Reflections of the Great Lakes, part 1: The Lake Is singing My Song
- zhaawano
- 3 hours ago
- 14 min read
- An Excerpt from the Original Post of 2011
Miskominike Giizis (Raspberry-Picking Moon)/Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon), September 2, 2026
Boozhoo!
Inspired by a unique, deep, and turbulent love story that was born in 2012 and turned into fire on the shore of Lake Superior in 2015, I share today a story of the spirit of Nibi the water and Gichigamiin the Great Lakes, of the thirteen Omàmiwinini Anishinaabe grandmothers and the revival of the ancient Mide water song, and, last but not least, of the late Josephine Mandamin and the Mother Earth Water Walkers. My story today is a story of tradition, dedication, love, and hope, aiming to honor the spirit and legacy of our People and our Ancestors and the life-giving power of Nibi itself, which nurtures us all.
In summary, today's story revolves around nibi gaa-bimaaji'iwemagag, which means the water that gives life, and is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Nookomis (Grandmother) Josephine Mandamin, of the Ojibwe Anishinaabe catfish clan (February 21, 1942 - February 22, 2019).
"She Walked for Nibi, the Waters"
"AT THE LAKE SINGING OUR SONG"
"Jiigewe’am naawij, nagawawin jiimaan,
Bimaawadaaso wiijiiw giigoonh, bineshiinhyag,
Megwe digowag, megwe anwaatin ge.
Nagamowin nibi nagamon,
Agamiing nagamawin nagamon."
"Paddling along on the lake in our canoe,
Traveling along with the fishes, the birds,
Among the waves, in calm waters too.
Singing our water song,
At the lake singing our song."
–Ojibwe Anishinaabe Lake Chant
A SHARED ANCESTRY
For six centuries or more, the Great Lakes basin, whose abundant waters, ebbing and flowing with the seasons, feed into the North American continent and the Atlantic Ocean, has been the home of our distant ancestors, who for generations have lived close to the water’s edge to survive.
Since the days when these Algonquian speaking immigrants first came to this region of bountiful freshwater lakes and islands and rivers and forests, its waters have nourished many generations of the People, physically as well as spiritually.
Along with water, all kinds of fish species, turtle spirits, snakes, muskrats, water birds, mermen and mermaids, underwater panthers, and a myriad of other water creatures, play a central role in the traditional narrations andcreation storiesfor several Anishinaabe Nations that surround the Lakes.
From time immemorial, these proud Lake People with a shared ancestry go by the names of:
Ojibweg (Ojibwe),
Misizaagiwininiwag (Mississauga),
Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi),
Odaawaag (Odawa),
Omàmiwininiwak (Algonquin),
Odishkwaagamiig (N'biising, Nipissing), and
although a distinct indigenous people with their own unique language and cultural identity: Mamaceqtaw (Menominee).
NIBI, SPIRIT OF THE WATER
In the blog series titled "REFLECTIONS OF THE GREAT LAKES," my goal is to honor and encapsulate the essence, beauty, and majesty of GICHIGAMIIN, the Great Seas of the Anishinaabe People, through fine art images and distinctive jewelry creations. This vast natural treasure was once esteemed, revered, and held sacred, yet today it is often underappreciated by many...
Over many decades, the lakes' ecosystem has been heavily exploited and mistreated by commercial fishing and timber companies, power plants, various international chemical and oil corporations, and the tourism industry.
I believe that because life is impossible without water, we should never take for granted the waters of the Great Lakes, as well as the water in wells, inland lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans. Nibi is more than just an element; it is a spirit that offers us beauty, growth, and generosity. Nibi gives us peace. It's time we acknowledge our obligation to Nibi and appreciate her significance in both our hearts and minds.
We need to embrace our duties and rediscover how to honor the waters.
ORIGIN AND PRONUNCIATION OF THE WORD 'NIBI'
Nibi, which is Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) for water, depending on the region, is pronounced, nih-BEH or ni-PIH. The first pronunciation can be heard among the Nakawe-Ojibweg (Saulteaux) of western Ontario while the latter is favored by Ojibweg in, for example, Minnesota.
A few years ago my friend Michel Sutherland from Fort Albany, Nishnawbe-aski in Northeastern Ontario, related to me the following dibaajimowin (true life story) about the etymology of the word nibi. According to thisMaskekowak(Swampy Cree) story, the word nibi derives from the old form b'he; later on, throughout time, it evolved in "nibi": Niin, or ni= my; b'he = water. My water.
"My uncle and I, in 1981, went spring goose hunt, 8 kilometers south from our community. He watched my careful meditations in the mornings, all day, and in the evenings, I was not aware that was what he was doing, but sharing life together was what we were doing. After his long walk, kneeling down near the wood stove I handed him a cup of water. Quietly staring at the stove, he said, water is life. You are water, everything around us is made of water, touch a tree as you would touch your own body, it is solid but this these containers carry water, this what our ancestors believe. Now-a-days, we say 'Nibi' or 'Ni'pi' for water, but in the old days when our ancestor wore no clothing but a strap and a breach called water 'B'he' and I tried to pronounced it 'Pi' or 'Pe' and he said no, not that way and again pronounced it properly 'B'he,' later on , in the time, after we met the White people is when we started to say 'Ne'b'he' to mean: my water. Then later, it was pronounced 'Ni'pi.'"
In Ojibwe Anishinaabe culture, Nibi Gaa-bimaaji'iwemagag translates to "The Water That Gives Life." The verb root is bimaaji', meaning "save her/his life, rescue her/him, give someone life." It can be broken down into bim- (along in space or time, by), -aad- (way of being or life; one's character or nature), and -' (cause someone or something to be or to act). The literal translation of the verb bimaaji'iwe is (s)he saves (people). The Ojibwe word for "life" is bimaadiziwin; when analyzed, the word consists of /bimaadizi-/ the stem of the verb bimaadizi ((s)he lives, is alive); /-win/ [noun forming final]. Bimaadiziwin is often used in the sense of "conduct for living."
NIBI WAABOO, THE WATER SONG
Gichi-nibi, meaning Great Water, is translated as "Sacred Water Circle." This term represents the natural cycle of life. Nibi, the water, sustains all living beings. Giganoonigonaa nibi: the water speaks to us, is a phrase from Anishinaabemowin, the beautiful Anishinaabe language. Nibi nourishes manoomin, the wild rice, and supports the environment where the Anishinaabeg and Ininewak reside. The nii'inaa ikwewag (women of the Anishinaabe Nation) serve as the guardians of the Gichi-Nibi, the sacred water circle. This belief arises from the idea that Anishinaabekweg have a closer connection to natural cycles than ininwag (men). This connection is exemplified by women during their menstrual cycle, linking them to aki miskwi (the blood of the Earth), which is nibi, the water. As a result, Anishinaabekweg possess the connection, knowledge, and ceremonies to bless and purify the waters.
A significant element of the ancient water ceremony is known as "MIDE WAABOO" (literally; Mystical (Sacred) Medicine Water). During this ceremony, a song called NIBI WAABOO or WATER SONG (literally: My-Water Liquid) is sung. A Midewikwe (a female member of the medicinal, spiritual, scientific, and philosophical society of the Anishinaabe Peoples, the MIDEWIWIN) holds the water in a vessel made of sacred copper, while the water song is sung by the Midewaanikweg (Sacred Water Line women) present.
During the prayer, the spirit of water is invoked, and a small portion of nibi is distributed among all participants of the ceremony. The water transforms from being merely nibi to being recognized as MIDE-WAABOO: sacred medicine water.
Water songs can be sung at each new moon or even daily to bless the spirit of the water. This can occur at lake shores, riverbanks, wells, the great ocean, or even at your kitchen sink: anywhere water is present. Traditionally, during the NIBI WAABOO performance, a ceremonial staff is used, and specific teachings are shared. Women in a circle play clapper sticks made of white birch bark, as was done in the past, before the hand drum became available to women.
After a period of one hundred and fifty years during which the NIBI WAABOO had been dormant—and perhaps not performed at all—a group of women from the Omàmiwininiwak or Algonquin First Nation in Quebec decided to revive the NIBI WAABOO. Among the participants of the ceremony, which took place in February 2002 at the Kitigan-zibi reserve, were Omàmiwinini (Algonquin) women and women of mixed heritage, thirteen in total. These thirteen women represented all women of the four races of the world.
One of the women was a grandmother who in 1998 had received a vision of the ancient Nibi Waaboo. After having followed a four year-lasting spiritual journey in order to bring the rebirth of the ceremony to completion, she decided to remain anonymous. Since then the other twelve participants are the guardians of the ceremony, charged with passing on the ceremony to all the women of the world.
The MIDE WAABOO is particularly held each year at the thirteenth moon - which is the moon at the end of February/March. It is established that the water song, like all women's ceremonies, shall be sung at the new moon and only by women. It is to be sung one time for each of the seven directions - east, south, west, north, the skies, the earth, and within oneself. According to the vision of the Omàmiwinini grandmother that led to the renewed water song ceremony, thirteen grandmothers stood on the ice of a lake in order to absorb the teachings from the water under their feet.
The words of the nibi waaboo song are so sacred that, although it is considered crucial for the song to be shared globally, they should not be shared online. As a result, we will not disclose the song's lyrics in my blog.*
Perhaps someday–given that I am an artist–I will craft my own rendition of the image of the thirteen grandmothers standing on the ice during the original water ceremony, whether it be a painting, a pencil drawing, or a piece of jewelry...
I welcome any additions, corrections, or suggestions to enhance the above explanation of the water song ceremony.
* A more recent version of the Water Song is recounted by Menasekwe (Beatrice Jackson) of the Ojibwe Migizi doodem. This song, known as Nibi Nagamowin, was composed by Waabanikwe (Doreen Day) of the Ojibwe Waabizheshi doodem at her grandson's request. It is performed like a lullaby and does not involve the use of clapper sticks, shakers, or hand drums. The lyrics of the Nibi Nagamowin are available for sharing without any limitations; click here to listen to the song.
Click here to view order details of the book The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson
Since 2016, each year a Rally takes place to Protect the Great Lakes from Enbridge’s Line 5 pipelines, which lie on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac just west of the Mackinac Bridge. About 23 million gallons of oil flow through the twin, 20-inch, pipelines daily.
A rupture of the Line 5 oil pipelines would be a worldwide catastrophe. Baawitigo-Anishinaabekweg (women’s) voices from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians propose and lead the efforts to organize this peaceful, yearly rally in opposition to the continued use of the pipelines. Traditionally, a water ceremony is held in the early morning.
"We as Anishinaabe kwe are protectors of our sacred water. We as grandmothers and mothers have a responsibility to our children to do everything we can for the future of our resources and lifeblood. This is a grassroots effort led by women members of the Sault Tribe to protect and educate about the dangers we face when our water is threatened. We gather humbly, yet assertively, and commit ourselves to that protection that is needed today and always.”
ORIGIN OF THE MOTHER EARTH WATER WALK
Reflecting on a prophecy by Three Fires Midewiwin Elder Edward Benton Binesi, predicting that by 2030 an ounce of water will be as valuable as an ounce of gold, Thunder Bay-based Elder Josephine Mandamin, a member of the Anishinaabe Awaazisii doodem (the Ojibwe Catfish Clan) from Manitoulin Island, embarked on a sacred walk with a pail of the sacred copper filled with water in one hand and an eagle feather staff or a bear staff in the other, a journey that will be remembered by many generations to come. For decades, Josephine earned high praise and deep respect by walking over 25,000 kilometers around each of the Great Lakes–a distance nearly half the earth's circumference. Ogimaa-Nibi-Ogichidaakwe (Chief Water Warrior Woman) Josephine is globally recognized as the “Water Walker.”
In 2003, she and her sister Melvina Flamand-Trudeau from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation Reserve on Manitoulin Island started the Mother Earth Water Walk to pray for the health of water and raise awareness about the need to protect Nibi and Manoomin, its sacred grass (wild rice).
What began as an impromptu suggestion from one of Josephine’s friends during an informal women's gathering in her living room evolved into the Mother Earth Water Walk grandmothers taking steps to raise public awareness about the importance of protecting nibi. Each walk serves as a prayer for life; for Nibi the water, for Mother Earth, for the trees, the animals, the birds, the insects, and for us, all the two-legged beings. By walking the perimeter of all five Gichigamiin, the Great Lakes, each year around spring, the walkers highlight the significance of preserving water quality and quantity, helping people understand that water is life. A crucial aspect of their message is to increase awareness about pollution, laws, and issues affecting fresh water, such as the risks of fracking and oil pipelines. From 2003 to 2019, the Mother Earth Water Walkers covered distances greater than the entire length of the St. Lawrence Seaway, walking from all four coasts of North America.
WATER WALKERS AND WATER LINE WOMEN
"The Nibi Water Walks are based in Ojibwe Anishinaabe Ceremonial Water Teachings. The reason Water Walkers walk is to honor the rivers and all water and to speak to the water spirits so that there will be healthy rivers, lakes and oceans for our ancestors in the generations to come.
Ninga izhichige nibi onji–Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) for “I will do it for the water.” Water Walkers say this phrase whenever they pass the water–both the person giving the water and the person receiving the water say it."
The first Annual Women’s Water Walk took place in April 2003. Several women from different Anishinaabe odoodemag (Ojibwe clans) came together to raise awareness that the water of the fresh water lakes of Anishinaabe Aki is being polluted by chemicals, vehicle emissions, motor boats, sewage disposal, agricultural pollution, leaking landfill sites. The Annual Women’s Water Walk was chosen for spring because spring is a time for renewal, regrowth, and rebirth.²
Men and Women are and have been involved in many parts of the Mother Annual Mother Earth Water Walk; ininiwag (men) eventually came forward and helped Josephine to carry the Eagle Feather staff, and are presently helping out in many more ways. Anishinaabewininiwag, the men of the Nation are traditionally caretakers of the Fire and are supposed to know everything about the responsibility that stems from the spiritual teachings of the Anishinaabeg, but it is always Anishinaabekweg (the women) who carry the water in copper pails, as watching out for the health of nibi is their spiritual responsibility.
Nowadays the pails containing the water are typically made from ozaawaabiko-zhooniyaa, the sacred copper; this metal, which used to be mined in Gichigami (Lake Superior) by our ancestors, has long been respected by Anishinaabe peoples for their purifying qualities. The metal, which holds various spiritual and symbolic meanings in connection with water, has always been regarded as a beneficial gift from the water spirits that dwell the underworld of the lakes and is therefore deemed extremely sacred.
Along the way, Josephine Mandamin, whose vision, actions, and message testified of a tremendously intense commitment to, and a deep level of understanding of, the Seven Grandfather Teachings and the principle of Anishinaabe mino-bimaadiziwin, the Ojibwe code for upright living, advised the people and the authorities that bodies of water must be given their original Native names back. The original names are embedded with instructions for water, and how it’s supposed to work she said.
“Collecting consciousness is not easy to explain. But when we are walking with the water, we are also collecting thoughts with that water. And in the collecting of thoughts, we are also collecting consciousness of people’s minds. The minds, hopefully, will be of one, sometime.”³ … We'd get up at 2:30 or 3 am, and walk until the sun goes down. We'd have an orange or fruit along the way or juice. You have to walk with a pail as if you are walking with a water stream. It's very important to keep the water moving because you've made that promise to keep it moving while you are walking. People would put us up in homes or if we had funds we'd stay in motels…”⁴
- Josephine Mandamin
Haw sa! Nookomis Mandamin's courageous example has helped to bring together more than 100 Native Nations in both Canada and the Unites States to sign the Tribal and First Nations Great Lakes Water Accord in which all pledged to work together to protect nibi and manoomin. Mandamin received several awards - among which the following may be highlighted: The Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award in 2011 and the Lake Superior Bi-National Education Award in 2004–for calling attention to water issues and contributing to the well-being and protection of Anishinaabe-Gichigami.²
In 2011, Ogimaa-Nibi-Ogichidaakwe Josephine undertook what would likely become her most ambitious journey: to gather four copper pails of water from Hudson Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean, concluding at Gichi-Anishinaabe-Gami (Lake Superior). A group of grandmothers, carrying a buffalo staff/flag, traveled from the west with water from the Pacific Ocean. Other grandmothers journeyed up from the Gulf of Mexico. In early May, Josephine’s sister Melvina from Manitoulin Island, grandmother Irene Peters of the Minisink Lenni Lenape (Munsee Delaware Nation), and others carried the eagle staff symbolizing the east, bringing water from Maine’s Atlantic Ocean. Ogimaa Nibi Nookomis Josephine, with a polar bear staff representing the north, brought arctic waters. Then, on June 12, during a Mide Waaboo (Sacred Medicine Water) ceremony, as Midewaanikweg (Sacred Water Line Women) held the water in copper vessels, a nibi waaboo water song and prayers to the spirit of nibi were offered, and a small portion of nibi was shared with those present. All the collected water from the oceans, now transformed from nibi to mide waaboo, sacred water, was then mixed into Gichi-Anishinaabe-Gami. This occurred near Bad River, Wisconsin. Nookomis Josephine remarked: “We realized the healing potential of salt water. Salt is healing, and that’s the idea of bringing that salt water to Lake Superior, as well as all the Great Lakes; the salt water will be intermingled with that.”
In 2015, the Sacred Water Walk started on June 23 in Matane, Quebec, where the eastern clans, including the Ojibweg, L'nu'k/Mi’kmaq, Peskotomuhkati, and other Wabanaki-Abenaki Nations, gathered to exchange stories about the great Ojibwe migration story of the Seven Fires. Additionally, the 2015 Sacred Water Walk aimed to impart traditional teachings regarding the People's connection to water and to increase awareness of water-related disasters like oil spills and train derailments near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.
Josephine’s incredible journey from the four directions to the great sea of the Anishinaabe Peoples is an inspirational testament to the human spirit and the life-giving power of nibi that nourishes us all. Native women from across Turtle Island (North America) have been inspired to take up Josephine’s work and walk the waters in their own communities.
"Water has to live, it can hear, it can sense what we’re saying, it can really, really, speak to us. Some songs come to us through the water. We have to understand that water is very precious…If we discontinue our negligence, we can change things around. That’s why I am really embodying the (Midewiwin) prophecy. You’ve heard of ‘Walk The Talk,’ this is why I walk."
–Josephine Mandamin
Refer to the original blog post for an in-depth and detailed narrative of Nookomis Josephine Mandamin and the Mother Earth Water Walk initiative.
FOOTNOTES:
¹ Mother Earth Water Walk Website
⁵ Indigenous Rising
THE LINKS:
ILLUSTRATIONS:
From top to bottom:
Dibik-giizis Nagamon ("Moon Song"), painting by Zhaawano Giizhik ( 2026)
Aayaanikaaj Mishoomis Zagibidooniwin ("Ancestral Reflection"), painting by Zhaawano Giizik (2025)
Agamiing Nagamowin Nibi Nagamon (" Singing a Water Song by the Lake"), painting by Zhaawano Giizhik (2025)
Illustration from the book "The Water Walker" by Joanne Robertson
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