A Guelph man is joining three other lifelong Tragically Hip fans this weekend to retrace the steps of Chanie Wenjack.
Wenjack was an Ojibwa youth who died of exposure in 1966 after running away from a residential school in Kenora in an attempt to find his way back to his home 600 kilometres away.
His story, and the injustice of the residential school system as a whole, were the focus of Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie's recent solo project Secret Path.
Guelph's Jason Lafave, 36, is part of the #walkforwenjack charity effort that includes Stacey Barker, Terri Manko, Rob Ferreira, three fellow Tragically Hip fans from Southern Ontario that he met a few years ago on a fan message board.
Lafave saw his first Tragically Hip concert in 1992 in Sudbury and has been to "too many to count" since.
"The whole process has been humbling, to be honest. This is not about us, this is about them," Lafave said of the plight of First Nations people and the injustice of the residential school system.
Last May, when news of Downie's terminal illness came to light, a group of 25 Hip fans started a #courageforgord charity #walkforwenjack is their latest effort.
Friday they fly into Winnipeg before driving to Kenora where they will begin their two-day, 30-kilometre walk retracing Wenjack's steps. A ceremony will be held at the location Wenjack's body was found.
Members of the Wenjack family and others who attended residential schools will join the group for part of the walk.
Lafave said the walk isn't about drawing attention to them, but to Wenjack's story and the residential school era and the repercussions of it that are still felt.
"All of us that are walking had the opportunity to see Gord Downie's Secret Path show in Toronto and Ottawa and we were really moved by the performance and particularly the story," says Lafave.
"We felt that it was time that we did something and that people needed to be more aware of the help and awareness that needs to be raised for the purpose of reconciliation."
The group asked for and received the blessing of the Wenjack family and the First Nations of the area.
"We're not walking for them or doing this for anybody, but we're walking with them and taking their lead. It's more of a learning process for us and to help raise awareness, hopefully giving others a chance to learn."
The group will be doing online live feeds while on the walk.
Funds raised through the walk will go to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.
Gord Downie's brother Mike called the #walkforwenjack group "an army of virtuous believers spreading the seeds of reconciliation and national progress - with excellent taste in music".
Lafave said recognizing the hurt that has gone on in the north both past and present is something that needs to be talked about.
"People knew what was going on but it's almost like a blind eye was turned," Lafave said.
"It's important people know what went on."
More information on #walkforwenjack can be found at www.facebook.com/walkforwenjack.
