Native
For Life
NEXT MEETING: 6 January, 2:00 pm, Location to be determined.
Minutes from Last Meeting:
SUBJECT: Longest
Walk II Meeting Minutes
GUEST:
Jimbo Simmons, Original 1978 Walker
Jimbo Simmons, International Indian
Treaty Council, from San Francisco
is heading up the Original Walk from Alcatraz, California. Dennis Banks is heading up
the Southern Route
Walk from Alcatraz,
California.
Both routes will continue on to Washington DC
. This is a
huge undertaking
and across the Nation plans are in the making to support their effort. This is a
good time for the Voices of Native People to be heard in a Peaceful way.
Current
Local
Issues:
- Need to gather our
community together to support the 2008 Longest Walk II Walkers that
will travel through Missouri
and Illinois.
- Organizing a Welcoming Pow Wow. Proposed date is May 11th which coincides with Mother’s Day—the
perfect time for Honoring Mother Earth and Sacred Sites which is also a
major focus of the Walk.
- We are planning
our next meeting for the second week in January.
We will discuss possible camp sites for our Walkers,
fundraisers, organized groups heading up food, security, Pow Wow
organizers, Benefit Concert, and other functions supporting the Walk.
Snapshot of History
- THIS WAS A
SPIRITUAL WALK
- In 1978, 700
people walked through St. Louis -- lots of support, camped out at the Arch
- By the time they
got to DC they were 30,000 walkers.
- Run for Survival
was a group of Native people from Minnesota that ran to
Haskell to support the walkers.
- Walkers slept at camp
sites along the way.
- Elders were a big
part of the walk.
- No weapons, drugs
or alcohol were allowed.
- The Rallying point
was DQ University in San Francisco where it was originally organized
- In 1978, they
started with approximately 20 walkers and 20 organizers of the event.
