Water Walkers continue to honour Nibi
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Fort William Elder Sheila DeCorte and the For the Love of the Rivers 2.0 (2022-2025) Water Walkers recently completed a second four-year commitment to honour Nibi (water).
“We’ve been walking for the water here in Thunder Bay since 2018,” Elder DeCorte says during Anishinaabe Keeshigun at Fort William Historical Park. “I first joined [the late] Grandmother Josephine Mandamin-baa … in 2017 on her last walk, and when I returned home, the rivers here in Thunder Bay started to speak to me and told me I needed to do something, but I really didn’t know what it was that I needed to do. So eventually, spirit told me in the form of a dream that I was to bring water down from Loch Lomond, which is located on Anemki Wajiw.”
Elder DeCorte says she had to bring the water down through ceremony to acknowledge the First Nations youth from remote fly-in communities who drowned in the rivers in Thunder Bay while pursuing their high school education goals.
“Right now, we are next to the Kaministiquia River — this is the ancestral route of my people; we lived on these shores of the Kaministiquia River, we paddled these shores,” Elder DeCorte says. “In 2018, I started For the Love of the Rivers water walks, where I brought water down from Loch Lomond through ceremony. Every step is a prayer; only love, good intentions go into the water that is picked up. And then at the end of the day, at the end of the pow wow, at the end of our water walk, those prayers and love and good intentions are then returned to the water.”
Elder DeCorte says they have done water walks along McVicar Creek, Neebing River, McIntyre River, and Kaministiquia River.
“The Kaministiquia River was just done last weekend (Aug. 9-10),” Elder DeCorte says. “Last year was the first time that we were able to transfer from land to water on the second day of that walk. With the help of the Lakehead University Outdoor (Recreation, Parks and Tourism), they provided the canoes and allowed us to be on the water on the second day of our walk. It was very special, very powerful last year.”
Elder DeCorte says the Kaministiquia River water walk marked the completion of their second four-year commitment to honour Nibi along the rivers in Thunder Bay.
“So we’re done now, but we’re not really done because we need to continue this work for the water,” Elder DeCorte says. “It’s a promise that we all made across Turtle Island to Grandmother Josephine-baa that we would continue this work.”
Elder DeCorte says her vision for next year is that every time they can be on the water, they will be on the water.
“And when we can’t, we’ll have walkers ready to take the water and walk,” Elder DeCorte says. “So it will be a combination, walk, paddle, being on the water, it’s going to be very special. I look forward to that.”
Elder DeCorte says they will also have a new name for the water walks next year.
“It’s going to be something significant to Kaministiquia Ziibi and to the Anemki Wajiw-Fort William First Nation people,” Elder DeCorte says.
Elder DeCorte says although not everybody can become Water Walkers, there are still other things they can be doing to honour Nibi.
“Without water, there would be no life,” Elder DeCorte says. “All living beings and entities need water to survive, and if we want to keep water for the future generations, we all have to just take our part in some way or other. So when you’re near a body of water, speak to the water, tell her you love her and respect her. Even when you’re having a shower, there’s a lot of really awesome water songs out there, you can learn them and sing them to the water.”