Embera Nation

Shot with D

History of the PEACE & DIGNITY The vision of our people has compelled us to provide a vehicle that will enable our peoples to reconnect to one another through the Sacred fire and strengthen our connection to our Father and Mother the Great Spirit, Mother Earth. Peace & Dignity Journey is the vehicle we have provided. The Journey never ends. In 1989 a group of indigenous people in Chicago were concerned with the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor time that was nearing. This time was marked and recorded on the Sacred Stone Calendar of the Mexico People. The Calendar has time spans of 52 year cycles. The last cycle was nearing his end on October 12, 1992. The new cycle began October 13, 1992. Within this new cycle would be a time of rebirth of consciousness amongst the two-legged and the Eagle and Condor Prophecies would be manifested in this time. The formation of a confederation that would serve towards the spiritual reconnecting of our Sacred Fires was the topic of many dialogues. The call by many contemporary elders and spiritual leaders to return to the original ways was being heeded by many young peoples. They began their Journeys to heal themselves and increase their understanding of the sacred ways and ceremonies. We learned about the responsibility and risks many of the spiritual leaders took to protect this way of life that come under attack by the invasion and holocaust of our ancestors over 500 years ago. Not one indigenous nation today can claim that their Original way of life was not thwarted, repressed or banned in some way by the Nation States. So we move forward as we are accountable to Grandfather, Grandmother and the instructions of our ancestors. While the dialogues continued some people had the idea of making an intercontinental prayer that would coincide with the timing of the cyclical change. Spiritual running would be the method by which this prayer could be accomplished. ...Two arrows left to unite October 12th 1992 in the sacred city of Teotihuacán, Mexico. One left from Alaska and the other from Macchu Pichu, Peru. People like Wallace Black Elk, Harble Looking Horse, Aurelio Diaz, Leonard Crew Dog, Francisco Himenez-Tlakaelet, Chapito and many others have been the spiritual leaders of this sacred event. Peace & Dignity Journeys Confederation of the Eagle and Condor Coordinating Council Building a confederation takes time. It can not happen over night or even in the activity of one or two runs. It takes dedication of those involved to work year round to make sure all steps pass through the Sacred Fires. It is not merely the method of holding a meeting. We are not an advisory council but the decision making body for the Peace and Dignity Journeys mandate ...We have a long way to go towards being human again. It means having compassion and love for our people that stretches beyond nation, tribe, border, color and gender. It means stretching our under- standing, patience, courage, endurance and alert- ness. It means having discipline within ourselves and our work. No one after 500 years of misery is all holy or all healed. We are lucky that we have in this lifetime many teachers and spiritual interpreters of many nations that are helping us. They are getting on in years and we have lost some great ones. Some have given and never received and they need prayers and healings too. We will give our people a chance to walk with us in this work. We do not make decisions based on who is famous or renewed by some, but by who has the will and the integrity to do this work. Remember we are in a healing process of decolonization and are not looking for some great leader to come out of the sky and tell us what to do. We understand that the original instructions given to us by the Great Spirit have always been here and this is what we follow. Our spiritual interpreters help us to understand these instructions via the ceremonies... In 1992, 1996 the spiritual Runs of Peace & Dignity were realized and it is going to be realized again in the year 2000. Come and run with us the prayer for PEACE & DIGNITY here on Mother Earth To honor the old spirits of the continents, the land, to unify the different nations, to meet our own peace and dignity, to heal our selves, to share the prayer Purpose of Peace and Dignity Journeys: Through the process of spiritual running, Peace and Dignity Journeys aims to: • Organize spiritual runs to heal our nations through prayer from the effects of colonization.

Sacred Stone calendar Runners for Dignity Children planting a tree along the way Traditional Instrument Teotihuacán in Mexico Wallace Black Elk on the last day '92 Francisco Himenez-Tlakaele Leonard Crow Dog Aurelio Diaz Runners for Peace Fireworks at a Fiesta on Tour in Mexico '92

• Honor
our elders and traditional people

• Honor
Indigenous children, women and

future
generations

• Remember
all of our ancestors

• Continue
the struggles of those that resisted

invasion
and colonization before us

• Promote
peace, justice, respect, and dignity

between
all people

• Honor
the sacredness of Mother Earth

• Create
vehicles for cultural exchanges between

Indigenous
Nations in which art, dance,

music, and
ceremonies can be shared and

respected

•
Celebrate the strength, survival, and self-

determination
of indigenous peoples and our

ability to
preserve our languages, cultures,

and
spirituality for over 500 years

The
Prophecy of the

Eagle
and the Condor

PEACE
AND DIGNITY

JOURNEYS
2004

In 1990
over 200 representatives of

native
nations from throughout Turtle Island

(South,
Central and North America) met in

Quito, Ecuador
to discuss, strategize, and take

action on
issues affecting Indigenous People.

Elders
representing the Northern, Central, and

Southern
regions of the continent discussed the

prophecy
of the Eagle and the Condor. This

prophecy
supports the goal of all indigenous

people and
nations uniting after centuries of

colonization.

Inspired
by this prophecy, elders proposed

Peace and
Dignity Journeys as a way to realize

this
unification. Through spiritual running and

networking,
indigenous peoples as a united

force,
from all over Turtle Island can reclaim

peace and
dignity by honoring indigenous

values,
ways of life, and current struggles of

resistance
to modern colonization.

Peace and
Dignity Journeys conducted its

first
intercontinental journey in 1992 to honor

500 years
of resistance and survival of Native

peoples
through invasion, colonization, and

genocide.
Four years later, the 1996 journey

honored
youth and children. The 2000 journey

honored
the family, and the 2004 journey will

honor
women.

How can
my community

get
involved?

Peace and
Dignity Journeys is committed to the

healing of
our Nations. Therefore, we organize

to bring
the sacred staffs to as many Native

communities
as possible. Hosting the run gives

communities
a chance to work together, participate

in the run
and the ceremonies that occur

when the
run arrives in communities.

If the run
does not pass through your community,

your
community is encouraged to organize

a
tributary route that joins with the main Peace

and
Dignity route.

If your
community would like to host the sacred

staffs and
the runners, or if you would like to

organize a
tributary run, please contact the

coordinators
as soon as possible.

How to
support:

Peace and
Dignity Journeys takes place every

four
years, but planning and preparing for the

Journeys
is a year-round process. In order to

prepare
for the 2004 run, individuals and communities

can do the
following:

Fundraise

Individuals
who plan on running for a long

period of
time are encouraged to fundraise to

prepare
for his or her own journey. Communities

are also
encouraged to fundraise in order to

prepare to
host the runners. Also, anyone who

wants to
support can fundraise and donate to

the
general fund for the entire continental run.

Organize
Local Runs

Organizing
runs in your local community helps

raise
awareness about Peace and Dignity Journeys.

It also
gives your community a chance to

spiritually
prepare for the run.

Attend
a Gathering

Each year
Peace and Dignity Journeys hosts intercontinental

gatherings
in which elders, youth,

runners,
spiritual leaders, organizers, and other

community
members come together to share and

plan for
the next run. In the past, gatherings

have been
held at the Oakanagan Nation in

British
Columbia (2001) and at DQ University

in
California (2002). Time and place for

the 2003
gathering will be announced at a

later
date.

How can I
become

a runner?

Peace and
Dignity Journeys is open to runners

from
across the continent. Youth and elders,

women and
men are all invited to participate.

People may
run for one day or as long as the

entire
length of the journey. Runners represent

their
nations and communities, and they are

expected
to conduct themselves as warriors.

Because
the run is a sacred ceremony, runners

must
abstain from drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity

while on
the journey. If you are interested

in
participating as a runner, please contact local

coordinators
as soon as possible.

Northern
Route:

Alaska
to Panama

Southern
Route:

Tierra del Fuego,
Argentina to Panamá

The month
of October 2004 The Northern runners were greeted by

representatives of the
NgobeBugle Nation at the border between

Costa Rica and Panama. Farther along
the run nearing Panama City the runners were officially greeted by the
Governer, Tilila Valdespino, of the Embera and Wounaan Nation. The Southern
runners traveled through the Kuna Nation (Kuna Yala) as they departed Colombian
territory on their way up towards the City of Panama. So it was that both the
runners from the South and the runners from the North came
to the Holy Land of
Panama where representatives of what was and is the United Nations of Indigenous
Peoples of Panama: Bri Bri, Bugle,Dorace,
Embera, Kuna, Naso, Ngobe, Teribe, Waunaan.

The day of the 27^th
marks the time, on the Bridge of The Americas

spanning the Panama Canal, that
after 500 years of oppression the Southern and Northern First Nations, the
Eagle and the Condor,

were united again.

After
this historic event the runners continued on to a point of land below the
bridge on the opposite side of Panama City. Here in sacred circle of more
than
300 Holy staffs around the Sacred Fire were performed non stop rituals and ceremonies for three nights and four days to heal the wound of our Mother Earth
for

what has been done by the making of the Panama Canal. The wounding which broke the back of the inter continental divide altering the flow of energy from
North to South and South to North is now healing. God bless for this.

Now is the time that we are preparing the way for the 2008 run which
will again meet in the Holy Land

Lucindo Gomez

Coordinator for Peace and Dignity Journeys
Panama

kualakua@yahoo.com

Shot with

Raymond Hermenet

panamayogacentre@yahoo.com

Peace
and Dignity Journeys 2008- Requesting contacts in Canada

We are
currently in the process of organizing the 2008 Peace and Dignity Journeys.
Again, the northern group will run from Alaska to Panama where we will meet
up with the Southern group, who will beging from the bottom of Argentina (Tierra del
Fuego). This ceremonial run is a manifestation of the Prophecy of
the Eagle and the Condor, which calls for the Indigenous Peoples from
throughout Abya Yala (North, Central, and South America) to RE-Unite as one.

This time around there will be several new routes added to the prayer. We are
seeking contacts for the route that will be traveling down from Alaska,
tsoutheast through Yukon, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. From
there, the route will enter into the US and head south. We are planning on
linking this route to the others in early August in Sonora, Mexico.

From
there we will run until we meet the southern runners at the Panama Canal on
November 17. Again, we are currently seeking contacts in Canada. The run will
begin May 1, 2008. If you have any leads, please let me know.

I have attached a link to a map that shows more or less where this route will
travel.

Tlazo,

Jose Malvido

Peace and Dignity Journeys

Northern Coordinator

www.peaceandignityjourneys.com

Whitehorse, Yukon to to Winnipeg Manitoba 3,293 kilometers

http://www.google.com/maps?saddr=Whitehorse,+YT,+Canada&geocode=&daddr=Manitoba&f=d&sll=60.760501,-135.

043945&sspn=0.140532,0.462799&ie=UTF8&ll=54.059388,-117.773437&spn=43.925271,118.476563&z=3&om=0