Land base undertaking, Journey of the Treaty
Four individuals (Path Etherington, Frances Whiskeychan, Sammy Koosees, Joseph Maurice Wesley and other walkers) have begun a journey from Cochrane, Ontario and are heading to Sudbury ON, followed by Winnipeg, before making their way to Medicine Hat, Alberta and over to the Mountains.
You may remember two of them, who led the Truth and Reconciliation walks, also known as the Reconciliation/Mushkegowuk Walkers.
This is their goal and vision for this walk:
"We are speaking the truth, from the land. As a way of establishing ourselves as the entity that speaks from our traditional values. We, the Oskapewasuk are walking our treaties, we are walking and running - in ceremony - that we began May 7, 2019.
This journey focuses on our Treaties 1 to 11. When our ancestors, knowledge keepers and Elders set into motion our relationship to Treaty and directly set forth a guarantee of access to land, to protect our way of life for future generations to come.
From our place as Ishkapowishak (Helpers) we will journey to create awareness and supply educational content in terms of what is beginning to happen to our Treaties.
The recent proposal of the Trudeau government, the 'White Paper 2.0' and Termination Agenda is another attempt to extinguish the traditional treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples."
They need our support. You can assist by:
1) Sending prayers, and positive messages and share their message with your networks
2) If you are on the route and/or know people in the various communities, reach out to them on their behalf to host the walkers in providing care! Offer a place where they can rest their heads and nourish their bodies.
3) The walkers have been walking many long days along the highways in long stretches, and are in need of new shoes, and other jogging clothes (t-shirts, jogging pants, socks, etc...), along with water, food, and etc... You may drop things off to them or find others who can.
4) You may send e-transfers and/or contribute to this GoFundMe page so that we can be supported as we carryout our walk and journey. This will allow the walkers to be fed, sheltered and purchase the necessary equipment needed on their journey.
5) Help them share their message in various communities along the route.
You can do this by reaching out to organizations, churches, institutions and letting them know the walkers want to share their message, and help coordinate the event.
6) They are walking in long stretch where there is no communities for several miles. If you can assist with transportation, pick/up and drop off, and/or volunteer to be a ground/wellness crew that checks-in on the walkers and/or sets up tents, brings meals and etc.. etc.. - They would love to hear from you!
You may follow their journey via their Facebook Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/trcwalkers/
Please share this far and wide. Every bit helps!
Let's help take care of these Elders and braves who have taken on this work to protect the treaties and walk the treaties that are vital to all of our existence onTurtle Island.
The treaties are there to protect not only the rights of Indigenous Peoples, children, grand children, great grandchildren and many that come after them... but they also are there to protect the waters, the air, the medicines, the foods, the animals and all of creation - that sustains all of us - regardless of creed, nationality and ways of being in this world.
Email-Transfersor to volunteer to be a helper by becoming part of the communication/ground crew email Francis at [email redacted].
Hyi Hyi, Miigwech
