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.

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.

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.

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. 

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