Water collected from the Atlantic Ocean began its journey westward May 7 to arrive in Bad River, Wisconsin on the Great Lakes by June 12.
Josephine Mandamin, a grandmother of the Ojibwe tribe is following a spiritual calling to draw attention to the fragile condition of the world’s water. Her first Mother Earth Water Walk began in 2003, when she walked around the Great Lakes. In 2009, she walked the St. Lawrence River. This spring, groups are carrying water in copper pails from the four directions to converge on Lake Superior where the first walk began.
The West Coast group began April 10 from Aberdeen, Washington on Puget Sound; the group from the south on April 20 (the anniversary of the BP oil spill) from the Gulf of Mexico at Gulfport, Mississippi; and on May 21, in the north from Churchhill, Manitoba on Lake Huron.
“I was so happy that Josephine selected Machiasport to begin this walk,” said the group’s eastern direction leader Madeleine Huntjens. Huntjens, is from St. Stephen, New Brunswick and has been closely associated with this project and Mandamin for several years. “My work was to bring back the Ojibwe teachers, here, because this is where they come from. Part of my role is uniting, reuniting. I am a humble helper.”
The petroglyph rocks in Machiasport are the sacred ground of the Passamaquoddy and other native peoples. In 2006, with the help of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the property was returned to the tribe and once again serves as a meeting place to help preserve the stories and spirit of a rich culture.
The day before the walk began, Kani Malsom, a Passamaquoddy member from Pleasant Point Reservation, constructed and led a sweat lodge ceremony at the site. This is a cleansing ritual that pays respect to one’s ancestors and is central to the tribe’s spiritual life. During the afternoon, Mandamin told stories of the migration. It is understood by the Anishimabeg “original people,” that this location on the Maine coast was important during a time over 800 years ago when the natives, who had been living a full and peaceful life, were directed by a prophecy to travel to the West. One group stayed behind, the Wabanaki tribes, while the others left. “It was a sad moment when the relatives left. They carried the teachings of our people. We are now greeted as coming back”.
Two years ago, when Mandamin first visited this site, she recognized the images on the ledges. The Passamaquoddy and Ojibwe also share the same language group, Algonquian, which was one of the most widely spoken languages in pre-contact America.
Sharing the stories, participating in the sweat lodge and preparing for the walk were the grandmothers who traveled from Canada, young men and women from the Great Lakes and local tribal members. Brenda Dana Lozada of Indian Township accompanied her mother Joan Dana and several young girls and boys who wanted to participate.
The Beehive Collective in Machias provided participants with meals and lodging and hosted a potluck on the day of the walk. Nikki Tourigny, a collective member, first heard of the walk this winter from her Tennessee home and helped make arrangements for the send off from the eastern departure point. “We did what ‘bees’ do. We like to fill holes” she said of the Beehive Collective’s mission, “like building a community center in Machias” and for this project, offering the needed support.
On the morning of the walk, Huntjens and Josh Metansinine, Mandamin’s great grandson, collected a large bottle of water at daybreak to be transported by the support vehicle and used to replenish the pail during the walk. People arrived and gathered along the water’s edge where Malson led a ceremony. Mandamin and others made offerings to the ocean and then filled the copper bucket. “Water we love you. Water we respect you. Water we give thanks to you.” Where two years ago she had brought fresh water from the Great Lakes to the salt, now she is taking the salt water to the Great Lakes. “Salt is life; salt is a healer. Salt will heal the Great Lakes.”
From there the walk began. Along the route to Machias, Metansinine carried the eagle head staff as the pail was passed off to different walkers. A send off celebration was held at Bad Little Falls overlooking the raging Machias River. It was here that Donald Soctomah of the Passamaquoddy Tribe presented the Wabanaki traditional woman’s peaked hat, from the Maliseet family of David Slagger in Northern Maine, to Mandamin to be worn for the first part of the journey. Community members joined in the ceremony and meal. After this short break, the walkers continued on their way.
When first “called” to focus people’s attention on the water, Josephine Mandamin spent a year trying to rally support through conversation. “I soon learned that you cannot just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk,” she says.
Readers can follow the 2011 Water Walk at www.motherearthwaterwalk.com.
Coverage of Washington County is made possible by a grant from the Eaton Foundation.