First
Journal Entry - Day 2 - Sunday, February
12, 2006
Merced, California to Cesar Chavez Education Center
(La Paz), Keene, CA
© chris sommers photo
|
Good
morning, World! Or as Dennis
Banks often says, “All we are asking,
all we are really hoping for, is for this
to be a Good Day.” I begin my report
on this epic journey Sacred Run 2006, with
a simple Good Morning wish. To you, to
your family, your people. And for all the
world, and for Land, Life and Peace. Our
heart is in the center of our movements
for justice and peace, for clean water
and air, for sharing and respect among
the peoples, for freedom for all. Our heartbeat
is the kindness, the genuine good wishes,
the hunger for understanding and being
understood that create a clean and good
intent. May this be a Good Day for us runners
and walkers and for you!
Let
me introduce myself... I’m
Roger Straw, websteward for sacredrun.org,
a 57 year-old whitish member of the genocided
unknowns, what I call the Ghost People.
There are so many of us whose American
Indian family ancestry is now only the
story of an aged aunt or uncle. We remember
but cannot document our native ancestors.
In my case, a great-great (and maybe another
great) grandfather was an Indiana man whose
family covered up his heritage, who was
perhaps not proud, or at least, who feared
for his safety and the safety of his mixed-blood
family. There was genocide, and then there
was this quiet disappearance. So, I am
Roger Foot, as my friend Wounded Knee Norman
Deocampo calls me. I might prefer to be
White Pelican. I think it may be a part
of my spiritual journey on this Sacred
Run to discover just who I am as a white
descendant of a Native American man. I
hope Dennis gives me an Indian name. And
I’m waiting to be invited to my first
sweat.
You
will be hearing from others on these pages, including
Dennis Banks and other long-time runners
and activists in the American Indian Movement.
Be glad you won’t have to listen
only to this old white guy! We plan to “sit
around the campfires” along the way,
tell our stories, hear the tales that people
on our route have to tell us, and report
back to you. I will interview people, and
I’ll give space to others to write.
I will refer you, blog-style, to other
interesting and important websites. (If
you have a site you want linked or mentioned,
please write me at rogrmail@sacredrun.org.)
And when I figure out the technology, (soon,
I hope), I’m planning to add an interactive
element to these pages, so you can write
back to us online.)
You
should take a look at this morning’s
Vallejo Times-Herald (Vallejo,
CA). Columnist Richard Freedman interviewed
Dennis Banks on the day before the start
of Sacred Run 2006. (http://www.timesheraldonline.com/
sundayoutlook/ci_3502363). The Times-Herald
editors must have been having fun, because
the big headline at the top of the Sunday
Outlook section is “Banks still an
Indian icon” - and they placed this
story directly above a story about C.C.
Sabathia, the famed Vallejo baseball pitcher,
who plays for the Racist-logo Cleveland
baseball team. Freedman gives Dennis plenty
of space to decry the racism in Indian
sports mascots. Looks like he didn’t
venture to press Sabathia on the matter.
But anyone who reads both articles can’t
help but compare Sabathia to the guy in
Dennis’ story: “We started
fighting mascots in 1969,” Banks
said, failing to convince a Native American
who played Chief Wahoo that it was demeaning.
I said, ‘Why do you do that?’ and
he says, ‘They pay my bills. When
you guys protesting want to pay my bills,
OK, I’ll stop doing it.’ I
thought, ‘That’s wrong.’”
The
Benefit Concert in San Francisco was
great hit. (Friday, February 10, 2006) The
artists were outstanding, and it was an incredible
high for us to be on the same floor, up close
and personal with good-hearted activist/actor
Peter Coyote, Jefferson Airplane keyboards/bass
guitarist Pete Sears, Floyd Red Crow Westerman,
Robby Romero, Martha Redbone, Wavy Gravy
and his Fish, ..and all the others. I haven’t
heard how much money we raised for the run,
but I’ll let you know when I hear.
I do know that first reports were that we
raised far too little, and contributions
are still desperately needed. Don’t
forget, gas will cost us $2.50/gallon this
year! Yipes - please go to our donations
page, http://www.redhotpromotions.com/id99.htm.
Alcatraz
was amazing. (Saturday,
Febraury 11, 2006) We gathered in the dark
before sunrise in a great unclosed circle,
with a door to the east, preparing for
sun with drums and chanting. Seagulls joined
in the celebration, circling in the pre-dawn
light, crying out what I felt to be a happy
sound: air-dancing to the sounds of native
people as in days of long ago. But of course
I project my own feelings onto these creatures
of grace. Only the Great Spirit in them
leads them in any and every moment, to
do as they do. We humans are too often
other-led. But not that morning, February
11, 2006, gathered on Alcatraz. On that
morning, as for all time, Alcatraz was
much more than an island. As Dennis said, “Alcatraz
serves as a reminder to us to stand tall,
to stand up, to spark new ideas and pride
and energy for Indian people.”
I
remember the pungent air, the smokey smudging
of sage, the big drums, the voices of so many
singers rising and falling, and most especially
the presence of our Honored Elders, Nowa Cumig
(In-the-Center, Dennis Banks) and Nee-gon-nway-wee-dung
(Thunder Before the Storm, Clyde Bellecourt).
Dennis was soft-spoken and humble, yet profound
- and funny - as usual. And Clyde was passionate
in his story-telling and his appreciation for
the progress we’ve made in these last
30 years. Acknowledging the importance of the
struggles his generation went through, he cautioned
us, “People think it’s all about
Wounded Knee and shooting up and all that stuff.
But they don’t see the progress we’ve
made, and the beauty we have today in the big
pow wows, and the ceremonies that have returned
to our people.” He recalled for us the
words of an elder in Oklahoma in 1972, who
looked into the future and declared “During
the 5th generation, the drum will be heard
again, and the fires would burn again.” Clyde
and his brothers and sisters are that 5th generation,
and those drums and fires have been reborn
to us. Clyde encouraged those of us in the
6th generation to “reclaim the Indian
way of life, the sundance, the drums, the songs,
the ceremonies, the healing ways of giving
up alcohol and drugs,” and to look to
the little ones of today, the 7th generation
for “great leaders, doctors and scientists.”
© chris sommers photo
|
At the end of the
ceremonies, Dennis lined up all
the runners and walkers, and Clyde blessed
us with more sage, and we were presented
with medicine pouches. Then the ferry took
us back to San Francisco, and we motored
to DQ University in Davis, CA. Another ceremony
there sent us on our way, and the run began. More
tomorrow (IF I can access the internet
for upload)...
Day
3 - Monday, February 13, 2006
Cesar Chavez Education Center (La Paz), Keene, California
Walking/running in the Tehachapi Mountains
Nathan
Chasing Horses says: FLASH! Dennis banks
lost in Tehachapi Mountains!
Well, don't send out a
search party. You have to know Nathan -
he was just kidding. But there WAS a good
bit of turning around and getting off-track
between Merced and Keene! It was a long
road trip after the run from Merced.
Anyway,
here we are on our third morning. Morning
1: Alcatraz. Morning 2: Merced, California.
And now here we are waking up in the dining
hall at the Cesar Chavez Education Center
at La Paz, in Keene, California, guests
of the United Farm Workers (and a few of
us in tents outside). (Thank
you, UFW!) It's 6am as I
write this, and we're getting coffee, peeling
oranges, rubbing our sleepy eyes, and morning
prayers are being sung to the sound of
drumming. Some said the floors were hard
to sleep on. That was those like me, whose
bones are old, and who haven't slept in
a sleeping bag in 20 years. Others, like
K.A. from Australia, when asked how she
slept, gave an entirely believable "A-ok" hand
signal. Slept like a baby. But ALL of us
know that the night was a good one, that
old bones or new bones, we are blessed
in the here and now, and we will thrive.
The Sacred Journey will carry us.
Top
Day
4 - Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Keene, California to Apple Valley, California
Sorry
I'm not getting ALL the details sent out
to you on these pages. So much to tell,
and so little time! Maybe I'll get someone
later on to tell you about our adventures
at DQ University in Davis, CA and the run
to Merced, CA. But I wasn't there. I stayed
home for the first day of the run to get
the website updated, and caught up with
the group here at La Paz, the UFW
Headquarters.
Yesterday,
our leaders decided to continue for a second
night at La Paz. But we ran nevertheless.
Walkers and runners set out after early
morning prayers and ceremonies, making
our way to Tehachapi and beyond. Then we
motored back to La Paz. The day was warm
and beautiful in the Tehachapi Mountains,
and the thin air blew us nearly off our
feet sometimes as we came round curves
on the mountain roads.
More later...
Day
6 - Thursday, February 16, 2006
Apple Valley, CA to Parker, AZ to Phoenix, AZ
A
lot has happened since I wrote to you on
Tuesday, February 14. That day, we had
to outfit a trailer for our luggage since
we are so short of vehicles. We needed
the space in the vans for runners and walkers!
We found an inexpensive little trailer,
and built it up with high wooden walls.
All of that took some time, precious financial
resources, and lots of hard work! (You
could help with a donation.)
The
Tehachapis were beautiful, with sweeping
valleys and sharp jagged peaks. In California,
we crossed 12 different mountain ranges!
After the Tehachapis, we crossed through
the flat Mojave. As I traveled the highway
in endless straight lines, surrounded by
scrub brush and Joshua Trees, blown by
constant winds and occasional clouds of
sand, I found myself meditating on the
word “desolate.” At first,
desolate seemed like the right word, but
I don't like the sound of that word. Its
roots are from the Latin desolare which
means 'abandon', which itself comes from solus 'alone'.
And yes, there’s a certain feeling
of aloneness out here. 
You
feel small against the expanse of Creation.
But if humans have for the most part steered
clear of the harsh Mojave, if the rivers
and streams have all run dry, if there
are no redwoods or sequoias or eucalyptus
or maple or oak - there still remains an
aliveness out here, an excitement of wind
and stubborn survival, of little creatures
and remarkable twisted “green people,” (bushes
and Joshua trees and cacti) who do not
abandon the desert, but who live together
in a harmony that seems strange only to
us. Creator is here in ways unlike the
ways of Creator in the city. Listen, hear,
see, smell, feel, and know that goodness
lives!
From
Mojave, we made our way south and east,
to Apple Valley, California. Just outside
Apple Valley was Lone Wolf Colony, where
we were welcomed with a wonderful meal,
hot showers and for many of us, private
cabins with real beds! Wow! Thanks to all
who made our stay so warm and welcome!
During our day-end Circle, we heard from
Pat Brock, about a Sacred Sites
Quilt Project. Pat is hoping lots
of you will contribute a piece of cloth
and write a paragraph explaining why this
cloth is meaningful to you. She hopes groups
all across the country will transfer a
picture of a sacred site to cloth and frame
it with their pieces of cloth. Once the
quilt is completed, a book will be created
which will become the origin story of the
quilt. The quilt will be exhibited at our
Earth Day event at The Underground Café in
Ventura, CA. More
info.
By
the way - someone emailed us wondering
if there were any WOMEN runners or walkers.
An emphatic YES! Here's a photo of our
strong and spirited women! Front: Jun
Yasuda, Chie, Octavia. Back:
K.A., Akiko, Linda, Julie, Stephanie, Itsuko,
Jessica.
On
Wednesday, February 15, we walked and ran
all the way from Apple Valley to Parker,
Arizona, where we were hosted by George
Rain and members of the Mojave Village
Colorado River Indian Tribe. We heard from
Linda Otero, Director of the Fort Mojave
Indian Tribe AhaMakav Cultural Society
and Felton (whose last name I don't recall,
sorry Felton). Linda explained her work
with protection of sacred sites along the
Colorado River, and Felton, who took part
in the historic occupation of Alcatraz
Island in 1969, spoke with passion about
water pollution and the sacredness of water
and mother earth. We received many gifts
of hospitality, sacred symbols, and encouragement.
We also received a financial gift from
Sylvia Homer of the Tribal Council of the
Colorado River Indian Tribes. Many many
thanks to our friends in Parker!
On
Thursday, February 16, we said good-bye
to 6 runners and walkers who needed to
return home. Then we walked and ran from
Parker, Arizona to Phoenix! We had planned
to stop in Aguila, AZ, but we were invited
to a feast and a warm welcome by our friends
of the Tona Tierra Community Center in
center-city Phoenix, so we pushed on. It
was a good day for walking and running
the flat lands of western Arizona. 
It’s
amazing how the mountains come up out of
the flat ground, rise to jagged heights,
and disappear again to flat earth. It’s
like Mother Earth had hiccups! HUGE hiccups!
So here I am in Phoenix. We have the
morning off for laundry and rest. Later
today we will head east of Phoenix, to
the Pima Reservation, where a huge dance
and party is planned. I’m told the
dancers will go all night! (I won’t
write about my old bones again. I know
you’re tired of hearing about them.
Suffice to say, “I could have danced
all night” is not one of my songs....)
Talking
to long-time Sacred Runners and those who
are new to the discipline, everyone agrees
there are not enough hours in the day.
This surprises me a little. Getting away
from home, away from the demands of my
family and community and away from all
the usual habits of everyday life, I thought
there would be a simplicity that would
offer the feeling of abundance, open space
in time, easy rhythms of morning, walking
and night. But there is so much to do!
I have less time than I expected to write,
to update the website, to just chat with
all my new friends. Once long ago, on vacation
with my sweetheart in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan, I remarked lightheartedly
that all vacation really amounts to is “doing
chores in exotic places.” It’s
been our little joke ever since, and I
think it applies to Sacred Run. You still
have the demands of every day and the work
of the Run, so that your ambition, your
eagerness, your high hopes all have to
be balanced by the organic limits of finitude.
Finding balance, being in right relation
with Mother Earth, with the People, and
with one’s own heart and mind and
body and spirit - this is the everyday
ground from which springs forth The Work:
beyond everything, we are on pilgrimage
together to bring a message of Land, Life
and Peace. Wake up, people! Preserve the
Earth! Live free and whole! Respect other
people, respect the Earth! Oppose the desecration
of sacred sites! Oppose war! Make Peace!
Stay tuned - more later..
Top
Day 7 - Friday, February 17, 2006
Phoenix, AZ
(I've asked a number of our runners and walkers to write to you now and then. Today, I'll introduce Jessica Sutterlict, Winnebago, Santee Sioux. Jessica is 24 years old, so I asked her to write something for the youth...)
To all the beautiful Native Youth... Throughout history our Native people had to fight to preserve language, culture, civil rights and we had to fight to be acknowledged as humans rather than things or animals. Each generation has accomplished a movement toward the survival of our Nation. It is up to us, the Native Youth of all ages, to contribute to this change; otherwise the hard work and suffering our people have gone through will mean nothing. We must never give in or give up.
- Jessica Sutterlict, Winnebago, Santee Sioux, age 24
