DISTRIBUTE FAR AND WIDE
greetings,
Wolakota Foundation is now 7 weeks away until the gathering in the
Black Hills for World Peace and Prayer Day "Sacred Sites Day".
World
wide delegates from South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia,
South America, Mexico and here on Turtle Island will be coming to
this event. We still need to cover site fees, food, gas money for
elders and administrative expenses. Please Help us in this endeavor
with a charitable contribution to Wolakota Foundation. We have a
beautiful gift pack for a $100 contribution and a awesome poster with a $20 contribution. You can also just make a donation without a gift.
Please go to Wolakota Foundation or
World Peace and Prayer Day and join us in this very important
endeavor. Help us to Protect Sacred Sites, Grandmother Earth and
move towards a paradox of change to create a better future for our
youth.
Respectfully
KathyLee Cammorata
Wolakota Foundation
Assistant to the Vice President
The Community
Within the Lakota, Nakota, Dakota Sioux Nation(s) there is a strong
sense of pride in heritage, home, culture and community that weaves
through the environment, creating spiritual harmony between the earth
and its people. There is a strong respect for all living things and
a belief that we are all related and that we should honor wisdom from
all cultures. Our mission is to encourage all people to step forward
in their own tradition in order to help heal and maintain the beauty
and natural wonderment of the earth and to work towards a more
peaceful world.
OVERVIEW
On June 21st 2005 World Peace and Prayer Day will be in its 10th year
of an international celebration, in joining world wide communities to
share in cultural exchange, discuss environmental issues and protect
sacred sites located throughout the world.
Ancient prophecies predicted the time in which we find ourselves
today when population growth, over consumption, depletion of our
natural resources and pollution have severely damaged our Earth's
life-sustaining capabilities. Technologies of nuclear, chemical and
biological warfare give us the power not only to wipe out all of
humanity, but to make the planet itself incapable of sustaining human
life. On an international level we have adopted materialism over
conservation of the Earth's limited resources, forgetting that the
Earth is not a resource to be used but, rather, the source of life
itself.
In 1994 the birth of the first white buffalo calf was announced which
according to Lakota ancient prophecies predicted this birth as both a warning and a blessing. Prophecies predicted that the birth of the white buffalo calf would come when we have overused and abused our Earth and harmed life itself. This predicted signal was to awaken people to change their ways. It signaled, according to traditional Lakota prophecy that the Earth is at a crossroads.
As envisioned by Chief Arvol Looking Horse in 1997 a proposed
solution was sought where on an international level people would
actively take part in World Peace and Prayer Day events.
Participants include people of all races, ages, genders and faiths
who share concern for the welfare of humanity and the Earth and who
have a desire to preserve and share their own cultural identity and
indigenous knowledge. Our creed: "all nations, all faiths, one
prayer" encompasses all beliefs. This year's event will include
spiritual, religious and cultural leaders from over a dozen
countries. The emphasis will focus on the importance of learning from
the world's indigenous elders who hold a special place of honor in
the Lakota tradition. The Earth's holistic benefits, of both the
environment and all beings, passed on from generation to generation
play an important role in solving many of the issues of the
environment today. As we have learned in the past as well as the
present the earths, natural resources holds the key to healing,
living and well being. We believe that what is known to the
indigenous as a "Sacred" site is the secret to the earth's power to
sustain life. In understanding the knowledge of the Indigenous Elders
we can see the importance that they share wisdom and experience with
the youth who must take on the world of the future.
Plan of Action
In accordance with Lakota tradition, ceremonies are in cycles,
honoring the four directions, and then a fifth ceremony to give
thanks, (wopila). After completing a 5-year cycle through North and
South America, World Peace and Prayer Day moved its celebration on a
global level, to reach the remaining four continents. In 2001 WPPD
traveled to Ireland, 2002 to South Africa, 2003 to Australia and 2004
to Japan. In 2005 World Peace and Prayer Day is scheduled to return
for the thank you ceremony in the Sacred Black Hills of South
Dakota.
As in past years, delegations from different cultures who have
participated in previous World Peace and Prayer Day events will meet
with the local tribes and caretakers of the land to discuss issues of
concern, both local and global, and their possible solutions.
Additionally, ceremonies will be observed, followed by a cross-
cultural celebration consisting of music, dance and storytelling. By
encouraging the celebration of this day around the world at sites
sacred to the local culture, we honor local traditions and recognize
that many of today's conflicts are inspired by what Salman Rushdie
calls the battle for "space, dignity, recognition, and survival."
To honor this 10th year in the World Peace and Prayer Day wopila
(thank you) event, it was decided by Chief Jacob Sanderson of the
Cree Nation to bring a horse bundle by horseback to assist in the
ceremonial activities. The Ride will begin May 2005 from a sacred
site located at Cypress Hills Saskatchewan and end June 18 at Black
Hills Elk Creek Resort, South Dakota. (see Appendix Wolakota S'unkan
Wakan).
To bring awareness to World Peace and Prayer Day Wolakota Youth
Council will be conducting a Prayer Run for World Peace. This is
Wolakota Youth Council's first event and will begin May of 2005, end
on June 18th at Piedmont, South Dakota. Runners will participate in
the World Peace and Prayer Day Ceremony on June 21st. Four groups
will start off in the four directions, keeping in spiritual harmony
with each other throughout the run. The west group will leave from
Los Angeles, CA, the north group will leave from Canada, the east
group will leave from New York & North Carolina, and the south group
will leave from Mexico City and El Paso, Texas. This is for the 7th
generation, to represent every nation on Turtle Island (Canada, U.S.,
Mexico, and South America). From nation to nation, the sacred eagle
feather will be passed from hand to hand, giving them the
responsibility to lead.
World Peace and Prayer Day 2005 will be assisted by the Tekio
Organization Tekio. TEKIO has had a singular vision since
its inception - to empower youth toward sustainable livelihoods in
social and environmental restoration. In the Nahuatl language of
central Mexico, the word "tequio" means "My work offering to the
community". TEKIO has fostered an interactive global community, where
youth and adults come together to build a better world. Whether the
youth are developing in a rural or an urban setting, TEKIO offers
skills and mentoring to support their actions towards restoration
through open, replicable and sustainable practices. TEKIO has been
evolving a powerful network of committed youth and adults who,
working in concert with similar projects around the world, have
successfully launched more than 600 youth-run incubator projects for
the social, cultural and economic welfare of the communities in which
they operate. These courageous and committed individuals have
transformed their communities through practical projects, such as
clean water systems, dry toilets, ecologically sound construction
techniques, renewable energy systems, waste management, cultural and
artistic exchanges, personal development, entrepreneurial skills and
community building activities. Such a project will be set up in the
Black Hills of South Dakota.
Through the expansion of the World Peace and Prayer Day celebrations
beyond the Americas and through the Internet, we are reaching beyond
the boundaries of nation, race or ethnicity. In forming a strong
base to cultural identity each year's celebration has been designed
with local people honoring their own sacred sites and traditions
throughout the world. World Peace and Prayer Day events include
cultural sharing, dance, music and speakers on environmental
protection. World Peace and Prayer Day leaves participants with
hope for the future, a common link between international communities
towards healing the Earth's natural resources and a goal towards the
protection of sacred sites world wide.
World Peace and Prayer Day
World Peace and Prayer Day - Click Here
April Reports
Last updated on April 30, 2005