SuitabookThe Water Walker
Joanne Robertson
- Reading
- Read the glossary and pronunciations alongside the story, pausing to distinguish the person’s biography from the book’s wider call to protect water. Afterwards, map the places named or discuss one respectful local action.
- Themes
- Respect for water: Water is presented as essential to life, worthy of gratitude and requiring protection from pollution and waste. The book clearly advocates respectful care for water and frames this as a responsibility extending to future generations.
- Collective action: Josephine Mandamin gathers women friends and leads extended water walks to raise awareness and encourage action. Persistent, collaborative public action is presented positively as a way of drawing attention to a shared concern.
- Anishinaabe language and worldview: Ojibwe words, pronunciations, names for places and cultural explanations accompany the story of the Water Walkers. The presentation treats the language and worldview as meaningful parts of the story rather than decorative additions.
- Worth knowing
- Be ready to explain that prayers, songs, sacred tobacco, the copper pail and the eagle staff are presented within an Anishinaabe water-walking tradition. The book also discusses pollution, waste and water’s vulnerability.