Great Lakes region walked the Mackinac
Bridge on Labor Day.
(Photo/Dustin Meshigaud)
For the first time, the Three Fires Confederacy joined the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day, recasting it as an assertion of Anishinaabe presence and responsibility at the Straits. About 1,000 Native participants gathered at sunrise for water ceremonies on both shores, then walked behind water protectors and eagle staffs to meet over the water. Organizers emphasized that the gathering wasn’t merely a demonstration against Line 5, but a ceremony affirming that the Straits remain Anishinaabe homelands.
Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi people appeared collectively as the Three Fires Confederacy, a living regional institution carrying responsibilities to the waters, future generations, and more-than-human relatives. The Confederacy called for Line 5’s decommissioning based on treaty rights, the rights of nature, and protection of the public good.
Additional Resources
Native News Online’s report includes photographs and statements from organizers.
Turtle Talk 