Overview

Each booklet in the 2024 Canada Post Indigenous Leaders issue includes six Permanent™ stamps featuring Anishinaabe Elder and world-renowned water-rights activist Josephine Mandamin. The stamp features a portrait I photographed of Josephine, with design by Andrew Perro. A total of 600,000 stamps were produced. This release is the third set in Canada Post’s ongoing Indigenous Leaders series, which honors the achievements of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders.

About the Indigenous Leaders Series

Launched in 2022, the Indigenous Leaders series recognizes modern-day Indigenous leaders who have dedicated their lives to preserving culture and improving the quality of life for their communities. The 2024 issue celebrates three remarkable women:

• Christ Belcourt, Métis visual artist and environmentalist

• Elisapie, award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, director, producer, and activist

• Josephine Mandamin, Anishinaabe Elder and world-renowned water-rights activist

About Josephine Mandamin

Known as Grandmother Water Walker, Josephine “Biidaasige” Mandamin (1942–2019) walked more than 25,000 kilometres—including around all five Great Lakes—to raise awareness about the sacred importance of water. A residential school survivor and fourth-degree member of the Three Fires Midewiwin Society, she was born on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory (Manitoulin Island, Ontario) and lived much of her life in Thunder Bay, serving as a spiritual adviser and healer.

In 2002, she co-founded the Mother Earth Water Walk movement, encouraging communities to protect water from pollution and other threats. Between 2003 and 2017, she led walks along waterways across Canada and the United States, sharing the traditional ceremonies, songs, and teachings of her people.

Mandamin received numerous honors, including the Meritorious Service Cross and the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. Her legacy continues through the women she mentored and the ongoing community water walks inspired by her work.

About the Design

The booklet cover features my portraits of Josephine Mandamin alongside a stylized illustration of water, with the circle symbolizing the interconnectedness of water and life. Inside, the booklet includes six stamps, a quote from Mandamin, stylized water illustrations, and the copper pail she often carried during her walks.