week 5: Feb. 13-19 #1

Peace and Dignity Journeys: The Spiritual Run from Alaska to Guatemala

Speaker Hector Cerda, Fresno North America Coordinator for Peace and Dignity Journeys Organization

This was a chat and chew at the Native American House, and the second lecture that I have attended there.   I am getting a good feeling about the programming there and will keep my eyes peeled for more.

Mr. Cerda gave a background for the Peace and Dignity Journey, groups of Indigenous People from all over north and south america running from Alaska and Argentina to end (sometimes) at the Panama Canal as a demonstration of cultural heritage and unity.  He showed lots of imagery from the Aztec codex and artifacts from ancient times that refer to the myths of the re-joining of the Eagle and the Condor, the Eagle representing North America and the Condor representing South America.  The run started after the very first convention of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas in 1990 as they prepared to counter celebrations in 1992 of the 500 year anniversary of Christopher Columbus 'discovering' their home.

They wanted to call attention to the fact that they did not need discovering, and that in fact what happened as a result of Columbus' visit was the loss of their lands,  and in many cases their lives.  Uber-gentrification in the form of genocide.

Running shows up as ritual in many separate indigenous cultures in North America, and there is proof (not that it seems necessary, it is just common sense) that there were many trade routes between cultures and continents.  the Spiritual Run follows those, carrying solidarity, stories and brotherhood among what is left of the indigenous cultures in a positive and pro-active way.

www.peaceanddignityjourneys.org  

The Run happens every four years, and last year Mr. Cerda was in a group of about 12 runners that came through Champaign.  I thought it was a beautiful, poetic idea and act. Art.