SMOKE AND HEAT FAILED TO HAULT THE HEALING CIRCLE RUN

July 30, 2026

Mille Lacs Band participants joined a seven-day, 700-mile journey uniting 10 tribal nations in prayer, healing, and remembrance.

By Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor

Through a smoke-filled haze that blanketed much of the Great Lakes region on July 15, members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe joined participants in the annual Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Healing Circle Run. The Mille Lacs Band portion began at Sandy Lake Lodge and Resort and concluding the day's route at the Fond du Lac Reservation.

Despite temperatures climbing into the 90s and air quality reaching unhealthy levels due to wildfire smoke, runners and walkers remained committed to completing the route. Participation was lower than in previous years because of the extreme conditions, and those representing the Mille Lacs Band took a slower pace while support vehicles accompanied the group to monitor participants’ safety.

Now in its annual tradition, the Healing Circle Run spans seven days and covers approximately 700 miles through the Ojibwe Ceded Territory, connecting 10 tribal nations. More than a relay, the run serves as a spiritual journey, with each step offered as a prayer for healing.

Participants run and walk in honor of themselves, their families, their communities, Aki (the Earth), and all their relatives, while also recognizing those affected by historical trauma, grief, and loss. The event brings tribal nations together in a shared expression of healing, remembrance, and hope.

The Mille Lacs Band leg of this year's run through the ceded territory spanned across the Mille Lacs Band region to Fond du Lac.

For those interested in learning more about the history and significance of the Healing Circle Run, GLIFWC has published a special supplement in its Mazina’igan newspaper, available at glifwc.org/hcr.