Youth Organization Encourages Participants to Join Historic Run at Cheyenne River
On July 23-24, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® will host the 2012 Peace & Dignity Journeys runners as they made their way through South Dakota en route to their final destination in Panama.
Peace and Dignity Journeys began its spiritual runs in 1992. The run takes place every four years and starts with indigenous runners on opposite ends of North and South America. These runners continue onward for six months, running through hundreds of indigenous communities in North, South and Central America, and ultimately meet at the Kuna Nation in Panama City, Panama. Their meeting at the center of the hemisphere symbolizes the joining together of all indigenous peoples.
The Peace and Dignity Journeys run embodies the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor, which mandates that at this time all indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere shall be reunited in a spiritual way to heal their nations and work toward a better future for future generations. Participant runners and supporters work to accomplish this goal by helping each other reconnect to their respective spiritual practices and traditions; relearn their roles in the world as indigenous peoples; and embrace responsibilities to Mother Earth, Father Sky, indigenous communities and the people themselves.
During their six-month run through hundreds of indigenous communities, participants engage in spiritual practices and traditions; spark dialogue on the issue of peace and dignity for indigenous peoples; model their responsibilities to Mother Earth, Father Sky, communities and themselves; and receive each community’s prayers. These prayers and conversations are then carried to the next community, and the next, and on down the line until the runners reach the center of the hemisphere. When the runners meet at the Kuna Nation in Panama City, Panama, it symbolizes all indigenous peoples joining together in a spiritual way to manifest the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor.
The 2012 run began on April 30 in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and on May 1 in Chickaloon, Alaska. Each run is dedicated to a theme; when CRYP hosted the runners in 2008, the theme was sacred sites. This year’s event is dedicated to water.
“Water is currently under worldwide threat from contamination by toxic substances, and (it is) rapidly disappearing from natural geographic locations,” organizer Jose Malvido writes. “Water is critical and necessary to the daily life of all human beings… we must organize our communities toward a movement that will restore equal access to clean water for all, while at the same time ensuring that water does not become private property for the personal profit of the few.”
The mission of this year’s Peace & Dignity Journeys run is, he writes, to “remind all those who have forgotten the importance of water that this naturally occurring element is the shared resource of all human beings.”
CRYP staff and volunteers will welcome this year’s runners to Eagle Butte on Monday, July 23 and will treat them to an evening of prayer, food, song and dancing. The nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit, grassroots youth organization also will host a special breakfast prior to the runners’ departure on Tuesday, July 24.
“We’re delighted to host the Peace & Dignity Journeys runners again, as we did in 2008,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “The themes of the runs, going back to 1992, are common themes for all indigenous people — elders, children, family, women, sacred sites and now water. We want to do everything we can to support these dedicated runners and to help spread awareness within and beyond Indian Country.”
Garreau also noted that the runners’ visit is a wonderful opportunity to share different aspects of indigenous cultures, as the runners on this year’s Midwest route come from all over North America.
“It really is a beautiful cultural exchange,” she commented. “It’s a chance for us to come together and celebrate our differences as well as the many common threads that bind us. This will be an exciting visit for our entire community, and we’re very blessed to have the opportunity to host these runners once again. They honor us.”
Malvido was on hand for the 2008 run and plans to attend the 2012 visit as well. It is his fifth run, and he said he’s always pleased to visit Cheyenne River.
“It’s wonderful to be able to participate in ceremony and pray with the people on Cheyenne River,” he said, “and the people at CRYP are so warm and inviting. It’s important that, as indigenous people, we share our ceremonies and come together for healing in our communities, our traditions and our spiritual practices.”
Garreau said that memories of the 2008 visit remain strong among those who were there, and she observed that it was inspiring for community members to meet the runners and witness a portion of the historic run firsthand.
“I have a deep personal hope that one day, some of our young people from Cheyenne River will participate in a Peace and Dignity Journeys run,” she said. “I’m eager to see their interest in the event and in the issues increase with this year’s visit. Really, in being a part of something so much bigger, we’re planting seeds of hope.”
Peace & Dignity Journeys is a volunteer-run, grassroots organization composed of an Elders Council and volunteers of all ages from many nations. Because it is a grassroots organization, it relies on a large community of supporters for funding, supplies and organizational assistance. Those who wish to volunteer may participate as a runner for the full distance or a portion of the run (see sidebar); support runners when they are in a nearby community; organize a tributary run, attend an event or fundraiser or arrange a welcoming or planning session; or make a financial or in-kind contribution.
To become part of this historic journey, call 602-254-5230, send email to info@peaceanddignityjourneys.com or visit www.peaceanddignityjourneys.com. Jose Malvido also may be reached directly at 415-377-2502 .
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project® and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visitwww.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
Join this Historic Journey as It Makes Its Way Through the Great Plains & Southwest!
Interested in joining the 2012 Peace & Dignity Journeys runners as they make their way through the Great Plains and Southwest? CRYP Executive Director Julie Garreau said potential participants are welcome to join this historic journey as it passes through the Cheyenne River reservation in north-central South Dakota on July 23-24.
“If you’re arriving earlier than the 23rd, that’s no problem,” she advised. “We’re pleased to be hosting runners at our Cokata Wiconi Teen Center in Eagle Butte, where runners can take advantage of showers, laundry facilities, meals and a comfortable place to rest.”
Those interested in joining the run at Cheyenne River should contact Julie Garreau at (605) 964-8200 or send e-mail to julie.cryp@gmail.com.
If runners are also welcome to join the run at any point down the line:
July 23-24: Eagle Butte, SD
July 25-26: Wounded Knee, SD
July 30-31: Ethete, WY
August 5-7: Denver, CO
August 12-13: Capote Lake, CO
August 14-15: Dulce, NM
August 16-17: Taos, NM
August 18-19: Albuquerque, NM
From there, the run will continue to the Pueblo of Laguna and the Pueblo of Zuni in New Mexico; to White Mountain, San Carlos and Bowie, Arizona; to Deming and Tortugas, New Mexico; and finally to El Paso, Texas. Then it will pass into Mexico on its way to its final destination in Central America. Dates for those locations will be determined in the coming weeks.
According to Esther Acosta of the South Dakota-Colorado Run Committee, Peace & Dignity Journeys organizers are seeking runners to join the seven-plus core runners making their way through North America. The group also needs supporters to provide rest stops, lodging, meals, massages, prayers, donations and other much-needed supplies. To learn more, and to confirm final dates for all planned stops, contact Acosta at 303-477-3727 or send e-mail to esther.acosta3@gmail.com.