Great Lakes Article:

Anishinabe Walkers Complete Historic Migration Journey

By A.J. Vanbeest

Article courtesy of the Ashland Daily Press

September 19 2001

"We were told to speak out for the things that cannot speak for themselves; for the animals, the fish, the winged ones, the plants and herbs, the water, air and the Earth. " -- Butch Stone, Migration Journey walker BAYFIELD --

The scent of burning tobacco and sage floated on the air while the beat of the Bad River Drum filled the hearts of a small group of people at the end of an enormous journey Monday afternoon. After 2,200 miles of walking, biking and educating - all the way from Burnt Church, New Brunswick to Bayfield - the 10 core participants in the Migration Journey for the Seventh Generation took the final step of their travels to Madeline Island by way of a large canoe.

The journey started July 14 and was partly a retracing of the historic migration of the Anishinabe and part environmental education campaign. "Sometimes it's good to pray, sometimes its good to physically do things," explained Tom Mattinas, a walker and spiritual advisor for the journey. "I think a lot of people across the county have received the message that the water, air and land will only take so much abuse. We have to face up to our responsibility to our little ones; no one is going to do it for us. And we have to do it in honesty and truth, because truth is life." Mattinas blamed much of the pollution problems the group saw on foreign-owned corporations operating in the U.S. "They just come and take whatever they want and leave us all the pollution," he said.

"If these companies were owned by Americans, it wouldn't be so bad. They'd be more careful because they have to live here too." Corrine Tooshkenig, a clan mother traveling with the journey, called on all people to talk to business and government leaders about pollution. "We have to tell them enough is enough," she said. "We can not afford to have this silent threat traveling through Mother Earth's veins - the water."

Another of the core members of the Migration Journey for the Seventh Generation, Kelly Kiyoshk, said people today have a tendency to get caught up in the fast pace of modern technology and forget about the truly important things in the world. "Humans are only a part of Earth's history," he said. "The Earth and sky will go on, life will go on. The planet and its life don't need us, but we need them. People need to fix their heads about how the world works."

Kiyoshk said we have a responsibility to our children and their children to leave the planet in good condition. "There is no clean water between here (Madeline Island) and the east coast," he said. "It's all polluted. I can't look into the eyes of these little kids, can't listen to them playing, without standing up and doing something about the pollution because time is running out."

Mattinas said the group stopped many places along the journey to talk to people about the ecological degradation they saw. "A lot of people were of the same mind and heart as us," he said. "They were good people who are doing things. There were other people, though, who were just too wrapped up in their lives to see what we were trying to show them. It was just too far-fetched for them to get."

Mattinas said there is still much more work to do before things are as he would like them. "We've walked 2,200 miles, but our journey has just begun." The Migration Journey for the Seventh Generation participants along with other concerned people will be on Madeline Island at the monument near the Madeline Island Marina for the rest of the week.

Today, the journey participants will talk about their experiences, the group will hold a feats, and there will be a benefit concert at Tom's Burned Down Cafe from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday will see a talking circle, a water dance at the Town Park at 5 p.m. with a feast following, then a concert at Tom's Burned Down Cafe featuring Annie Humphrey, Ron Winters, Frank Montano and Heidi Howes. On Thursday, the group will hold another feast and a Shaking Tent ceremony. On Friday, the group will again feast and have a Pow wow starting at about 3 p.m. The public is welcomed to participate in all of the events.