Photo: Nishiyuu Walkers, supporters rally at Parliament

Hundreds rally on Parliament Hill during the afternoon of March 25 as the Nishiyuu Walkers end their 1,600 trek from Whapmagoostui to Ottawa. “You have led the way — not by words, but by action. You’ve inspired us,” said Chief Gilbert Whiteduck to the six walkers. The message of their journey: “to prove to other First Nations across Canada that the Cree Nation of Quebec are not sellouts, but keepers of the language, culture, tradition and more importantly; today, we still carry the sacred laws of our ancestors.” Among the speakers: walker David Kawapit, 18, of Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuaraapik, Mary Tuckatuk, the Kuujjuaraapik youth representative, and Romeo Saganash, MP for Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou. (PHOTO COURTESY OF TWITTER/R. MEARNS)