Did I catch your attention with the title of this blog? I
hope so although that is not the only theme that might be possible as I have 2
other themes in mind that 2016 could be dedicated to. But first I will focus on
why I think the 2016 run should be dedicated to men.
In just a few days, a group of Indigenous representatives
from various parts of the western hemisphere which include North, Central and
South America will gather in Yunque National Rain Forest in Boriken, also known
as Puerto Rico. The purpose of this gathering will be to prepare for the 2016
Peace & Dignity Journey run. I will not be present at that gathering due to
other commitments, however as a 16 year veteran organizer and runner of Peace
& Dignity Journeys, I write this blog to strongly suggest to any one that
plans to be part of the 2016 PDJ run, that the discussions surrounding the next
theme should be dedicated to men.
If you recall any previous journeys since 1992, we have
dedicated the runs to our elders, children, the family, and women. We
eventually agreed in 2008 to dedicate the run to scared sites and 2012 for
water. Back in 2004 I think we forgot to incorporate into our discussions one
of the most important parts of our family unit and our nations and that is our
men. All parts of the family unit including women, children and elders have
been prayed for but I ask you all out there, why not our men?
I think that we must not be afraid to dedicate the 2016 run
to our men especially when it might seem that our society has been absorbed
into a so-called “patriarchal” system. I argue that this patriarchy system that
many might think exists is that from the white man’s world sort of speak, that
which came from the colonizer’s mindset. This patriarchal system we suffer from
is not ours however when we begin to discuss and focus our energy
towards a re-introduction of healthy warrior based patriarchal values that stem
from our own Native teachings, only then can we begin to heal our nations.
Dedicating the 2016 run to our men can create a space for us
to remind our men which include grandfathers, fathers, grandsons, sons,
brothers, uncles, nephews and so many other male roles of our Native family
unit to take back their responsibility to their nations but most importantly to
their family.
If you live in California like I do, you may already be
aware that our prison population is overcrowded with….men. And yes I do
understand there are women also incarcerated too but these prisons particularly
house vast amounts of men of color which include our Native Indigenous
relatives from all parts of the earth. Young men of color also have a higher
rate of suffering a violent death when compared to other populations, which
many communities in California are working to heal through an initiative known
as Boys and Men of Color. We must also keep in mind that a vast amount of men
are returning home from combat in wars taking place in the middle east such as
Iraq and/or Afghanistan, and while I have my personal opinions about the armed
forces and disagree with the imperialism and conquest that I believe our United
States armed forces are taking part in, we cannot ignore the fact that men are
coming back to our communities with trauma and injuries that they must learn
how to cope with and they cannot re-integrate back into our communities if we
do not support them with the proper resources and help remind them their
responsibility of being a man to their wives, daughters, sons, sisters,
girlfriends or any other part of their family.
When Peace & Dignity Journeys began in 1992, it began
praying for the specific parts of the family that make up our nations, but
somewhere we forgot to pray for our men. Again for those considering the
commitment to take part in 2016, I ask you, why did we forget such an integral
part of our family unit?
DEDICATE 2016 TO
TRADITIONAL FOODS AND MEDICINES
In past runs, many communities have shared their struggles
protecting or accessing sacred sites which include rivers, mountains or
specific geographical locations not only because of historical connection of
living on that land but particularly because these specific locations contain
foods and herbs that are harvested for healing and sustenance.
Currently there is much social movement around genetically
modified foods and seeds and because this momentum is growing I think 2016
could also be an opportune moment to begin a dialogue on practicing proper self-nutritional
care. I also strongly encourage this possible theme for 2016 to be well thought
out and decided exactly how to send a clear message about traditional medicines
and food particularly because I think there is a mass of fraudulent practice
and exploitation of the word “medicine” when it applies to Native people. This
is common among people who claim to “heal” yet I argue that the best “medicine”
healers I have ever met was those who did not claim to see my future, pray over
me with feathers or lead me to believe they had special healing powers. The
best “medicine” people I met have taught me where to get the traditional foods
and herbs that the human body appreciates alongside with the importance of teaching
me the connectedness of that food and medicine to the land it was harvested
from.
Seeds are also part of this theme although if this becomes a discussion
we must all remember that while seeds are major parts of foods and medicine for
many people of the South, our relatives of the North rely heavily on salmon,
caribou, moose, elk, grouse and many other foods that do not originate from
seeds. This is why I think the second possible theme for 2016 could be
dedicated to traditional foods and medicines.
DEDICATE 2016 TO LOVED
ONES THAT HAVE PASSED AWAY
The third and final theme I think the 2016 run could be
dedicated to I will simply put towards honoring the memory of
people of our communities that have passed on. Not to be confused with
dedicating to ancestors, dedicating the 2016 run to possibly have a theme to
pray for our loved ones that passed on would help create a discussion to re-visit
the legacy that important people of our communities have left behind for us to keep alive. We must never forget some of the people of all ages
that have passed away in recent years that taught us all.
I hope that this blog has you the reader thinking about what
the next 2016 run should be dedicated to, and for those attending the upcoming
gathering in Boriken, these themes should be taken into strong consideration. Thank
you for reading.
