Elizabeth (Liz) Osawamick (Giniw Miigwan) is Anishinaabe/Ojibwe/Odawa from Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin Island and now resides with her family in Hastings, Ontario. She is a respected Anishinaabe Kwe and Indigenous Knowledge Carrier. She teaches Anishinaabemowin at the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University and serves as President of Anishinaabemowin Teg.
Her family’s history is deeply rooted in resilience—her mother, three sisters, and several aunts and uncles attended the Residential School in Spanish, Ontario. Liz is a Nokomis (Grandmother), a Midewiwin-kwe community leader, a Jingle Dress Dancer, and a dedicated Water Walker. Inspired by the late Nokomis Josephine Mandamin-ba, Liz leads Water Walks in the Kawartha Lakes region under the guidance of her late aunt and Elder, Dr. Shirley Ida Williams.
For the past sixteen years, Liz has Walked for the Water across the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga) territories of the Kawartha Lakes, joined by her family and fellow Anishinaabe-kwewag and niniwag. Her life’s work is a testament to her unwavering commitment to her people, her language, and the protection of land and water.
Elizabeth (Liz) Osawamick
