MNi’sota Route Map
Here’s the routemap for the 2016 MNi’sota River Water Walk.
Mni’sota River March 25 – April 1
Chippewa River Waterwalk
April 20-25
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.
Battle Creek Nibi Walk – May 24, 2025
A water walk from Battle Creek Park to the Mississippi River.
8:30 – 11:00 AM
We’ll gather at the Battle Creek Pavilion (2401 Upper Afton Rd E, Maplewood, MN 55119) for ceremony and walk the winding 2.5-mile path along Battle Creek to its end at Point Douglas Road. A free shuttle will return walkers to the pavilion, so please park near the waterpark/pavilion.
Watpa waḳaŋ (Rum River) Nibi Walk – Begins August 1, 2025
Watpa waḳaŋ (Mystic River in the Dakota language) also called the Rum River, is a small, slow river that begins in Mde waḳaŋ, (Spirit(ual)/Mystic Lake in Dakota, also called Lake Mille Lacs). It meanders 151 miles through Onamia, Milaca, Princeton, Cambridge, Isanti, and St. Francis before joining the Mississippi River in Anoka, 20 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Watpa waḳaŋ (Rum River) is a protected Wild and Scenic river in Minnesota.
A note about the river name from Wikipedia: “The current English name is a mistranslation of the one given to it by the Mdewakanton Dakota tribe. Though Watpa waḳaŋ (Spirit(ual)/Mystic River) in the Dakota language, by the late 18th-century Europeans interpreted the Mdewakanton Dakota name for the river not as “Spirit” denoting a mystical force, but instead as “spirit” denoting alcohol and ever since it has been known as the Rum River.”
The walk will last 4-5 days.
Please also be familiar with the Nibi Walk protocols.
More Ways to Support
Do you live near the river and wish to support us? Hungry walkers are always grateful for the gift of lunch. If you are interested inhelping feed the walk, contact Sharon at 651-325-8077.
This article provides a great general introduction to this water walk.
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
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. (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
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.
(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.
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*
Link for the GPS track of the Ohio River Water Walk
Please use the link below to have a more exact idea of where the water walkers are on any given day. If you are planning on walking, please see Sharon Day’s guide for volunteer walkers in our facebook group: Mississippi River Water Walk 2013
The link below will take you to our shared GPS page, which tracks the exact location of our walkers:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0oaqcs5BLymRDvfAGiECgJRMjiA8qqps8