Here’s something you haven’t heard in the news lately: a group of Cree youth from northern Quebec are walking all the way to Ottawa in support of the Idle No More movement.
That’s a 1,500 kilometer trek through frozen Canadian tundra. The group, led by 17-year-old David Kawapit Jr., started the journey January 16th when the temperature in his hometown of Whapmagoostui was hovering around -50 degrees.
David and his friends strapped snowshoes to their feet and sleds to their backs; off they went, into the wild, together.
The group, originally made up of six youth under 20 years old and two guides, call themselves the Nishiyuu walkers. Their intent is to show government on Parliament Hill they continue to respect the sacred laws of their ancestors. And they want to unite different First Nations of the country, a goal they’ve been wildly successful in achieving. There are now over 100 trekkers on the journey: Cree, Inuit, Algonquin, Attikamek, Mi’kmaq and many more.
In a recent blog post, one walker said: The First Nishiyuu Walkers have endured snow storms and strong winds in freezing temperatures. Now, warmer days bring rain and dampness, yet the Walkers are very determined to continue this journey, regardless of blisters, wet feet and aches many experience, it is not stopping us! Many know their limits, for we take care of each other with love, respect and compassion for one another.
You haven’t heard much about these inspiring young leaders in the media. Maybe because the news has left the movement on the backburner in the name of the federal budget dropping today, or to count how many diamonds Rhianna is wearing on her new tour.
Or maybe it’s because the Nishiyuu walkers are quiet. Peaceful. I can only imagine the patience you have to have with yourself when enduring such mental and physical hardships. But it’s inevitable, too, that the walkers must have gained a communal strength that is impossible to describe in the English language.
Maybe their story is something you only know if you’re right there beside them, trudging through the forest on a pair of snowshoes.
The group is expected to arrive in Ottawa early next week. Let’s hope Stephen Harper can recognize the incredible journey they’ve been on. Let’s hope he listens— really listens— to what they have to say.
This looks brilliant. It’s a shame I’m in England, I’d love to get involved!
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