This article was updated to remove outdated language referring to Indigenous peoples.

Photographs by Matthew Brown / Signal Akron

Members of the Northern Cheyenne nation, drumming and dressed in regalia, led the ninth annual Portage Path Walk Sunday in Akron.

The one-kilometer trek started across the street from the Portage Path Community Learning Center and ended at the John Brown House on Diagonal Road.

The Portage Path was created by Indigenous people who populated the area for millennia before the first Europeans arrived. It is one of the oldest, most visible landmarks on the North American continent, an 8-mile trail crossing the watershed divide between the Cuyahoga River and Tuscarawas River.

Members of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, dressed in traditional regalia, dance at the head of the Portage Path Walk.
Members of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, dressed in traditional regalia, dance at the head of the Portage Path Walk as they make their way to the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.

The Portage Path was marked by the Summit County Historical Society in 1999 when sculptures at each terminus were connected by 50 markers in the shape of Indigenous broad blades along the 8-mile trail.

Akron City Council in 2018 declared the first Monday in October as “North American First People’s Day,” a day to honor Indigenous history, life and culture. It was extended by by Summit County Council to the rest of the county in April 2019.

The initiative was prompted by students at The Lippman School of Akron, which has a longstanding exchange relationship with the Northern Cheyenne Nation of Montana, according to an informational release from The Portage Path Collaborative.

Jaeleigh Fox, left, performs a traditional dance.
Jaeleigh Fox, left, performs a traditional dance with other members of the Northern Cheyenne nation at the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Burt Medicine Bull discusses the different dances members of the Northern Cheyenne nation.
Burt Medicine Bull discusses the different dances members of the Northern Cheyenne nation will be performing at the conclusion of the Portage Path Walk at the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Participants in the Portage Path Walk travel from Portage Path CLC to the John Brown House.
Participants in the Portage Path Walk travel from Portage Path CLC to the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
LaDonna BlueEye speaks at the John Brown House.
LaDonna BlueEye speaks at the John Brown House at the end of the Portage Path Walk, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Kamryn Seestheground, a member of the Northern Cheyenne nation.
Kamryn Seestheground, a member of the Northern Cheyenne nation, performs an Ojibwe jingle dance at the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Shandiin Kaline, center, dances at the front of the Portage Path Walk.
Shandiin Kaline, center, dances at the front of the Portage Path Walk alongside other Northern Cheyenne nation members, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. Kaline was nominated as this year’s Miss Norhten Cheyenne.
Attendees of the Portage Path Walk participate in a round dance at the John Brown House.
Attendees of the Portage Path Walk participate in a round dance at the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Led by Burt Medicine Bull drumming and singing from the back of a truck, the Portage Path Walk travels from Portage Path CLC.
Led by Burt Medicine Bull drumming and singing from the back of a truck, the Portage Path Walk travels from Portage Path CLC to the John Brown House, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Matt Russ, principal of The Lippman School.
Matt Russ, principal of The Lippman School, speaks with attendees gathered for the Portage Path Walk before beginning the walk, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Chuck Ayers reads a Native American land acknowledgment.
Chuck Ayers reads a Native American land acknowledgment statement before the Portage Path Walk begins, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Northern Cheyenne Nation member Burt Medicine Bull, center, leads drumming and singing.
Northern Cheyenne Nation member Burt Medicine Bull, center, leads drumming and singing from the back of a truck at the head of the Portage Path Walk, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Informational graphics discussing the Portage Path and local Native American history.
Informational graphics discussing the Portage Path and local Native American history sit in the abandoned parking lot across from Portage Path CLC for attendees of the Portage Path Walk to read before the start of the walk, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.