How are we going to achieve a world of Peace and Dignity? How are we going to heal a world of divisiveness and disrespect? Only, we believe, as runner Raul Baltazar puts it, "By looking to the revolution within." As we ourselves heal and transform and truly "become" peace and dignity, our world does the same. The responsibility lies within each and every one of us.

The Peace and Dignity Journeys are for the purpose of initiating spiritual runs as prayers to heal our Nation, as well as to honor our Ancestors, Elders, Children, Heroes, Leaders, Future Generations, Medicine People, and all those who are in the Spirit World. Other objectives are informing the world of our desire for a peaceful co-existence with the four colors of the world and making people aware of the sacredness and delicate balance of nature and the environment.

Eight years ago, as European-derived societies were observing the 500th anniversary of the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, the Native People of the hemisphere were gathering in public assemblies -- not to celebrate 500 years of glory, but to commemorate 500 years of triumphant resistance to cultural extermination and to announce loudly and clearly their resolute intent to survive forever. One such notable event was the 1992 Journey of Peace and Dignity in which Native People successfully concluded a unified intercontinental run of six months' duration.

This year, throngs of runners will once again take to the roads and streets and pathways of the hemisphere to fully traverse the continents of the Americas. In October, with half a year of unbroken running behind them, they will converge on the Temples of the Sun and the Moon at Teotihuacan near Tenochtitlan -- Mexico City.

There are no words to express the blessings that the Run brings to all our relations...and the blessings that all our relations bring to the Run. Each community, each nation that the Run goes through, nourishes and gives strength to the Run, just as the Run nourishes and gives strength to each community and each nation as it carries all their prayers to Teotihuacan.

At the beginning of the second run in 1996, we gathered in a circle on the lawn at the Chickaloon Village Headquarters. The staffs and sacred objects to be carried on the journey were carefully placed on blankets in the middle of the circle. Gustavo Gutierrez, running coordinator of the northern group and member of the Opata Tribe, explained in his powerful voice, "We are all connected to each other and every living thing on the Earth, our Mother, and we must respect her. The whole purpose of this journey is a prayer for peace and dignity for all people, and this prayer is dedicated to the children of the world, our future." Gustavo has been one of the main organizers of the event, and the one to accompany runners who start in the Northern Hemisphere. He said a prayer and one by one the runners stepped into the middle and revealed the significance of the objects to be carried on the journey.

Jesus Roman Figueroa from the Nation of Chemehuevi told me that his father sent him to help Gustavo with the run. He wanted people to know that "we all came from the same place, we are all related, it doesn't matter what color we are. We are one, altogether. I was never into traditions. I came off the street -- that was my tradition. The spirit was just calling me. In my mind I'm not running, I'm praying."

A drum, which had been given to Chickaloon Village during the Indigenous Environmental Network Convention, was presented to the runners who carried it the entire distance. The heartbeat of the Athabascan Nation Chickaloon Village was heard through the beat of the drum the entire journey to the Sacred Temples of the Sun and the Moon.

Each runner is in constant prayer, connected to a wave of energy sweeping across the Land. Each step they take is a prayer for the Earth and the People. Each day the runners collectively cover 60 to 100 miles. They rotate, with some riding in a van that accompanies them at all times. The total run for both groups will cover 15,000 miles, 7,500 of which are covered by the North American group.

The runners carry so many strong prayers for the people: prayers for healing of our families, our communities, our nations; prayers for the healing of alcohol and drug abuse; prayers for the victims of AIDS; prayers for all prisoners; prayers for understanding, respect and good relations amongst the four sacred colors; prayers for the healing of the Earth, our Mother; prayers for the recognition and respect of women, who are essentially the embodiment of Mother Earth and the keepers of her wisdom by virtue of their capacity to bring forth and sustain life; and prayers to enlighten each and every one of us to our sacred purpose in life.

The third Peace and Dignity Journey will begin at the Chickaloon Village Headquarters at Mile 55-1/2 of the Glenn Highway on May 1, 2000. Another party will leave from Tierra del Fuego in South America. Both groups will meet at the Sacred Temples of the Sun and the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on October 12. A core team of 35-45 people will travel the entire journey.

The public is welcomed and encouraged to join in the opening ceremonies and run. Co-coordinators for the Alaska Region are Athabascan Chief Gary Harrison (745-7184) and Chickaloon Village Council member Richard Martin (688 3644). Donations are being accepted for food and gas for transporting people along the highway system. Most of the time villages along the way house and feed the runners, but sometimes snacks are needed.

Athabascan Chief Gary Harrison said, "What the Run means to me is a prayer that all of the people in the world can get along in peace and dignity. It's not only for the people on this continent but for all the people in wars on other continents as well. Even though it may not end all strife, it may be a step in the right direction for all people of the world to try and come to an understanding of one another, so they can try and live in peace and dignity. Every step is a prayer and I hope to see you there."

Patricia Wade has worked for her family, the People of Chickaloon Village, for five years. She is editor of The Chickaloon News, and can be reached at 745-3191 or chickvil@corecom.net