Blog – Page 2 – NibiWalk

MNi’sota Route Map

Here’s the routemap for the 2016 MNi’sota River Water Walk.

Mni’sota River March 25 – April 1

Minnesota Water Walk

Walk begins on April 20 at New Post, Wisconsin at the convergence of the East and West Chippewa Rivers and ends at Wabasha, Minnesota. This walk is in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire to commemorate Aldo Leopold’s work.

Upcoming Water Walks

View current GPS location of walkers here.

Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ (Bassett Creek) Nibi Walk – April 22, 2026

The Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ Nibi Walk will begin at Medicine Lake in Plymouth, MN and travel 13 miles to the Mississippi on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Community Closing Celebration

Wednesday, April 22, 2026, beginning 12:30 PM
Bassett Creek Outfall,
Located within James I. Rice Park south of Plymouth Ave N on W River Parkway, Minneapolis

Please join us for a special community celebration of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ at the conclusion of the walk.

Beginning at 12:30 we will gather in order to welcome the walkers when they arrive. Everyone is invited to witness the final steps of the walk as the water is offered to the confluence of Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ and Ȟaȟá Wakpá (the Mississippi).

There will be snacks, resource tables, and a special program of speakers and artists celebrating all the communities that intersect around Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ:

Artist Seitu Jones will talk about his artwork marking the path of the underground tunnel for Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ and growing up by the creek.
Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble will present poetry and songs
Make a seed bomb with water stewards from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
Connect with resources from the Bassett Creek Watershed District and Resilient Cities and Communities.
Learn Dakota history of the creek
More to come

All our neighbors and friends are warmly invited to this closing celebration!

How to Participate in the Walk

If you choose to participate, you must attend the orientation as the walk is in a dense urban area, criss-crosses three major highways and has approximately 40 turns. Some of the walk will be on sidewalks, some will be on the road, some will be on trails and the trails will intersect on the road. Each participant must understand the route, our protocols for walking in relay, rotating leadership, carpooling, and staying safe.

Orientation Meeting

Wednesday, April 8, 6 – 7:30 PM
Valley of Peace Lutheran at 4735 Bassett Creek Drive, Golden Valley, MN.
Participants in orientation meeting will receive further information for signing up to walk. Route map and walk specifics provided upon sign up.

This walk is organized with support from the Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

Get to know Ȟaȟá Wakpádaŋ watershed with this beautiful map.

Gulf to Itasca Nibi Walk – 2026

September – October (approx. 50 days)

We will try an experiment. There are things we know to be true but westerners need data. We will bring the water that is depleted of oxygen back from the gulf to the headwaters. We will test it when we pick it up and when we get to the headwaters to measure any change. Maryanna Harstad, my dear friend, said “That is your colonized mind thinking.” I said, “I know it will, but westerners need data.”

St. Louis River Water Walk

The St. Louis River Water Walk will begin in October 13, 2014 near Hoyt Lakes, MN and will last approximately 5 days, ending at Jay Cooke State Park. Exact route TBD.

Press Release: May 2014

MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MORE INFO:
SHARON DAY, smarieday@aol.com, 651-325-8077
CAMILLE GAGE, nibiwalk@gmail.com, 651-398-6028

SINGING TO THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER

Indigenous-led 981 Mile Ohio River Nibi (Water) Walk began Earth Day

The rivers are the arteries of the earth and they are in peril, with the Ohio River bearing the dubious distinction of being the most polluted waterway in North America.* Once beautiful and free flowing, the Ohio is now misshapen by 20 dams and made toxic from coal mining, agricultural runoff, chemical spills, and fracking waste. The recent coal slurry spills and the chemical spills at Elk River, which feeds into the Ohio, are merely the latest chapter in the ongoing plight of the River and the people who live near her shores.

Despite growing environmental awareness the challenges facing the Ohio and all of our fresh water continue to mount. Ongoing activism is crucial however we must also embark on a spiritual journey – one that will lead us to honor the water and embrace that all things are connected: that together with our lakes, streams and rivers, we will thrive or perish.

Water is life: the Nibi Walkers invite all to journey with them.

Nibi means water in the Anishinaabe language. In Anishinaabe teachings it was promised that the water would always flow down to us as long as we remembered to sing and make offerings to the water.

The Nibi Walkers believe these songs and offerings are crucial now, when the health of our freshwater is at great risk. They invite people from all walks of life to join them – in person or in spirit – on this sacred mission.

On Earth Day – April 22 – the Nibi Walkers began a 35 day, 981-mile, walk down the Ohio River. They are carrying a ceremonial copper vessel of water from the confluence of the Ohio River at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, PA to Cairo, IL, where the Ohio joins the Mississippi River. They will walk, pray, and sing daily, sun-up to sun-down, to heal and honor the River. Though steeped in Anishinaabe ritual and beliefs, people of all faiths are welcome to walk for an hour, a day, or more.

“We want the Walk to be a prayer,” says Sharon Day, the leader of the Ohio River walk. “Every step we take we will be praying for and thinking of the water. The water has given us life and now we will support the water.”

To learn more about the Ohio River Nibi Walk visit www.nibiwalk.com.

Sharon Day, the Anishinaabe elder leading the Ohio River Nibi Walk, is available for interviews. Please contact her directly at the number listed above. Photo of Sharon Day with Eagle Staff by Camille J. Gage; high resolution file available on request.

^*A 2012 report of Environment America Research and Policy Center states that the Ohio is North America’s most polluted river, with approximately 32,111,718 pounds of toxic discharge entering the waterway annually*

Press Release
MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MORE INFO: SHARON DAY, smarieday@aol.com, 651-325-8077 CAMILLE GAGE, nibiwalk@gmail.com, 651-398-6028

SINGING TO THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER
Indigenous-led 981 Mile Ohio River Nibi (Water) Walk begins April 22, 2014

MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day, 9 to 10AM Water Steps at North Shore Riverfront Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Water is life: the Nibi Walkers invite all to journey with them.

Nibi means water in the Anishinaabe language. In Anishinaabe teachings it was promised that the water would always flow down to us as long as we remembered to sing and make offerings to the water. (Continued next page) The Nibi Walkers believe these songs and offerings are crucial now, when the health of our freshwater is at great risk. They invite people from all walks of life to join them – in person or in spirit – on this sacred mission.

Beginning on Earth Day – April 22 – the Nibi Walkers will begin a 35 day, 981-mile, walk down the Ohio River. They will carry a ceremonial copper vessel of water from the confluence of the Ohio River at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, PA to Cairo, IL, where the Ohio joins the Mississippi River. They will walk, pray, and sing daily, sun-up to sun-down, to heal and honor the River. Though steeped in Anishinaabe ritual and beliefs, people of all faiths are welcome to walk for an hour, a day, or more. “We want the Walk to be a prayer,” says Sharon Day, the leader of the Ohio River walk. “Every step we take we will be praying for and thinking of the water. The water has given us life and now we will support the water.” To learn more about the Ohio River Nibi Walk visit http://www.nibiwalk.com.

Sharon Day, the Anishinaabe elder leading the Ohio River Nibi Walk, is available for interviews. Please contact her directly at the number listed above. Photos available on request.

* A 2012 report of Environment America Research and Policy Center states that the Ohio is North America’s most polluted river, with approximately 32,111,718 pounds of toxic discharge entering the waterway annually*

Press Release: April 2014

MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MORE INFO: SHARON DAY, smarieday@aol.com, 651-325-8077
CAMILLE GAGE, nibiwalk@gmail.com, 651-398-6028

SINGING TO THE SPIRIT OF THE RIVER
Indigenous-led 981 Mile Ohio River Nibi (Water) Walk begins April 22, 2014

MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Tuesday, April 22, Earth Day, 9 to 10AM
Water Steps at North Shore Riverfront Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Water is life: the Nibi Walkers invite all to journey with them.

Nibi means water in the Anishinaabe language. In Anishinaabe teachings it was promised that the water would always flow down to us as long as we remembered to sing and make offerings to the water.
(Continued next page)
The Nibi Walkers believe these songs and offerings are crucial now, when the health of our freshwater is at great risk. They invite people from all walks of life to join them – in person or in spirit – on this sacred mission.

Beginning on Earth Day – April 22 – the Nibi Walkers will begin a 35 day, 981-mile, walk down the Ohio River. They will carry a ceremonial copper vessel of water from the confluence of the Ohio River at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, PA to Cairo, IL, where the Ohio joins the Mississippi River. They will walk, pray, and sing daily, sun-up to sun-down, to heal and honor the River. Though steeped in Anishinaabe ritual and beliefs, people of all faiths are welcome to walk for an hour, a day, or more.
“We want the Walk to be a prayer,” says Sharon Day, the leader of the Ohio River walk. “Every step we take we will be praying for and thinking of the water. The water has given us life and now we will support the water.”
To learn more about the Ohio River Nibi Walk visit HYPERLINK “http://www.nibiwalk.com” www.nibiwalk.com.