A WALK TO REMEMBER

Updates from the Walk
Information for the Walk

May 29 - August 26, 2000

Original Walk Schedule - page
Info on Pictures, Stories, & Audio

Al Hunter could hear the drum beats a half-mile away and his heart started pounding.

On the 57th day after beginning their walk around Lake Superior, about 40 other walkers approached the eastern boundary of the Bad River Reservation on U.S. Hwy. 2 to the sound of traditional Native American drums and songs.

Nearly 60 people waited near the drums at the top of Birch Hill to welcome the walkers Friday afternoon.

It was nearly the end of the 1,200-mile journey around Lake Superior dubbed "A Walk To Remember." The trek started June 25 at Waverly Beach on the reservation. After the last seven-mile leg from the top of the hill, the group would finish full-circle at the beach.

The walk was more spiritual journey than protest. Although the walkers wanted to call attention to pollution in and around Lake Superior, Hunter said the walk was really about "honoring the spirits of the place and the people."

Hunter was one of the few that made the entire walk. Frank Koehn of Herbster, one of the organizers of the walk, said hundreds of people joined them along the way, some for a few miles, some for more.

Hunter and his wife, Sandra Indian, from the Rainy River First Nation in Ontario, and others traded off carrying the "Earth Eagle Feather Staff" on the journey. The carved staff is adorned with colorful ribbons, eagle feathers and beadwork.

It was an emotional end for the walkers. As they gathered around the drummers, many wiped away tears or let them flow freely down their faces.

After the drumming and pipe ceremonies, the crowd broke for lunch. Hunter said he had mixed feelings about the walk coming to an end. He and the other walkers grew close, he said, being together every day, sharing laughter and tears. "We've become a family; a community," he said.

Hunter said walking down the road toward the crowd waiting to greet them, "I could hear the drums about a half mile away and my heart just started pounding, seeing my family and brothers holding aloft the eagle feather staffs, it was so overwhelming." Hunter broke into tears recalling the event.

Indian said they lost track of time on the walk. They went by the sun and when it was time for ceremonies and offerings to water.

One of the most satisfying aspects of the walk for Indian was the meeting the people around the lake and finding out they had common concerns. "People out there felt pretty much like we did at the beginning -- alone," she said.

After talking with people around the lake about environmental issues, they realized they weren't as alone as they thought, she said. It was the beginning of building a lake-wide community, she said.

The walk was only the beginning, she said. They need foster and take care of the connections they make. Koehn, who made about 900 miles of the 1,200-mile journey, echoed that sentiment. "Hundreds and hundreds of people walked with us," he said. "We found a community of people around the lake." He said they made commitments with those people to keep in touch and work together to protect the lake.

Bad River tribal member Butch Stone only missed two days of the walk. Stone works as a security officer for the tribe. He came back to work for a couple of days and the council granted him a leave of absence to go back to the journey.

When he began the walk, Stone said he had a message about uniting all the people around the lake of all colors -- black, white, yellow and red -- and continues to spread it.

While many on the journey were Native Americans, the group had a lot of non-native runners and walkers; people who donated money or gave permission to camp on their land, Stone said.

The walker's t-shirts symbolized that sentiment: a circle, divided into the four colors: black, white, yellow and red, surrounding Lake Superior.

Tommy Mattinas from northern Ontario was one of the walkers' spiritual advisors. He told the group, "I think it is the will of the creator to bring all of the people together, whether native or non-native," he said. "We all share the same sun, the same air, the same water."

The journey around the lake was also part of a remembrance to Red Cliff tribal member Walt Bresette who passed away in February, 1999. Before he died, Bresette talked about a walk around the lake as a next step to protect the water.

The walk also promoted another of Bresette's ideas -- the Seventh Generation Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

"The right of citizens of the United States to use and enjoy air, water, wildlife, and other renewable resources determined by the Congress to be common property shall not be impaired, nor shall such ise impair their availability for the use of future generations."

The idea comes from the Native American philosophy of planning for seven generations ahead. Hunter said having children along on the walk was a way to remember that. "Not a day went by that we couldn't help look at them nd remember our responsibilities to the future," he said.

Background information about the walk.

The Walk around the Lake is a sacred journey around Lake Superior to bring forth community visions to protect the air, land, and water for the Seven Generations yet to come. The idea was borne out of a Great Lakes Indigenous Environmental Network gathering in Saulte St. Marie, Ontario, in April 1999, when Native and non-Native people met to discuss issues pertaining to the Great Lakes. It is an effort to carry out the visions concerning the connections between Great Lakes' sustainability and what Native peoples' spirituality, culture, and sovereignty have to offer for its future.

The Walk to Remeber began at sunrise at Waverly Beach on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin on June 28, 2000. the journey will end at the Bad River Reservation in late August. This walk is a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage, a healing journey, to undo some of the damage done to Mother Earth and her waters, and to bring healing to her people by communicating and listening to one another. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. For many people, it is an important source of food, livelihood, and drinking water. Lake Superior is also an important part of the spirituality of the Anishinabeg passed down by our ancestors and oral histories. It is threatened due to contamination, global warming caused by over-development, and a growing, global water crisis that further threatens the sanctity of its waters and the many life forms that depend on it.

Enroute we will seek to meet and learn from all who know and understand the waters, beaches, forests, hills, routes, commerce, communities, and spirit of the Lake. It is a journey that transcends the notions of boundaries and borders. We will bring people together in a common community of sharing and insight. We will make note of what we hear, see, and fee. We will conscientiously carry what we have learned and share it with each new person and every community that we visit. The journey will carry back many common stories, themes, purposes, concerns, and visions that will have been revealed and carried forward. >From this walk, a set of common principles, commitments, and standards can be realized towards a common vision that ensures all that is special about Lake Superior will be protected and nurtured for present and future generations.

The Walk to Remember is a part of the Anishinabe Millinium Project with support from Bad River Tribe of wisconsin, Fond du Lac tribe of Minnesota, Honor the Earth Fund, Great Lakes Indigenous Environmental Network, and Greenpeace.

For pictures, stories, and a map of the walk, please go to www.protecttheearth.com or www.lifeinrealtime.com. There is also a link from the IEN website at www.alphacdc.com/ien. If you have questions, you can contact Amoose at 715-682-8189 or myself at 1-877-436-2121.

Updates from the Walk

August 18, 2000
Contact: (715) 774-3333

Ishpeming, Michigan--An international group nearing completion of a 1,200-mile walk around Lake Superior today questioned the removal of a Republican Party platform plank against diversions of Great Lakes water.

"This is an ominous sign that some Republican Party interests would agree to sell our Lake Superior water to the highest bidder," said Esther Nahgahnub (Lake Superior Chippewa, Fond du Lac Reservation) of the Walk to Remember. The Walk is described as a "sacred journey" drawing attention to environmental threats facing the lake and surrounding communities.

"The Republican nominees are from the semi-arid states of Texas and Wyoming, which would love to pipe Lake Superior water to feed irresponsible interests," said Kurt Ruud of the Walk to Remember, which is now at Riper State Park, on Highway 28 west of Ishpeming, Michigan, on its way to a FRIDAY, AUGUST 25th arrival at its final destination in Odanah (on Highway 2 east of Ashland, Wisconsin). Walk coordinators invited the public to welcome the walkers at the Bad River Powwow in Odanah.

Frank Koehn (former Bayfield County Supervisor) noted that Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson chaired the Republican Platform Committee that adopted the original plank against Great Lakes water diversion, at the Party's recent convention in Philadelphia. Koehn also pointed out that one of Thompson's Republican predecessors, Governor Lee Dreyfus, proposed the piping of Lake Superior water to the Southwest; public opposition seemingly defeated that proposal in 1981.

"How could Tommy Thompson let this prohibition be dropped from his platform?," asked Koehn, "Is he acquiescing in the theft of our most vital public natural resource? First he gives away our springwater to Perrier, then our Great Lakes water to Bush and Cheney."

Koehn proposed that all political parties in the U.S. and Canada, local, state and provincial governments around the Great Lakes, and tribal governments in the Great Lakes watershed pass resolutions opposing any diversions of Great Lakes water outside the basin. Donations and resolutions can be sent to "Walk to Remember," at Anishinaabe Ogichiidaa, c/o Northern State Bank, P.O. Box 617, Ashland, WI 54806. For more information, contact (715) 774-3333 or log on http://www.lifeinrealtime.com .

"Welcome Home" transforms meeting at the Pukaswa Visitor Center.

Pukaswa National Park's visitor center, a generic wood and display case place which nevertheless managed to convey the warmth of a paneled cabin, was the site of a public meeting which turned into a welcome ceremony for complete strangers, visitors to the Pukaswa, a ceremonial "welcome home" from the native to the non-native people present.

We'd watched part of an Indigenous Environmental Network on the way Pollution is devastating native cultures world-wide. We had talked about health, chemicals and community and people in the audience of mostly white Canadians from Southern Ontario kept asking questions of the Walk representatives. They wanted to know why we were walking. And as the staff passed and questions brought more questions, something bigger came about that transformed the very space where we sat.

Esther Nagahnub, an elder and school teacher from Fond Du Lac talked about how women were the keepers of the water. Moving from each woman to the next with an eye-to-eye contact that would stop a train (or start a movement) she talked right each of the women: "This little girl too," she said, pointing to a small blond girl who squirmed and wiggled in her mothers lap, turning shyly to her mother as if to hide. "She will be a keeper of the water."

Then Esther's eyes lit up with an idea. And she stopped for a quiet instant of thought. "You know this makes me think about our friend Walter Bresette. One morning early he called and told me:

"You know Esther, they're not gonna leave."
"Who's not gonna leave Walter. Ya havin' trouble? D'ya want me to come over?"
"You know. Them! All of these newcomers," Walt whispered to Esther over the telephone early one Morning.

Esther was telling this story to us newcomers tonight to let us know we'd better get in touch with the notion this is our home. And that maybe, just maybe she and her people had a role to play. She continued with the story of Walter's early morning phone call.

"So if they're not gonna leave, maybe what we should do is throw a big party and welcome them," Walter said.
She continued telling the story.

At that, Al Hunter stood up. Esther passed him the staff. He began to smile as his gaze passed from face to face in the audience. "This makes me think about the welcome ceremony some of our people had for our brothers and sisters who went to the residential schools," he said, his smile changing subtly to a thoughtful gaze. It was simple, he told us. They joined hands and made two circles one inside of the other, the the circle of those who knew their family stayed on the outside, the circle of those who did not know their family on the inside. Then, those who knew their families said together: "Welcome home." to those who didn't.

"We could do this here tonight. Would you join us in this welcome?" he continued. "I ask our brothers and sisters from Pic River to join us in making the outside circle."

Silently, invisibly, a transformation started to happen. The visitor center in Pukaswa National Park was changing into sacred space. The welcome ceremony began. Native people from Pic River and the native people on the Walk joined hands in the outer circle, enclosing an inner circle which contained the rest of us.

As we formed our impromptu human rings we ran into a problem a lot like the real-world situation for which this long-overdue welcome might be part of the solution. The native people were fewer and they, tasked with forming the outside ring, had the larger circle to describe with their bodies and outstretched hands. There were more of us non-native people crunched together on the inside, children standing in front of their parents, couples leaning close, all of us crunched into more of a ball than a circle. With all hands joined, the native, Lake Superior Chippewa on the outside and their white guests on the inside. Our native brothers and sisters joined together in saying: "Welcome home."

"Welcome home." It was one of those moments that movies producers run in slow motion to try to show how our collective act of recognition of its sheer bigness altered time itself, so big that no one in that room was ready for what would happen next.

Within seconds we were all hugging and shaking hands, acts not often seen at a National Park visitor center, a sight more familiar to airports, train stations, and family reunions, where people come together to share the mere magic of presense after they've been apart for too long.

Once again we'd stepped over into the ceremonial. No one stopped to think how right it felt. Later, I did muse on the facts though. And in fact we were greeting long lost relations, lost to each other through the arbitrariness of geography and culture, a separation we've allowed to devastate our relationships with each other and with the home we are challenged to share here on our little blue ball in space.

A sudden clap of thunder cracked the sky over a group of nearly 50 Pic River First Nation, people who had gathered to welcome the Walk to Remember to their community east of Marathon, Ontario, approximately the half way point in the group's journey around the world's largest lake, Lake Superior. Then, children who'd been waiting for nearly an hour by the roadside started jumping up and down shouting: "There they are. Look, up the road." At that moment, the walkers appeared, carrying the Protect the Earth staff.

As the walkers approached, Pic River community members brought their drum out into the road. And as they began their honor song to welcome the Walk, rain began to fall. Voices in the crowd took notice of what seemed almost magic. As the song began, the words; "first the thunder, now the rain, this really is about the water," moved through the crowd in whispers. Later, Walker and Fond Du Lac tribal member Esther Nagahnub said she was moved at the sight of the welcoming throng: "When I came over the hill and saw all of the wonderful people standing there it made me feel really warm, really good, really proud to be here, to see all of your wonderful faces, all of you wonderful people standing there in the rain."

Then the staff was passed to four-year-old April, who was the first of many girls and boys from Pic River, as they carried the staff the final eight kilometres into their community. Later as a Pic River community members and Walkers passed the staff and spoke their feelings and their greetings, Al Hunter told the welcoming crowd he was; "so glad to see the girls carrying the staff, because if is they who will protect the water." Pic River community member Eva Couchie echoed the sentiments of many who felt they'd experienced something extraordinary as she said: "The power, I could feel it! I heard the thunder. I heard the drum. What you are doing is so important to all of us."

The Walkers and the Protect the Earth staff will spend Friday the Pic River First Nation. From there they will walk Saturday to the Pic Mobert First Nation, headed further down the road to three days of activities, August 6, 7 and 8 at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, crossing the bridge to the United States and Michigan on August 9.

Bob Olsgard bolsgard9@hotmail.com, From the Walk at Pic River First Nation

Telling radio listeners the Walk to Remember was ahead of schedule, an enthusiastic Al Hunter told WOJB FM's Camille LaCapa-Morrison about an extraordinary day of walking just north of Thunder Bay, Ontario "We walked 40 miles the other day, we walked for 12 hours," said Hunter of progress that surprised even the walkers themselves. He attributed this to one of the Walk's special travelers, the Protect the Earth Staff: "The staff is carrying us forward and lifting us up," said Hunter in the Saturday morning interview. Hunter added that the walkers were presently ahead of schedule but cautioned that the landscape ahead, the steepest and most rugged hills on the Lake, might slow them down.

According to Hunter, the group has settled into a daily routine of ceremony and walk; "Every day starts with sunrise ceremonies at 5:00AM. Then we drink about 17 gallons of coffee and we walk," he quipped. He was emphasezed their ceremonial purpose: "At each river or stream we make our offerings of cloth, tobacco and coin to respect the spirits of the waters."

Asked about their whereabouts and their schedule, Hunter told listeners that the group would stay at the Lake Helen-Red Rock First Nation through Saturday and head for Pays Plat, just outside Rossport, Ontario on Sunday where women in the group will perform a full moon ceremony under the leadership of Fond du Lac elder Esther Nagahnub. Beyond the immediate future, their plan is to arrive in the vicinity of Wawa, Ontario late next week and to arrive in Sault Ste. Marie at the end of July, with an extended stay featuring ceremonies, talks and educational activities in conjunction with local and national native groups.

To find the Walk Hunter had this advice: "On highway 17 just look for the Protect the Earth banner by the side of the road. The walkers won't be far from the sign. For daily updates on the walk, Hunter says that two web sites on the internet are the place to find them: http://www.protecttheearth.com, and http://www.lifeinrealtime.com. Links at these two frequently updated sites will give visitors a vivid look at pictures and stories from the journey. (THE POSTED SCHEDULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, so before you try to join up with the walk, please contact the organizers or look to the posted stop updates on the sites.)

Anishinabe Ogitchidda
C/O Northern State Bank
P.O. Box 617
Ashland, WI 54806

Bob Olsgard, Coordinator Lake Superior Alliance PO Box 472, Spooner, WI 54801 715/635-8171 888/281-1735 bolsgard@spacestar.net http://www.superioralliance.org

Hey - a little update from the walkers... as luck would have it I caught up by telephone with Esther Nagahnub and Sandra Indian this AM at their most recent stop... (thanks for the number there Elizabeth!)

Everyone is doing fine and - as expected - many good things are happening along the way. Today Frank Koehn and Amy Mondloch will be leaving the walk which means that their are 5-6 walkers who will conintue heading north on the transcanada highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.

Tonite they will be camping in a provincial park at Mirror Lake (they are stopping for a break halfway along the route at Crystal Beach) ... Tomorrow they will continue heading North to Nipigon.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO PUT THE WORD OUT not to call WOJB for info since walkers have NOT been able to contact the station each day to give updates while in Canada. If you want to know the MOST recent information you can call Frank Koehn's house and speak with Lois or Frank (who will be home tomorrow from the walk) (715) 774-3333 Although there is a mobile phone on the walk - there is no way to charge it - especially when camping etc...

The walkers are busy with just walking - and making sure that all the things that need to be done along this journey are done... They are taking care of all the daily things - food, camping, ceremonies, walking - so phone contact is just not possible. It is frustrating for those who may be lookiing for the walk and wanting to join the walkers - or support the walk...

THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT THE WALK IS TO GO NORTH AND FIND THEM ON THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY - they will be walking most of the day - everyday - and they need more walkers. If you are able to join the walk this week - take gas money and tobacco (not for smoking) as they have been going thru a fair amount of both.

When they can email they will - and if they are able to phone WOJB they will - but for the time being please do not call WOJB for most recent updates. THANKS and hope you get to head north to join the journey... me I think it will not be until August - but I will be there... see you along the way.

alex smith

PS - FOR MOST RECENT WEB UPDATES AND A MAP OF THE WALK IN PROGRESS - GO TO: www.lifeinrealtime.com

ODANAH -- The two-month, 1,200-mile walk around Lake Superior is a journey that is part spiritual and part political. A group of nearly 50 people set out this week from the Bad River Chippewa Reservation at Odanah. Their journey will end full-circle, back at the Bad River Reservation for a powwow on August 27.

"A Walk To Remember" evolved from a gathering in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in April 1999, when Indians and non-Indians met to discuss Great Lakes issues.

Most of the participants talked about breaking down political and racial boundaries that disconnect people of Lake Superior when they should be connected as one community.

"I think it's time for all nations -- black, white, yellow, red -- to work toward preserving and protecting the land and water," said Bad River tribal member Butch Stone.

Rest of story at http://www.duluthnews.com/today/dnt/local/walk.htm.

A sacred journey around Lake Superior to bring forth community visions to protect the air, land and water for the Seven Generations yet to come.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. For many people, it is an important source of food, livelihood and drinking water. Lake Superior is also an important part of the spirituality of the Anishinabeg as passed down by our ancestors and oral histories. It is now threatened due to contamination, global warming caused by over-development, and a growing, global water crisis that further threatens the sanctity of its waters and many life forms that depend on it, including, people.

"A Walk To Remember" is a journey around Lake Superior that is being coordinated by a group of people from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, and Michigan. The idea was borne out of a gathering in Sault Ste. Marie, in April of 1999, when Native and Non-Native people met to discuss issues pertaining to the Great Lakes. This walk, this journey, is the result of people's dreams and visions that were brought forward at this meeting. It is also an effort to carry out the visions concerning the connections between Great Lakes sustainability and what Native peoples' spirituality, culture, and sovereignty, have to offer for its future, as voiced by the late activist, Walt Bresette, a Lake Superior Chippewa from the Red Cliff Reservation, in northern Wisconsin, who passed away in February of 1999. "We need to bring all the people of Lake Superior together," he often said. "We need to talk to each other about what is happening in our villages and our communities, to share our experiences, our concerns, and our hopes for the future. We need to meet our neighbors and learn from them."

This summer, the 1200 mile journey will begin on the south shore of Lake Superior at Waverly Beach on the Bad River Reservation at sunrise on June 28, 2000. It will then continue on to the Fourth of July Pow-Wow at the Red Cliff Reservation. The journey will end full-circle at the Bad River Pow-Wow in late August.

This walk is also a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage, a healing journey, to undo some of the damage done to Mother Earth and her waters, and to bring healing to her people by communicating and listening to one another.

Enroute we will seek to meet and learn from all who know and understand the waters, beaches, forests, hills, routes, commerce, communities, and spirit of the lake. It will be a journey that transcends the notions of borders and boundaries. We will seek to bring people together in a common community of sharing and insight. We will make note of what we hear, see and feel. We will conscientiously carry what we learn and share it with each new person and every community that we visit. Almost simultaneously, "A Walk To Remember" will be reproduced on the internet to share the sights, sounds and ideas from Lake Superior to the rest of the world.

As the journey progresses around the lake, some common stories and themes will emerge. By late summer, after every village and community has been visited, and all who have wanted to be heard have been heard — the walk will end, where it began, on the Bad River Reservation. The journey will carry back many common stories, themes, purposes, concerns, and visions that will have been revealed and carried forward.

It is hoped that from the walk, a set of common principles, commitments and standards can be realized towards a common vision that ensures all that is special about Lake Superior will be protected and nurtured for present and future generations. Please join us on this once in a lifetime journey for the Seven Generations yet to come.

For further information about how you can participate or help in making "A WALK TO REMEMBER" contact one the organizers. Donations small and large will be appreciated and may be sent to Anishinabe Ogitchidda, %Northern State Bank, P.O. Box 617, Ashland, WI 54806

Go to RealPlayer to get a free version of RealPlayer to listen to the audio file. http://www.protecttheearth.com/Audio/superiorlakereport.ram

Be a Walk Helper and share this web site with others, and then tune in while you read and look at pictures from the walk (the Protect The Earth/Anishinaabe Niijii also has many audit features of related interest) .

And now folks.....here's the good word.....from our chum Tricia The Walk to Remember is featured on this week's edition of Different Drums from American Indian Radio on Satellite.

This program is available free to all radio stations connected to the Public Radio Satellite System.

Tricia King
Producer, Different Drums

Information for the "Walk To Remember

Hopefully this will work as a goal for everyone. It will be nice if we find runners to help in Canada. Out concern (from down here) is that it would be nice to have more walkers and support in Canada. Bob has said he will make the Canada leg.

If I do not receive major objections via email or phone I will send this schedule out with the following: PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF CORRECTIONS NEED TO BE MADE!

Frequently asked questions:

HOW LONG IS THIS JOURNEY? About 1,200 miles

CAN FOLKS JOIN FOR PART OF THE WALK? Absolutely! Join us for a block, a mile, a day or longer. Or stop for a visit or wave as we go by.

WHAT TO BRING? Come self contained for the distance of your journey, plus anything that you can contribute to the rest of the fellow travelers. Bring "mole skin" foot patches for blisters, bring rain gear. Bring food to share, bring drinking water and a tent. Bring dry firewood, bring flashlights and matches. Bring a good spirit and a willing heart.

HOW FEROCIOUS ARE THE BUGS? Bugs may be ferocious on some parts of the walk. Bring along repellant. WHERE WILL WE SLEEP? For the most part we will sleep in tents. There may be the occasional opportunity to sleep in doors depending on how mnay offers we receive.

WHAT ABOUT FOOD? We plan to have soup, rice, noodles available each night at our camp sites. Along the way there are feasts and picnics planned. It will be helpful if you can bring along food that can be shared.

WILL THERE BE SUPPORT VEHICLES? Anyone who can offer thier services and/or vehicle for support will be appreciated.

WHERE DO WE NEED HELP? On the northern leg of the walk across Canada.

WHAT ELSE? Water, food, rain gear, tent and chocolate.

We leave Waverly Beach on the Bad River Reservation at sunrise on June 29th and then head toward Ashland, Washburn, Bayfield and on to the Red Cliff Reservation. Some people are going to stay at the Red Cliff Pow wow for two days (June 1st and 2nd) to participate, but others are moving on towards Duluth. From Duluth we will walk to Thunder Bay. From Thunder Bay to the Soo and then back to Bad River intime for the Pow-wow.

The daily schedule follows this statement of why we have decided it is time to take A Walk to Remember.

A WALK TO REMEMBER

A sacred journey around Lake Superior to bring forth community visions to protect the air, land and water for the Seven Generations yet to come.

Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. For many people, it is an important source of food, livelihood and drinking water. Lake Superior is also an important part of the spirituality of the Anishinabeg as passed down by our ancestors and oral histories. It is now threatened due to contamination, global warming caused by over-development, and a growing, global water crisis that further threatens the sanctity of its waters and many life forms that depend on it, including, people.

"A Walk To Remember" is a journey around Lake Superior that is being coordinated by a group of people from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, and Michigan. The idea was borne out of a gathering in Sault Ste. Marie, in April of 1999, when Native and Non-Native people met to discuss issues pertaining to the Great Lakes. This walk, this journey, is the result of people's dreams and visions that were brought forward at this meeting. It is also an effort to carry out the visions concerning the connections between Great Lakes sustainability and what Native peoples' spirituality, culture, and sovereignty, have to offer for its future, as voiced by the late activist, Walt Bresette, a Lake Superior Chippewa from the Red Cliff Reservation, in northern Wisconsin, who passed away in February of 1999. "We need to bring all the people of Lake Superior together," he often said. "We need to talk to each other about what is happening in our villages and our communities, to share our experiences, our concerns, and our hopes for the future. We need to meet our neighbors and learn from them."

This summer, the 1200 mile journey will begin on the south shore of Lake Superior at Waverly Beach on the Bad River Reservation at sunrise on June 28, 2000. It will then continue on to the Fourth of July Pow-Wow at the Red Cliff Reservation. The journey will end full-circle at the Bad River Pow-Wow in late August.

This walk is also a spiritual journey, a pilgrimage, a healing journey, to undo some of the damage done to Mother Earth and her waters, and to bring healing to her people by communicating and listening to one another.

Enroute we will seek to meet and learn from all who know and understand the waters, beaches, forests, hills, routes, commerce, communities, and spirit of the lake. It will be a journey that transcends the notions of borders and boundaries. We will seek to bring people together in a common community of sharing and insight. We will make note of what we hear, see and feel. We will conscientiously carry what we learn and share it with each new person and every community that we visit. Almost simultaneously, "A Walk To Remember" will be reproduced on the internet to share the sights, sounds and ideas from Lake Superior to the rest of the world.

As the journey progresses around the lake, some common stories and themes will emerge. By late summer, after every village and community has been visited, and all who have wanted to be heard have been heard the walk will end, where it began, on the Bad River Reservation. The journey will carry back many common stories, themes, purposes, concerns, and visions that will have been revealed and carried forward.

It is hoped that from the walk, a set of common principles, commitments and standards can be realized towards a common vision that ensures all that is special about Lake Superior will be protected and nurtured for present and future generations. Please join us on this once in a lifetime journey for the Seven Generations yet to come.

For further information about how you can participate or help in making "A WALK TO REMEMBER" contact one the organizers. Donations small and large will be appreciated and may be sent to Anishinabe Ogitchidda, %Northern State Bank, P.O. Box 617, Ashland, WI 54806

Contacts:
Al Hunter/Sandra Indian (Lead Organizers) (807) 482-1687 or tbirdz2@netscape.net
Amoose (715) 682-8189
Esther Nahgahnub (218) 879-3487 or esthern@uslink.net
Frank Koehn (715) 774-3333 or fkoehn@win.bright.net
Bob Olsgard 1-888-281-1735 or (715) 635-8171 or bolsgard@spacestar.net
Sandy Lyon (715) 766-2725 or water@spacestar.net
Anishinaabe Niijii (715) 766 2725 water@protecttheearth.com

For updates on the journey during the six weeks of walking contact:
WOJB: 1-800 776 3689
Amoose 715 682-8189
Frank Koehn (715) 774-3333 or fkoehn@win.bright.net
Indigenous Environmental Network, P.O. Box 485 Bemidji, Minnesota 56619-0485 USA, Phone (218) 751-4967 Fax (218) 751-0561 email: ien@igc.org. Internet Web Site: http://www.alphacdc.com/ien

Please send digital updates to regarding the route and digital photos along the walk to: jay@lifeinrealtime.com or jay@jayware.com

Walk Updates will be sent out to help keep everyone informed of the last minute changes. Updates will be posted as new events are added.

Web page information:
http://www.brain-box.com/walktoremember/
http://www.protecttheearth.com/lakewalk.html

Some 400 Ojibwe Indians who died in one of the Great Lakes area's most tragic events are being remembered on its 150th anniversary.

Twelve tribal bands from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan on Saturday [Dec. 2, 2000] will dedicate a memorial and hold a 150-mile run in remembrance of the 1850 Sandy Lake Tragedy.

Saturday's run, beginning at Sandy Lake Recreation Area near McGregor, will symbolize the journey those bands and others made 150 years ago.

"It's kind of spiritual in a way," said Jim Schlender, executive administrator of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in Odanah, Wis. "It's a way of connecting our resolve with their resolve."

Before 1850, annual distributions including money, awls, needles, twine and kettles had been made to 19 bands at La Pointe, Wis.

But federal officials in 1850 ordered the bands to Sandy Lake near McGregor to receive the distributions.

In early October, after 4,000 tribal members from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan arrived, fatigued and hungry, they found no one there to distribute the supplies. Waiting for two months with no shelter and little food, 170 died of disease, exposure, starvation and other causes.

After receiving partial annuities on Dec. 2, 1850, many began their return trip home.

But with low temperatures, frozen waterways and a foot of snow on the ground, 230 died en route.

With about 400 dead, the Ojibwe vowed never to resettle at Sandy Lake.

"In terms of tribal people, this is an event that was almost lost to history," Schlender said. "We went back and asked our elders and spirits about what should be done. It was a tragic event that was at the hands of the government and our tribe said something needed to be done to memorialize that event."

At sunrise on Saturday, a monument at Sandy Lake made of 400 stones brought from reservations of all the affected tribes will be dedicated.

Sandy Lake is about 11 miles north of McGregor along U.S. Highway 65.

Following the dedication, the Mikwendaagoziwag ("remember them") Run, a 150-mile remembrance run, starts at Sandy Lake Recreation Area. The run ends Monday in Bayfield with a ceremony at Madeline Island.

About a dozen runners are expected.

"The run is not meant to be a publicity thing or for competition," said Jim Zorn, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission policy analyst. "It's about making the trek back and the memorial."

"The run is symbolic of the journey they made back," Schlender said.

Moving the annuity distribution was an attempt by the federal government to remove Indians from other areas into Minnesota, said Schlender.

"The idea was to move Indians out of the way as settlers moved westward," Schlender said. "And by moving the Indians, the economics of it flowed directly into traders' hands. There were no great battles in this area and no battlefield massacres. The Ojibwe were a pretty peaceful people. The real significance for us as Americans is the removal. The government didn't comply with the treaties (of 1837 and 1842) and the law. The whole removal act was illegal."

Minnesota tribes supporting Saturday's event are Mille Lacs, Fond du Lac, Leech Lake and Grand Portage; Wisconsin tribes are St. Croix, Red Cliff, Bad River, La Courte Oreilles, Lac du Flambeau and Sokoagon. Michigan tribes are Lac Vieux Desert and Keweenaw Bay.

"Remembering our ancestors is something we do every day," Schlender said. "But this is a special day. Generally, we hope it brings about a better understanding of what happened among Indians and non-Indians."

In 1854, the Ojibwe negotiated a treaty with the United States that established permanent reservations around their homelands in the Lake Superior region.

Jim Schlender and Neil Kmiecik are praying for good weather this week. They'll need it in order to complete an ambitious journey by canoe from Madeline Island in the Apostle Islands to Duluth, and up the St. Louis River to Fond du lac.

The two men are making the trek to commemorate the journey of representatives from 19 Chippewa tribes from Wisconsin and Michigan who set out 150 years ago on the journey to Sandy Lake, just north of MacGregor in Aitkin County. Exhausted, the tribal representatives arrived at Sandy Lake, only to find that promised annuity payments had been delayed and there were no provisions to replace their depleted supplies.

They waited at Sandy Lake from mid-October to Dec. 2. While they waited, about 150 Chippewa people died from dysentery and measles. Once they realized their miserable journey had been for naught, they started back, walking this time because their canoes were useless on the frozen rivers. Another 230 to 250 people died on their way home, weak from malnutrition and suffering from the harsh elements.

The Sandy Lake Tragedy marked a turning point in the U.S. government philosophy of dealing with the Native Americans. The incident led key players in Washington to change the policy of trying to move the Indians and instead shifted the focus of negotiations toward establishing reservations.

"It's a tragic story," Jim Schlender, executive administrator of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Commission, said. "It's a sad story. But it's also, in many ways, a story that demarcates a line from a policy of removal, of getting Indians out of the way of white settlement, to one of a policy of creating reservations within the boundaries of states, within boundaries of the nation. It's a decidedly different policy choice for the federal government. It's a policy that has endured to the present. It forms the basis and the core of a permanent homeland for First Americans for American Indians."

Events to commemorate the Sandy Lake Tragedy began last weekend at Madeline Island, where Native Americans gathered to dedicate a granite monument erected there to mark the location of the beginning of the journey for many of the men who left their families and village for the long journey to get their annuity payments. Schlender and Kmiecik left the shores of Madeline Island on Friday. They plan to arrive in Duluth in time to portage the rest of the way to Sandy Lake, then return to their canoes to paddle to the west bank of the lake where another granite monument stands marking the site where hundreds died waiting for promised payments that never came.

"We hope to paddle 20 miles a day" Schlender said. "We have a couple extra days in there in the event that wind or waves or weather prevent us from paddling on any one day. We plan to paddle commencing at sunrise every day and paddling as far as endurance and weather, wind and waves will permit."

On July 29, another gathering will take place to dedicate the Sandy Lake monument, to feast and to send off a group of runners that will make the return journey to Madeline Island on foot. "The memorial would serve as a reminder to the inhabitants of this country of that particular chapter in our joint history," Schlender said. "The feast has cultural significance, one of the traditions in which we remember those who have passed away. In this case we remember those 400 Anishinabe that died at Sandy Lake and on the return trip from Sandy Lake."

Schlender says the weekend's events and the monuments serve to increase public awareness of what happened at Sandy Lake, not to lay blame. "I don't think that in all of the process of creating that there was ever any intent to lay guilt or blame upon people," he said.

"That is not the basis upon which our relationship stands. The basis upon which our relationship stands is far stronger than that. It's rooted in the Constitution of this country. It's rooted in the history of this country. It's not a guilt trip. It's not a public relations ploy to try to garner reparations or to try to right things in that kind of a way. It's really a spiritual journey, a spiritual remembrance. It's part of culture to remember those of our ancestors who have passed on."