Yurok Tribe Hosts Peace and Dignity Runners on Their Journey from Alaska to Columbia

Information from the Yurok Tribe Facebook page:

The Yurok Tribe hosted Peace and Dignity runners journeying from Alaska to Columbia. [All photos from the Yurok Tribe]

[Last] week, the Yurok Tribe hosted Peace and Dignity runners travelling from Alaska to Columbia.The North American leg of the seven-month prayer run started in Fairbanks, Alaska in May and will finish up in El Cauca, Columbia. In November, the Indigenous runners will meet up with a second group running from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to Columbia.

The 6,000-mile run aims to support Indigenous traditions and strengthen spiritual ties among Indigenous communities in western hemisphere. The runners travel with staffs endowed with specific prayers that largely revolve around the health of the land and people. Throughout the journey, the runners visit tribes, whose members often step in for the core runners.

[On June 26], Klamath community members treated the 18 runners to a home cooked dinner. Some of the runners also participated in a traditional sweat. The Yurok Economic Development Corporation provided a place for them to stay at Redwood RV Park.

[The next] morning, the Peace and Dignity Journey participants received stacks of hot pancakes with homemade jam for breakfast. After the meal, the Yurok Tribal Police Department and Fisheries Department and the Klamath Jet Boat Tours transported the runners from Klamath to Wautec, where more Yurok community members greeted the group.

Yurok Tribal Police Department officer James Kleinhans transports Peace and Dignity runners Wautec.

Yurok Fisheries Technician Hunter Mattz transports Peace and Dignity runners to Wautec.

“We have a responsibility to give people a warm welcome when they visit our land,” said Ron Bates.

More than 200 Tribal Nations established the Peace and Dignity Journey in 1991 in Quito, Ecuador and the first run occurred in 1992. Conducted every four years, the run brings together thousands of Indigenous communities from two continents.

For more information about the Peace and Dignity Journey – https://pdjrun.com/

Update:

Edmundo Perez runs along Highway 101 north of Redway as part of the Peace and Dignity Journey, carrying a staff that started in Alaska and is destined for South America. Inspired by his dedication to promoting peace and dignity on Earth, a passerby joined him for a while to learn about his story and spread the word about his remarkable journey. [Photo by Redheaded Blackbelt reader]