September 15, 2026

Poster & Button-Making for Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk with Jaimie Isaac

Event Date: September 15, 2026

Event Location: 108 St John's College

Event Time: 3-5 pm

All are welcome to come make posters for Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk! We’ll have stencils created by Jaimie Isaac, pastels and paper for posters. If you’d like something smaller, you can use our button-making machine to create a custom button.

If you can’t join the Water Walk, not to worry. You can wear your button in support of the walk and make extra posters and buttons for us to hand out. This is a come-and-go event so feel free to join us at any point during the event!

This event will take place in room 108 St. John’s College on University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry Campus. See the UM website for more information on getting to campus.

Poster and Button-Making for Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk with Jaimie Isaac

Hand holding a button that says "I love water"

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September 25, 2026

Kenton Storey & Chief Charlie Bear Book Launch

Event Date: September 25, 2026

Event Location: McNally Robinson Grant Park - Atrium

Event Time: 7:00-8:30 pm

Join us for the launch of The Lost Reserve: The Taking and Remaking of the Chacachas Treaty Nation (University of Regina Press), co-authored by historian Kenton Storey and the Chacachas Treaty Nation. Storey will be joined by Chief Charlie Bear of the Chacachas Treaty Nation in a conversation hosted by Adele Perry. This event co-presented by the Center for Human Rights Research and McNally Robinson Booksellers.

This event will be hosted live in the Atrium of McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park and also available as a YouTube stream.

About the Book

This book offers an unprecedented look inside a 150 year-long battle to reclaim stolen land. In 1874, Chief Chacachas entered a sacred covenant with the Government of Canada by signing Treaty 4, but only seven years later, the Department of Indian Affairs forcibly displaced Chacachas members onto a joint reserve. The Lost Reserve chronicles the Chacachas Treaty Nation’s unwavering decades-long struggle to reclaim their stolen lands, their identity, and their independence as a nation.

About the Presenters

Kenton Storey is a Winnipeg-based independent settler scholar at Storey Historical Research. Since 2015, he has worked in the field of Indigenous history, researching and writing about land claims, treaty rights, and the Department of Indian Affairs.

Please check back for more information.

Dr. Adele Perry is a historian of Canada, colonialism, Indigenous-settler relations, and gender. Dr. Perry was raised in a settler family in British Columbia. She completed her Ph.D. in History from York University and joined the University of Manitoba in 2000. She is currently Distinguished Professor in History and Women’s and Gender Studies, Senior Fellow at St. John’s College, and, since 2020, Director of the Centre for Human Rights Research.

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July 15, 2026

Aki Mashkiki

Event Date: July 15, 2026

Event Location: Tommy's Point, MB

Event Time: 7:30 am to 7:30 pm

We invite Indigenous students at University of Manitoba to join us for Aki Mashkiki, a day of learning on the land with Ramona Milliea, Carla Bird and Red Sky Bird.

We will travel by bus to Tommy’s Point, which is about 40 minutes north of Peguis (2h40min drive).

Carla and Red Sky will offer an introduction to traditional medicines, and then take us out into the bog to identify several particular medicines.

We’ll learn about sustainable harvesting, clean areas to look for medicine, and more. Ramona will share about the spirit that takes care of the water.

Come ready to get dirty!

There are 20 spots available to Indigenous Students at University of Manitoba. Please register using the link below.

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September 23, 2026

Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk

Event Date: September 23, 2026

Event Location: Southwood Circle Dock (opening ceremony)

Event Time: 7:15 am

The Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk will take place on September 23, 2026. The walk will begin at sunrise (7:15 am) with an opening ceremony at the Southwood Circle Dock. We will walk approximately 30 km to the Main Street Boat Launch.

Once the walk begins, this map will show our location in real time.

Map of Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk

Water Walks are based in Anishinaabe Ceremonial Water Teachings. We walk to honour all Nibi (water) and to share our good words, prayers, songs and intentions with the water spirits so that there will be healthy rivers, lakes and oceans for our ancestors and the generations to come. Grandmother Lucy Ducharme, who participates with both Three Fires Lodge and Minweyweywiigaan Lodge, will lead our water walk based on the teachings she received in the Three Fires Midewiwin by Bawdwaywidun-ibun.

Please see our Resource Guide: Water Walks for more information about water walks!

Core Walkers and Eagle Staff Carriers will lead our walk. The core walkers and eagle staff carriers will take turns walking 5 kilometres each.

Community Walkers are invited to walk behind the core walkers and take part in the morning and evening ceremonies. They can walk for a short distance or for the whole day if they wish. Community walkers should be self-sufficient: bring food and water, arrange your own transportation, and be sure to walk a distance that you are physically capable of walking safely. First Aid will be available but community walkers participate at their own risk.

Community Walkers Checklist

Good walking shoes
An extra pair of socks
Water
Umbrella or raincoat
Sunscreen
Bug repellent
Snacks and food to keep you going
Love for the water

Water Walk Protocols

All genders and Nations are invited to participate in the Water Walk.
Out of respect for Anishinaabe ceremonial traditions, we invite women-identifying folks to wear long skirts and men-identifying folks to wear long pants if able.
Please do not bring your pets! Service dogs are welcome to walk beside their humans.
Be mindful that we are walking in ceremony for the water. Songs and prayers for the water are welcomed as we walk. Please do not use foul or angry language.
We ask that all walkers carry organic tobacco and be ready to offer tobacco to the creeks and rivers as we walk by. If you do not have tobacco, we will have some to share.
The women will carry the water and the men will carry the eagle staff. If no men are present, the grandmothers may carry the eagle staff. These two people will lead the group at all times—with the rest following respectfully behind.
We take frequent turns carrying the water and staff. Experienced walkers will be there to facilitate these hand-offs.
As with all ceremonies, this is a drug and alcohol-free event. Please come sober and with an open heart and mind.
We ask that you please not take photos or recordings during ceremonial times and/or when medicines are used for cleansing/smudging.
We will be walking through many different places and will be respectful of people we might encounter and their homes, whether they are houses or encampments.

Safety

We will have a bus going ahead of the walk, where First Aid will be available to all walkers, and emergency food and washroom.
We walk together as a group. Please stick together!
We will walk on sidewalks and trails along the river. Please be aware of uneven surfaces and roots when on trails.
We will have safety patrols to assist with street crossings. Please follow their guidance.
Children of walking age are welcome but must be accompanied by a guardian.
We ask that you do not bring bikes or skateboards.
Our core walkers and eagle staff carriers will be in the front wearing orange vests.
Water walk volunteers will also be wearing orange vests and will be among the participants and the last ones in our procession. Please contact them if you need anything.
We welcome any questions you might have. We are all here to support each other.

Schools

We welcome students of all ages to join the water walk. We invite you to consider whether your students are committed to following the walk protocols of speaking good words and prayers to the water, singing songs to the water, and focusing on their awareness of and love for the water. Please review the protocols with students and use some of the resources provided on our website to prepare them for the walk. Schools are responsible for the supervision of their students at all times and for providing their own food and water.

If you would like to participate with a group of students, please contact sarah.deckert@umanitoba.ca.

Please note that we plan to film and/or photograph this event.

If you are unable to join the walk but would like to be involved:

See our Resource Guide for ideas and resources to use in your classroom.
If your school is close to the walk route, hand out water and snacks to walkers.
Follow the walk on the map provided on our website and engage in water-themed activities throughout the day.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Deckert, Just Waters Project & Knowledge Mobilization Coordinator: sarah.deckert@umanitoba.ca, 204-914-4482.

Lucy Ducharme is an Ojibway Anishinaabe mother of five and grandmother of eleven. Lucy grew up in northwestern Manitoba and has spent the last 48 plus years learning and participating in traditional Midewiwin ceremonies. She has been recognized as one of the grandmothers whose role is to stand up for and speak on the sacredness of our waters.

She recently retired after almost 30 years working in child welfare, from front line to the Program Manager, in the community of Roseau River First Nation in southern Manitoba, where her children are registered to. Even though Lucy is retired she remains active in promoting wellness, not only in our Indigenous community but with all communities. Lucy currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jason Parenteau is a Lenape man born in Vancouver and he is a member of the Moravian of the Thames Delaware Nation. Jason is a respected and recognized member of the Indigenous community in Winnipeg and in Manitoba. He has worked with Manitoba Justice and Dakota Ojibwe Child and Family Services providing culturally appropriate services. He founded the Roseau River Jiu Jitsu Club and he operates Miikwan Consulting & Indigenous Education (miikwan.ca).

We express our gratitude to other water walk organizers and acknowledge that we used their protocol documents as sources:

Nibi Emosaawdamajig / Those Who Walk for the Water

All Nations Grand River Water Walk

Mother Earth Water Walks

2026 Red River Water Walk Protocols Download

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Creating Systemic Change through the Red Dress Alert with Sandra Delaronde

May 26, 2026

Sandra Delaronde

On Thursday, May 7th, 2026, Giganawenimaanaanig and the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba hosted an event in honour of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ (MMIWG2S+) people, also known as Red Dress Day. In 2026, we were honoured to host Sandra Delaronde to speak on “Creating Systemic Change through the Red Dress Alert”.

Watch on YouTube+

June 25, 2026

Methods and Mediums: Oral History Methodology

Event Date: June 25, 2026

Event Location: Zoom Webinars

Event Time: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

Join us for a workshop with Dr. Janis Thiessen on oral history methodologies. The workshop will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm through Zoom webinars.

Dr. Thiessen will provide an overview of oral history methodology that addresses a number of crucial questions, including: What is oral history? When should scholars use this methodology (and when should it be avoided)? How should an oral history be conducted? How should archived oral histories be used and interpreted?

All are welcome to attend. Register now below.

Funding for this event is made possible by the Faculty of Law Endowment Fund.

For more information, please email chrrman@umanitoba.ca.

About the Presenters

Janis Thiessen is Professor of History at the University of Winnipeg and the author of several books that use oral history as methodology, including Snacks: A Canadian Food History and mmm…Manitoba. Their/her oral histories are archived at the University of Winnipeg Oral History Centre, the Mennonite Heritage Archives, and the Mennonite Archives of Ontario.

A close-up view of torn papers stacked on a desk with a blurred background.

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Gender-Based Violence and Displacement: The Human Cost of War, Colonialism and the Climate Crisis

May 4, 2026

Joy Chadya, Brenda Gunn, Helga Hamilton, Olga Khamedova, Shirley Robinson, and Alex Wilson

In honour of International Women’s Day, the Centre for Human Rights Research and Giganwenimaanaanig hosted a panel discussion titled “Gender-Based Violence and Displacement: The Human Cost of War, Colonialism, and the Climate Crisis” on Thursday, March 5th. This discussion explored gender-based violence in the context of conflict, structural violence, and displacement, and the ways in which love — for the lands, waters, and for all our relations — can sustain us.

Watch a recording of the panel below.

Artwork by Aubrey Yuol.

Watch on Youtube+

April 23, 2026

Rivers, Relatives and Reciprocity: How we care for the waters

Event Date: April 23, 2026

Event Location: 2nd Floor Event Space, The Forks Market

Event Time: 5:30-8:30 pm

Ambe omaa!!

It is time the waters break free from the winter sleep, and it is the time when Anishinaabe-Kwe place water offerings to bodies of water in their respective traditional territories. At Just Waters, we have journeyed through a year of listening to grandmothers share the teachings of respecting water, what is our relationship to water and what are our responsibilities to water– now we come full circle and share the importance of reciprocity.

Come spend the evening with Grandmother Judy Da Silva, Grandmother Chickadee Richard, and Grandmother Ivy Canard as they share teachings about the water offering and conduct the water offering ceremony at the traditional meeting place which we know as The Forks, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

Offerings are a way of acknowledging and honouring a respectful relationship with the spirit of all living things – people, land, water, and all of Creation. Offerings are given with humility and gratitude, acknowledging that nothing is taken without giving something in return. Offerings carry intention, prayers, sincerity, serving as a bridge between spiritual world and this physical world.

The gathering will also feature an artist talk with KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac, and Val. T. Vint in respect to Niimaamaa, a 30-foot-tall sculpture located at Niizhoziibean (the pedestrian loop connecting The Forks and St. Boniface and linked to the Tache Promenade). Niimaamaa was created by a collaboration of KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac and Val Vint.

Following the artist talk, we will work together to create posters that can be used on water walks and to advocate for the waters. Stencils, paper and pastels will be provided. All are welcome- whether you consider yourself to be an artist or not, you will be able to create something powerful!

We invite you to bring your hand drums and shakers (rattles), if you have them, to join us in singing the water song. No registration is required and there will be a light supper available. The event will take place in the 2nd Floor Event Space in The Forks Market. If you have any questions, please reach out to sarah.deckert@umanitoba.ca

The event will look something like this:

5:30 Water offering teachings & ceremony
6:15 Those who are able can walk down to the river to place the offering
6:45 Artist talk with Jaimie Isaac and Val T. Vint
7:15 Poster making
8:30 Closing

About the Speakers

Benais Quimiwin Ikwe – Thunder Rain Woman, or Chickadee Richard, is a member of the Sandy Bay First Nation, raised alongside the west side of Lake Manitoba. She is a mother of three biological children and two adopted sons, a Grandmother of seven children, and an aunt or grandmother to many in the Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. She has worked alongside many great grassroots leaders of the Indigenous communities making safe places for our peoples. Chickadee has done a lot of community capacity building in creating and delivering workshops. She is a proud Anishinaabekwe who has dedicated her life for the betterment of the life of our land, our water, and our Indigenous communities. She has been a believer and educator for change and for justice for many years regionally and nationally, by creating awareness and sharing the strength and beauty of our Indigenous culture. She has worked with peoples who are open and willing to change the current ways that still harm our land, waters, and our peoples’ ways of life.

Judy Da Silva, a Grassy Narrows community member, is a mother to 5 children. They help her to have the positive energy to continue to look for justice and for the solution to the mercury poisoning of their river system in Grassy Narrows & Mother Earth. She recently was awarded the Michael Sattler Peace Prize in Germany and Human Rights Watch Award in Toronto, the Art Manuel Environmental Award & Wilfred Laurier honorary doctorate in recognition of her lifelong work to advocate for her community members for environmental protection using peaceful, nonviolent direct actions. Judy suffers from the effects of mercury poisoning. She works in the band office of her community as environmental health coordinator.

August 18, 2019. Judy DaSilva helps build a new wigwam on the blockade site in Grassy Narrows First Nation. Ontario, Canada.

I am from Sagkeeng First Nation. I am a water and land protector. I have received my water teachings from Grandmother Florence Paynter. I also am learning the teachings from Judy Da Silva and Chickadee Richard. I am first degree Medewin for 2 years now. I am also a pipe carrier. I go to various communities in Manitoba to share the water teachings and ceremony.

Ramona has two traditional names, Miskoginewawaashiik and Waabishki Mikinak Iskwew. She is third degree Midewiwin and is from the Migizi (Bald Eagle) Clan. Ramona is Anishinaabe, Cree, and Nakoda from the Peguis First Nation within Treaty 1 territory. She has spent most of her career working in roles that protect and uphold the Treaty and Aboriginal Rights of Indigenous peoples, particularly in the development and implementation of policies and programs related to natural resource management and to wholistic healing. Ramona is dedicated to learning and working with traditional medicines, attending ceremonies, and travelling to and dancing at powwows.

KC Adams (Ininnew/Anishinaabe/British) is a registered Fisher River Cree Nation member living in Winnipeg. KC is a relational maker, educator, activist, and mentor who creates work that explores technology in relation to her Indigenous culture. Adams is nationally and internationally known maker with a B.F.A. from Concordia University and an M.A. in Cultural Studies, Curatorial Stream from the University of Winnipeg. KC has had numerous solo and group exhibitions, residencies and biennales. KC was awarded the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Making A Mark Award, Canada’s Senate 150 medal, the Ohpinamake Award, and the Quill & Quire’s 2019 Books of the Year.

Jaimie Isaac (she/her/hers), Just Waters Research Matriarch, is a curator and interdisciplinary artist, Anishinaabe member of Sagkeeng First Nation and is of British heritage. She was the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from 2021-2023, and advisor 2023-2024.

As the Curator of Contemporary and Indigenous Arts at the Winnipeg Art Gallery 2015-2021, she was awarded the Canadian Museums Association outstanding achievement award in exhibitions category with the Boarder X exhibition. Isaac has a degree in Art History and a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia focused on decolonizing gallery/museum practices.

Through academic, curatorial, consulting/advisory, collaborative and artistic projects, Jaimie engages in areas of reconciliation, resistance, decolonization in art and in sport, Indigenous feminism, environmental justice, language and cultural resurgence. Isaac has lectured, curated internationally with research trips and residencies in Norway, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chicago, and New York. Bodies of art commissioned and exhibited take form in film, public art, installation and mixed media. With published work, Isaac has contributed to scholarly collections of writing within textbooks and journals.

Valerie Vint (Rainbow Horse Womyn) is a Red River Métis artist, educator, and cultural worker whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, blood memory, and ancestral strength. A leader in public art and reconciliation, she co-created Niimaamaa in Winnipeg and leads Healing Forest projects that respond to the TRC’s Calls to Action through art, mentorship, and community leadership.

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April 15, 2026

The Last Drop: Advances in water management to improve crop yields in the Canadian Prairies

Event Date: April 15, 2026

Event Location: Zoom Webinar

Event Time: 9 am CDT

Join us to learn about “Advances in water management to improve crop yields in the Canadian Prairies,” with Dr. R. Sri Ranjan.

Controlled drainage and irrigation research conducted in fully instrumented fields in southern Manitoba have shown the potential for conserving water and nutrients within the field while increasing productivity. Controlled drainage in clay soils require closely spaced tile drains (4.5 m or 15 ft) which were also found to be effective for use in subirrigation through the tiles. Real-time field data has been used to develop computer models of the agricultural fields to simulate best management practices (BMPs). The computer models are then used with long-term weather data to simulate different BMPs to help the farmer improve yields while maintaining the soil health and water quality.

The Last Drop Water Researchers Speaker Series is co-hosted by Just Waters and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 Impact Hub.

About the Speaker

Dr. (Ranjan) Sri Ranjan is a Professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba teaching and doing research in water management since 1990. He completed his PhD (1989) and MS (1986) degrees from Colorado State University, USA. He is a registered professional engineer.

Dr. Sri Ranjan has been conducting irrigation and drainage research in fully instrumented fields in Manitoba and helping farmers see the benefits of advanced water management techniques through computer modelling and simulation using long-term weather data. He is a pioneer in testing controlled drainage with subirrigation in his research plots in Manitoba showing the economic and environmental benefits. He has been designing aeroponic systems to promote urban and northern agriculture. He holds many competitive grants, including NSERC, and has published over 140 papers at national and international journals and conference proceedings and made over 30 invited presentations in Canada, the USA, India, China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. He has four patents on electronic instruments that were designed to improve water management at the field level.

Macro shot of a perfect water droplet splash creating ripples on a blue background.

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March 19, 2026

The Last Drop: Indigenous Science Fair Panel Discussion

Event Date: March 19, 2026

Event Location: Zoom Webinar & 222 Education

Event Time: 11 am

Student participants in the Indigenous Science Fair will share their science research, contributing to broader conversations about water, Indigenous knowledge systems, and sustainability. Join us for a conversation with Janelle Malcolm, Angie Papineau, Boston McKay and Nishae Paupanekis.

No registration required for in-person attendance. The in-person panel will take place in 222 Education, 71 Curry Place at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry Campus.

The Last Drop Water Researchers Speaker Series is co-hosted by Just Waters and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 Impact Hub.

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Event Type: Past Event

Poster & Button-Making for Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk with Jaimie Isaac

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Kenton Storey & Chief Charlie Bear Book Launch

About the Book

About the Presenters

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Aki Mashkiki

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Miskwaagamiiwi-ziibi Water Walk

Community Walkers Checklist

Water Walk Protocols

Safety

Schools

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Creating Systemic Change through the Red Dress Alert with Sandra Delaronde

May 26, 2026

Sandra Delaronde

Methods and Mediums: Oral History Methodology

About the Presenters

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Gender-Based Violence and Displacement: The Human Cost of War, Colonialism and the Climate Crisis

May 4, 2026

Joy Chadya, Brenda Gunn, Helga Hamilton, Olga Khamedova, Shirley Robinson, and Alex Wilson

Rivers, Relatives and Reciprocity: How we care for the waters

About the Speakers

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The Last Drop: Advances in water management to improve crop yields in the Canadian Prairies

About the Speaker

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The Last Drop: Indigenous Science Fair Panel Discussion

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Traditional Territories Acknowledgement