reopening the review under the standard the Michigan Supreme Court laid down on July 31,2026.*]

Paddle For the Future: August 29, 2026 

St. Ignace, Mich. -- An enthusiastic crowd of paddlers and their supporters and friends participated in the Saturday, August 29, 2026, Paddle For the Future event at Kiwanis Beach in St. Ignace, Michigan, to protest the Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac nearby. The event was sponsored by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and was followed by a Powwow Saturday afternoon and evening, including a feast, and Sunday. Native and non-Native visitors were welcome to participate.

Organized to oppose the 73-year-old Enbridge Line 5 that threatens a disaster to the environment and violates Treaty Rights of several Native tribes as well as their historic cultural sites, the event just happened to follow within a few days an August 25 leak of natural gas liquids from a part of Enbridge's Line 5 in northern Wisconsin very near the Bad River Tribe Reservation. A parked truck rolled into an Enbridge excavation, struck Line 5, and sent more than a million gallons of propane and butane into the air. Families were evacuated. Power was cut. The pipeline went dark for more than a week, and Wisconsin regulators asked Enbridge to halt work.

The St. Ignace event began Saturday morning with a water ceremony led by Native women water protectors. 

On Saturday morning, August 29, 2026, a group of Native women water protectors, standing near the shore of Kiwanis Beach in St. Ignace, Mich., invite visitors and paddlers to join a circle for a water ceremony that asks protection of the water now and in the future. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

Assisting with the water ceremony was Colleen Utter of St. Ignace, a member of the Sault Tribe, who grew up on Mackinac Island, spoke about her childhood and the importance of Nibi (Water) in her culture. 

Water protector Colleen Utter of St. Ignace tells stories to participants and visitors about the importance of Nibi and the need to protect it for present and future generations. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)

Following her presentation, Utter introduced herself to Keweenaw Now in the Anishinaabe language and stated the purpose of the water ceremony:

 

Colleen Utter, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Introduces herself in the Anishinaabe language and in English. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

 

Another leader of the water ceremony, Sue St. Onge of St. Ignace, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Council, was one of the main organizers of the Paddle For the Future event.

 

"When I think about the water, I think about relationship and responsibility," St. Onge said. “The water is not a resource to us. It is a relative. Today we paddle in defense of that relationship. We paddle with purpose. We paddle for the water, for those who came before us and for those who will inherit what we leave behind. Water is life and protecting it is our responsibility."

 

Pictured here with Colleen Utter is Sue St. Onge, a member of the Tribal Council of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and one of the organizers of the Paddle For the Future event. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 
 

Following the water ceremony were several speakers.

 

First, Martin Reinhardt, professor emeritus of Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, who has led and participated in many protests against Line 5 near the Straits of Mackinac, gave the invocation. Here is a brief excerpt from his prayer:

 

Facing the water of Lake Huron in St. Ignace, Mich., during the August 29, 2026, Paddle for the Future event opposing Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, Martin Reinhardt, Northern Michigan University professor emeritus of Native American Studies, gives an invocation preceding speeches by participants and visitors. (Video © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

Martin Reinhardt and his wife, Tina Moses, of Marquette, Mich., pause for a photo in front of the "Shut Down Line 5" banner in St. Ignace on August 29, 2026. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

Reinhardt offered these comments on why he and his wife came to the event in St. Ignace:

 

"We believe strongly that water is the first medicine and the life blood of Mother Earth. It binds us all together. It flows through us, within us, and surrounds us. As Anishinaabek, we are taught to learn from our mistakes just like Nanaboozhoo. We have all mistreated the water in various ways, both collectively and individually. We must all be accountable for our past actions and inactions and take serious and swift steps to help heal what has been harmed. If we turn away and pretend like everything is ok, we do so at our own expense and that of future generations. That is why we show up when we can and try to help out. We can't always be there and we can't do a lot of physically demanding things any more given our health problems, but when we are able to at these events, we can pray and hold signs and share our knowledge and experience with others. Like the water, we are also medicine." 

Several speakers addressed the crowd of participants and visitors at the Paddle For the Future event.

Joe Bates, Bad River Tribal Elder, spoke on the recent Line 5 leak of natural gas liquids and more near the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin.

During the August 29 Paddle For the Future event in St. Ignace, Joe Bates, Bad River Tribal Elder, spoke about the August 25 Line 5 leak of natural gas liquids. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)  

August 25, 2026: Line 5 leaks NGLs near Bad River Reservation

 

Enbridge's leak of natural gas liquids in northern Wisconsin on August 25, causing homes to be evacuated, was evidence of the danger Line 5 poses. The line has been shut down temporarily and will remain shut down for another two weeks while workers replace a section of pipe.

 

Joe Bates, Bad River Tribal Elder -- who has been taking drone videos of Enbridge's rerouting work on part of Line 5 near the Bad River Reservation -- told Keweenaw Now the leak included "Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) and Butane, plus whatever else they're not telling us."

 

That segment of Line 5 has threatened the tribe's environment and has been the subject of litigation between Enbridge and the tribe.  

 

Joe Bates, Bad River Tribal Elder, took this drone video of the Line 5 leak of Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) and Butane at Sitan Rd north of highway 2, near Saxon, Wis., at 11:40 a.m. on August 25, 2026. See the full video here. (Video © and courtesy Joe Bates)

 

An August 27, 2026, editorial in the Cap Times stated, "The spill occurred nearly five miles east of the Bad River Reservation, according to a memo released Tuesday [Aug. 25] by Tribal Chairperson Elizabeth Arbuckle. The memo says a construction vehicle struck the pipe in an open part of the construction site, releasing hazardous chemicals."** 

  

"For Enbridge, it's the bottom line; for us, it's our existence!" Bates said.

 

Bates also told Keweenaw Now that Enbridge had local officials order a no-fly zone in the area so that he could not take more drone videos.

 

Additional speakers

 

Other speakers who addressed the crowd included the following: 

Austin Lowes, Chairman of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians,  spoke on the risks of Line 5 and Native treaty rights and sovereignty.

Aaron Payment, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Board representative, spoke on the history of Line 5, the proposed tunnel and the political landscape.

Shirley Jons spoke on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. 

Melissa Perron, a candidate for the 107th District State Representative, spoke on protecting our waters as individuals and as a state representative.

Brad Kallio spoke on solar alternatives and initiatives.

During the Paddle For the Future event, two Ecuadorian artists, Inty Muenala, left foreground, and Luis Sandoval, left background -- of the Kichwa Nation, Imbabura, Ecuador -- create signs against Line 5. They also participated in the Powwow afterwards with an exhibit of their art works. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

Kayaks, jiimaan launched against Line 5

Following the speakers, a group of paddlers launched kayaks and a large jiimaan (Native Anishinaabe community canoe) into the St. Ignace harbor to demonstrate against the 73-year-old Line 5 pipeline.

 

During the August 29, 2026, Paddle For the Future event in St. Ignace, MI, paddlers demonstrate against Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline in the harbor at St. Ignace, Michigan, not far from the location of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. (Video © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

 

During the Paddle For the Future event in St. Ignace, Mich., the jiimaan (Anishinaabe canoe) heads toward shore during the demonstration against Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline. (Video © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

 

The jiimaan belongs to Fred Harrington, a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, who has lent this community Anishinaabe canoe -- built in 1999 as an act of cultural sovereignty by members of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in the Petoskey area -- for activism, youth education, and community paddles. This summer, the jiimaan set sale in Chicago and paddled up Lake Michigan. It was brought to this event and captained by Dan Hinmon.***

 

Toward the conclusion of the Paddle For the Future event in St. Ignace, paddlers approach the shore at Kiwanis Beach and chant against the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline. (Video by Keweenaw Now)

Powwow follows protest events

Paddle for the Future participants and visitors were invited to a Powwow from Saturday through Sunday in St. Ignace. It included artists' booths, dancing and drums and a delicious feast open to all.

A shawl dancer demonstrates graceful moves during the Powwow dances. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Dancers and drummers display their skills during the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe's Powwow on August 29, 2026, in St. Ignace, Mich. Martin Reinhardt and his wife, Tina Moses, can be seen dancing in this video. (Video © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)

Both experienced elders and dancers of younger generations joined in the Powwow dances.

Some dancers displayed elaborate regalia while others just dressed for the weather. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

Mahamadou Sumareh of Mali and Detroit is pictured here with a variety of gems, beads, clothing, jewelry, drums and other African imports from his Detroit business, Djenne Beads and Gems, Inc., displayed for sale during the Powwow. (Photo © John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now) 

Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-7, was filled with opportunities to protest Enbridge's Line 5 and proposed tunnel. The Water is Life Festival was held in Petoskey, Mich., on Friday and Saturday -- including feasts, music, the Pipe Out Paddle Up kayak protest and more -- followed by workshops on Sunday and a Mackinac Bridge Walk on Monday.**** 

Editor's Notes:

* See "Governor Whitmer, EGLE Director Roos: State must consider impact of Michigan Supreme Court decision; Tribes challenge tunnel permits," posted September 11, 2026 on Keweenaw Now.

** See "Wisconsin must hold corporate polluters like Enbridge accountable." Cap Times Editorial, posted Aug. 27, 2026.

 *** For an example of the use of the jiimaan to photograph an underwater archaeological site in the Straits of Mackinac, see "Ancient underwater tribal cultural site discovered in Mackinac Straits near Line 5," posted October 17, 2020, on Keweenaw  Now.

**** Unfortunately, Keweenaw Now was not able to attend these Labor Day weekend events.