TREATY WALK - A JOURNEY FOR COMMON GROUND, follows a group of Indigenous elders, public health care union workers, representatives of faith communities and others as they embark on a 14 day long walk. The organizers have called their journey "The Walk for Common Ground." The group departs from Edmonton, Alberta in Treaty 6 Territory with the goal of making it to Calgary, Alberta in Treaty 7 Territory. This group of determined walkers explore together what it means to be Treaty people working and living on common ground. The journey has an emotional impact on the walkers, many of who are healthcare professionals wanting to deepen their understanding of the Treaty and Indigenous ways of knowing. Through learning and living into the Natural Laws of Kindness, Honesty, Sharing, and Strength, they all walk to transform themselves and the communities they visit along the way.

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Treaty Walk (2019) and the Walk for Common Ground emerged out of conversations between Scott MacDougall (St. Paul Alberta) and Dr. Patricia Makokis (Saddle Lake Cree Nation). When MacDougall watched the film Treaty Talk - Sharing the River of Life (2018), he was inspired to take action. Scott and Patricia approached Scott's health care union with the idea of a walk. The Health Sciences Association of Alberta responded enthusiastically and provided primary support to make this walk and the film possible. 

With this walk and now a follow-up film to Treaty Talk, they hope to continue the learning journey for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People in Canada. There remains an abundant need to address the inequality and racism that Indigenous peoples in Canada face and to do so with the leadership and teachings of Indigenous Elders. This film’s story has already inspired many, becoming a symbol for what is possible in the four directions, for all our relations, across Turtle Island.  

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