The Mother Earth Water Walk, Eastern Direction: This Native American Ceremony started in Machiasport on Saturday, May 7 to raise awareness of the life force of water, and our need to respect water in our culture. The route the walkers used to traverse Maine included the towns of Ellsworth, Bangor, Skowhegan, Stratton, and Coburn Gore. They continued on into Quebec. By June 12 they will meet walkers from the 3 other directions of North America in Bad River, Wisconsin.
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Walkers use a relay system to move the water forward. In Maine, the walkers covered between 40 and 60 miles a day, starting at 3:30a.m. and walking until around 7p.m. A pair of people walk about three telephone poles and then hand over the Eagle Staff and the Water to the next walkers.
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From the early morning ceremony to start the Water moving, it must continually move forward until the “touch down” ceremony where we ask the tobacco to sit and wait for the Water to come back and start moving again. The Water always moves in front of or beside the Eagle Staff. The Eagle Staff, or “little boy”, is watching over the Water and is protecting the ceremony. As we walk with the Water, we sing to it and pray to it. Water is the substance of all Life.
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Josephine and Liam were a walking pair. Here they just finished walking, and they will drive up to the front of the line to wait again for the Water and the Eagle Staff to come for them to walk again. Children and Elders are especially encouraged to participate in the Water Walk.
For more information about the Walk, or the see where the walkers are right now, scroll down on this page and check out our initial posting about the Mother Earth Water Walk coming to Maine! Miigwech! (Thank you!)
