Milwaukee will have a Water Walk for the health of our Waters, the life within and recognition for the return of our ancient relatives, Sturgeon. We will begin our Walk for Water in Lincoln Park, Area 3. We start with a Firelighting at sunrise, 7am with Strong Native Minds as our Fire Keepers. Our Tobacco and Water offering will start at 8am, and directly after the Water is lifted by our Elders, we will walk downstream along the Milwaukee River Greenway through the River Walk of downtown. We will walk by the confluence of the Milwaukee, Kinnickinnic and Menomonee Rivers on our way to the Menomonee Valley Urban Ecology Center, 3700 W Pierce St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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We will have a tracker so people can join the walk in progress. The protocol we follow will be done as practiced by the late Josephine Mandamin, our “Grandmother Water Walker” known to many of us as Biidaasige-ba (“the one who comes with the light”). She was a world-renowned water-rights activist. Her family has sanctioned a few women to lead these walks, and two will be present to instruct and lead.

"We’ve known for a long time that water is alive. Water can hear you. Water can sense what you are saying and what you are feeling.… Give it respect and it can come alive. Like anything. Like a person who is sick…if you give them love, take care of them, they’ll come alive." Biidaasige-ba

Once we arrive at the Urban Ecology Center we will have food for our walkers provided by Strong Native Minds. Please bring your feast bundles.

We will have Indigenous led educational programs from Noon to 2pm. We will hear about the largest river clean up in United States history about to happen in our community. Speakers will also present on Water issues facing the city, the history and return of Sturgeon -- and we will hear about the teaching and origin of Water as recited in our traditional stories of this part of our lands. All are welcome, updates to this post will be made regularly until the morning of the walk.