Late Water Walker Josephine Mandamin inducted into Thunder Bay’s Women’s History Month exhibit

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY— The late Water Walker Josephine Mandamin was recognized on Oct. 31 as one of four new inductees to the City of Thunder Bay Women’s History Month online exhibit. Elder Freda McDonald, Elder Dolores Wawia and Eunice Wishart were also inducted into the exhibit, which recognizes and celebrates women of all ages who played important roles in the history and development of the city.

“In recognition of Women’s History Month, I, as well as the City of Thunder Bay, are proud to honour this year’s three outstanding Indigenous women, a first for the city,” says Regina Mandamin, one of Josephine’s daughters, manager of Indigenous Relations and Inclusion with Thunder Bay and a Wiikwemkoong citizen. “And to have a large representation this year is what I hope is a start for more that will come in years that follow. These women are a beacon of hope and resiliency demonstrating to the next generations of Indigenous women and to the wider public that our women continue to be strong and lead by example.”

Mandamin sees the recognition of “these great Anishinaabekwe” as one act of the city’s growing commitment to reconciling its relationship with the Indigenous community.

“It’s an act to honour their legacy while recognizing the challenges they faced,” Mandamin says. “All three of these Indigenous women being honoured, they are all survivors of residential schools and that systemic racism with strength and grace. Despite the barriers they faced, they continued to strive to make the community a better place for their brothers and sisters, including the generations following behind them.”

Andrew Mandamin, Josephine’s partner, says Josephine’s recognition came to him as “quite a surprise.”

“And frankly, I am very honoured to see that all the work she did is being acknowledged,” he says. “I’m very proud of her. While she was employed with ONWA, that is when she started the Water Walks. And she continued on until the day she retired and even after her retirement she still kept on going. There was no stopping her — she was dedicated to bring awareness for the water, not just for our communities, but for everybody in the world.”

Josephine walked a distance comparable to more than half the way around the world during her Water Walks from 2003-2017, including around all five Great Lakes and along the St. Lawrence River. She worked at various organizations in Thunder Bay for more than 40 years to serve the public and help improve the lives of Indigenous people. She was also recognized with awards for Indigenous leadership and reconciliation as well as for her water protection work.

Elder Freda McDonald, a Sagkeeng First Nation citizen who worked for many years at Fort William Historical Park, was a recognized expert in Ojibwa culture who shared her knowledge of Ojibwa culture and spirituality with both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous people alike in Thunder Bay and beyond.

Elder Dolores Wawia, a Gull Bay First Nation citizen who is a Faculty of Education professor emerita at Lakehead University, was awarded both the Order of Ontario and the Lakehead Alumni Honour Award for her work as a pioneer in Native education.

Eunice Wishart was elected in 1948 as Port Arthur’s first female alderman and in 1956 as Port Arthur’s first female mayor. She also served within numerous organizations in the city.

The Women’s History Month online exhibit was launched in 2013 and is located online.

“Every year, we add more experiences to our exhibit,” says Lauren Halsey, associate archivist with Thunder Bay. “This year, we are excited to bring attention to the contributions that Indigenous women have made to local history.”