‘We want to take up space’: Northumberland Witch Walk honours women persecuted throughout history
Hundreds of people gathered in Colborne on Saturday, October 24, for the first annual Northumberland Witch Walk, an event dedicated to remembering women who were silenced, persecuted and executed for challenging the expectations and authority of their time.
Held at Victoria Square from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., the event featured music, performances, storytelling, remembrance and reclamation before participants took to the downtown streets of Colborne for a walk that brought the day to a close.
But despite the pointed references to witches, organizers emphasized that the event was not about witchcraft. Instead, it was about reclaiming a word that has been used for centuries to condemn women who stepped outside the roles society prescribed for them.
“For centuries women have been silenced, punished and persecuted for stepping outside the roles society has for them,” was the message behind the gathering.
For speaking out. For healing. For challenging authority. For possessing knowledge others feared. And for refusing to conform.
Some were called witches.
Speaking with Today’s Northumberland, organizer Kim Etherington said the event was created to honour women who had the word used against them as a weapon and who were persecuted and killed under historical witchcraft laws.
“It’s about honouring women who had the word witch used as a weapon against them and were persecuted and killed under the laws of witchcraft throughout history,” Etherington said.
The event was open to everyone, regardless of whether they identified as a witch.
Etherington estimated that approximately 90 per cent of those attending did not identify as witches, emphasizing that the gathering was about remembrance, recognition and giving a voice to women whose stories have too often been overlooked.
For Etherington, however, the word has a personal meaning.
She identifies as a witch, describing it as a spiritual path connected to nature, the balance of the Earth and living in harmony with animals and fellow human beings.
She also challenged the familiar stereotypes surrounding witches, saying the negative images commonly associated with them have helped perpetuate misconceptions.
“There are only good witches,” she said.
A small idea grows into a major gathering
What began as a relatively modest plan quickly developed into something much larger.
Etherington said the original proposal was for approximately 50 people to participate in a walking tour, stopping at five locations throughout Colborne to learn about women from history.
However, the response was immediate when the event was announced.
“We had like 250 people register in the first week,” Etherington said.
By the morning of the event, registrations had reached approximately 880.
Because the event was free, registration was not mandatory, meaning the total number of people interested in attending could have been even higher.
The overwhelming response demonstrated to organizers that the message had struck a chord.
“We knew that it really resonated with people,” Etherington said.
“I think it resonated with women right now because women have kind of had it, right?”
She said the gathering offered people an opportunity to come together, take up space and recognize the injustices women have experienced throughout history.
“We want to take up space. We want to talk about how we’ve been oppressed in history. We want to remember those women who were executed essentially,” she said.
The turnout far exceeded the original expectations, requiring organizers to revise their plans and accommodate the growing interest.
Etherington described the day as a success and said the intention was to make the Northumberland Witch Walk an annual event.
Organizers are considering holding next year’s gathering earlier in October in hopes of warmer weather, although Saturday’s conditions provided a welcome backdrop for the inaugural event.
Challenging the image of the witch
The distinctive hats and costumes worn by many participants added colour and atmosphere to Victoria Square, but Etherington said the familiar image of a witch has a much darker historical association.
The pointed hat and other traditional depictions are often treated as harmless Halloween imagery. Etherington argued that the history behind those portrayals deserves greater attention.
She described how women accused of witchcraft were subjected to prolonged torture, including sleep and food deprivation and other brutal methods, until they confessed.
The physical appearance commonly associated with witches, she explained, can be understood in the context of the suffering inflicted on those accused.
The hats worn at Saturday’s event were varied, ranging from tall and traditional designs to more understated styles, with some participants wearing their own ceremonial clothing.
For those gathered in Colborne, the clothing was part of a broader effort to challenge stereotypes and reclaim a term that has long been associated with fear, punishment and persecution.
Who was accused — and why?
Asked why women were targeted, Etherington pointed to a range of circumstances that could leave women vulnerable in societies where accusations of witchcraft carried devastating consequences.
“They were probably poor, they were widowed, they were Indigenous, they were inconvenient, they were knowledgeable, they were midwives, they were a pain in the ass,” she said.
Her answer underscored the central theme of the event: women could be targeted not simply because of what they believed, but because of who they were, what they knew or how they challenged the social order.
The Witch Walk sought to turn that history of persecution into an opportunity for public remembrance and recognition.
Rather than focusing exclusively on familiar historical figures, organizers also made room for women whose names and stories have been lost.
The afternoon included first-person presentations about five women from history for whom organizers had reliable documentation, followed by a presentation honouring unnamed women whose experiences were never adequately recorded.
The original plan to stop at five locations around town was changed as attendance grew, with the presentations instead taking place on the stage at Victoria Square before the group walk through downtown Colborne.
The inclusion of unnamed women was a reminder that historical records often preserve only a fraction of the lives affected by persecution.
For every woman whose story survives, countless others may have been forgotten.
From persecution to celebration
The first annual Northumberland Witch Walk brought together people from different backgrounds around a common purpose: remembering the women who were punished, marginalized or killed for stepping beyond the boundaries imposed on them.
What began as an idea for a small walking tour became a gathering that attracted hundreds of participants and hundreds more registrations.
As the event concluded with a walk through downtown Colborne, its message extended beyond costumes, hats and historical storytelling.
It was about the consequences of fear, prejudice and the suppression of women — and about ensuring those stories are not forgotten.
For Etherington and the organizers, Saturday’s turnout was an indication that the conversation remains relevant.
The inaugural Northumberland Witch Walk was not simply a look back at a troubling chapter of history. It was an opportunity to remember those who suffered, recognize the voices that were silenced and reclaim a word that was once used to condemn them.
And, if the response is any indication, Colborne’s first Witch Walk will not be its last.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
