Walking Gichigami - Governing Transboundary Waters: Canada, the United States, and Indigenous Communities - page 158

up over and over in this volume, has helped bring this journey to people from all
corners of the world.
Another amazing component of this journey was that people could follow the
Water Walkers virtually. With a GPS chip attached to the bucket, people could
keep pace with the Walkers, in real-time. The map of the Walkers could be accessed
(and still is available) at the website: http://emptyglassforwater.ca/map/. Fundraising
campaigns also allowed people to contribute to the cause without physically being
part of it.
This movement also motivated award-winning film-maker Jeff Bear from
Urban Rez Productions, to produce the documentary, The Water Walk . The film
follows Josephine's journey from the waters of the Salish Sea to Lake Superior
(The Western Walk). The film documents the send-off ceremony from the
Skokomish Nation, along the Olympic Peninsula, and the walk through the
temperate rainforest through to the first mountain pass. Jeff Bear describes the film
and the inspiration behind its creation:
One elder's passion is lovingly depicted in this portrait of courage,
determination and the power of water. Josephine Mandamin has spent the last
10 years on a remarkable journey on foot to raise awareness of the importance,
fragility and sacredness of water, including walking around all the Great Lakes
down to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. In 2011, Josephine embarked
on her most ambitious walk yet: to collect four pails of water from Hudson
Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, ending
at the Great Lakes. Her incredible journey from the four directions to Lake
Superior is an inspirational testament to the human spirit and the life-giving
power of water that nourishes us all.
Conclusions: lessons from the Water Walks
What do these walks mean for water governance, for transborder water governance?
What lessons can be gleaned from raising attention to these issues?
When someone starts a journey such as this, you never really know how it is
going to be received, what “measurable outcomes” will materialize. However,
like most movements, events, or even institutions, a journey starts with a vision,
a set of intentions. The original idea no doubt changes along the way, but the key
message, if clearly defined, provides guidance. In this case - raising awareness of
water issues - the success was overwhelming.
But does raising awareness lead to institutional change? To policy change? To
behavior change? By thinking of this as a cascading movement where people are
moved to do what they can, how they can , might just be enough. The stated goal of
the 2011 Mother Earth Water Walk was to “raise consciousness of the need to
care for the water, a sacred gift, the source of all life”. The Walkers ask, “What
will you do for the water?” This question places the onus of water protection not
on agencies far away, but on individuals, to do their part in whatever way they