By Rosalind Russell – Canada Post has unveiled a stamp honouring Anishinaabe Elder and world-renowned water-rights activist, the late Josephine Mandamin, who was from Manitoulin Island.
According to the release from Canada Post, known as Grandmother Water Walker, Mandamin trekked more than 25,000 kilometres to draw attention to water pollution and environmental degradation in the Great Lakes and on First Nations reserves.
Hailing from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, she began her treks in 2002 forming the Mother Earth Water Walk movement.
Another stamp features Indigenous artist Christi Belcourt of Espanola and will be unveiled next Tuesday at an event in Ottawa.
She is best known for her acrylic paintings which depict floral patterns inspired by Métis and First Nations historical beadwork art.
She was named to Espanola’s Wall of Fame, the town’s highest honour, in 2018.
The third stamp featuring Inuit Elisapie, an award-winning singer-songwriter and activist was released a week ago Friday.
The agency says this set is the third in Canada Post’s multi-year Indigenous Leaders series.
Mandamin’s life and legacy
By Rosalind Russell – Born in 1942 on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ont., Mandamin was a residential school Survivor who attended St. Joseph’s School for Girls. In 1979, she and her husband moved to Thunder Bay, where she worked providing support to Indigenous youth and to women and children escaping domestic violence.
Mandamin was a fourth-degree member of the Three Fires Midewiwin Healing Society and its Grandmothers Council, where she served as a spiritual adviser and healer. She performed healing ceremonies and taught others about Anishinaabe language and culture, and how to maintain a respectful relationship with Mother Earth. She also spent many years as the Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner.
In 2002, Mandamin and a group of other Anishinaabeg founded the Mother Earth Water Walk movement to encourage people to protect water from pollution and other threats. Between 2003 and 2017, she led walks along the shores of waterways in Canada and the United States where she sang, prayed and shared the traditional ceremonies and knowledge of her people.
Since her passing in 2019, Mandamin’s legacy lives on through community water walks and the efforts of the Anishinaabe women she mentored. Her many honours included the Meritorious Service Cross – Civil Division (2017) for her contributions to Indigenous leadership and reconciliation, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation (2015).
About the stamp
Cancelled in Wiikwemkoong, Ont. (Mandamin’s birthplace), this stamp features a photo of Mandamin.
Along the bottom of the stamp is a stylized illustration of water.
The cancellation mark is a stylized image of the ripples emanating from a droplet of water.
The dynamic rings reference Mandamin’s work to protect water, rippling outward from the centre in the same way that her legacy continues to inspire.
About the Indigenous Leaders stamp series
Launched in 2022, the multi-year Indigenous Leaders series highlights First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders who dedicated their lives to preserving their culture and improving the quality of life of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
This year, Canada Post will issue three stamps on National Indigenous Peoples Day in honour of Indigenous leaders Elisapie, Josephine Mandamin and Christi Belcourt. There are two other stamp events this month:
On Thursday, June 13, the stamp honouring Elisapie was unveiled at an event in Montréal.
On Tuesday, June 25, the stamp recognizing Christi Belcourt will be celebrated at an event in Ottawa.
The new stamps and collectibles will be available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada starting today, June 21.
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