News Beat in the Flagstaff Live
The Longest Walk 2
Published on 3/20/2008
By Stephanie Flood
Thirty years ago, the first group of commemorative walkers set out from Alcatraz Island, Calif., to walk all the way to Washington, D.C., to stop the government from taking away Native American rights. They succeeded in passing new legislation. Now, the Longest Walk is happening again, and this time they’re passing through Flagstaff.
During the 1800s, Native Americans were forced from their homes to walk westward through the United States, leaving a trail of tears, blood and over 20 million deaths along the way. During this time, the U.S. legislation had known no bounds, as laws were created to annihilate what would be left of the Native population. In 1978, 11 notorious pieces of legislation introduced by the 95th U.S. Congress threatened to annul treaties between Native tribes and federal government.
Hundreds of people, including more than 250 tribes, organized the Longest Walk as a peaceful protest to gain public awareness in Native and environmental issues.
“What happened is that 11 pieces of major legislation were dealing with indigenous rights, abrogating all treaties and the federal government taking over the sovereignty of all native people,” says Robert Tohe, a Navajo leader, an organizer of the Longest Walk, and the environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club. “They wanted to do away with our resources, and this was sponsored by the congressman from the state of Washington. It was out of that time and era that there was a need to do something to demonstrate our fight against this.”
A delegation of 30 tribal elders were appointed to guide and represent these walkers through this 3,600-mile journey with one purpose: to gain enough support to halt the proposed legislation to annul Indian treaties with the U.S. government.
“We were addressing treaty rights and water rights …” says Hazel James, a coordinator of the original Longest Walk. “It was a whole realm of relocation issues, coal mining, uranium mining, ski resort expansion on our sacred mountain, preservation of sacred sites, and addressing our human rights.”
Each day, the walkers would begin a sunrise prayer, then commence in a 25-mile-a-day walk, with a ceremonial pipe carried at the front of the group. “A lot of people joined the walk along the walk,” Tohe says. “They stayed with the walkers for several weeks, then leave and then go back, returning with more people and rejoin the walk. People were doing that throughout the six-month journey.”
Once the walkers arrived in Washington D.C., they were met by thousands of more supporters who gathered in protest. The Longest Walk Manifesto was presented by a Navajo delegation on July 22 in 1978 to the U.S. Congress.
Since then, the 11 legislative bills never passed due to the peaceful efforts of the Long Walkers and supporters, and this year marks its 30th anniversary. The Longest Walk 2 began on March 17 of this year, with over 200 walkers participating, as two routes began from Alcatraz Island, a symbol of indigenous resistance, and will continue to Washington, D.C.
And once more, this five-month journey on foot is meant to raise environmental awareness, and address Native American and human rights.
“The actions that were taken back in the ‘70s for indigenous rights still impact us today, and unfortunately we are facing the same issues,” says Klee Benally, member of the Navajo Nation and a coordinator of the Longest Walk 2. “We’re not just starting the Longest Walk again, we’re continuing it.”
The Northern Route spans around 3,600 miles through Nevada, Utah and Nebraska, while the Southern Route spans about 4,400 miles and passes through Flagstaff. During these routes, the walkers will be collecting living testimonials, which will be brought to the U.S. Congress in the form of another manifesto in Washington, D.C., on July 11.
“The Longest Walk 2 is our generation’s opportunity to unite efforts in the movement to protect our indigenous cultures,” says Tashina Banks Moore, national coordinator for the Longest Walk 2. “Our parents and grandparents raised us with traditional beliefs and spiritual ways of life. It is our duty and our privilege to defend our cultural homelands, which are our connection to spirituality.”
Fri, March 21 through Tue, March 28, walkers from the Southern Route will arrive and rest in Flagstaff. During this time, a series of scheduled events are planned, including prayer gatherings, a panel discussion, and a benefit concert at the Orpheum Theatre Thu, March 27, in an effort to bring awareness and support to local issues.
“The Longest Walk 2 is stopping through Flagstaff intentionally,” Benally says, “because one of the more significant sacred site cases that’s happening in this country is over the San Francisco Peaks that people throughout the nation recognize. And that’s why they’re stopping here—to offer their prayers and to learn more about what they can do to support our cause to protect our community, to protect out environment, and to protect our culture.”
“The Longest Walk 2 and its participants are calling attention to sacred sites. That is what brought us to Arizona,” says Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement and a Longest Walk 2 organizer. “Native people’s cultural identity lies rooted in the sacred sites of our communities. We stand in solidarity with the caretakers of this land.”
Additionally, organizers of this walk are launching the Clean Up Mother Earth Campaign, where the participants will work together to collect debris found along the Longest Walk route in efforts to clean up the country’s highways and roads. Local groups supporting the Longest Walk 2 are the Save the Peaks Coalition, Native Movement, Black Mesa Water Coalition, ECHOS, the Sierra Club, among many others. This walk is an indigenous peoples walk but it is open to everyone from all nations and cultures to join.
People can participate at any point in time on either route, for any length of time. “The challenge to make a personal commitment may be offered for you to walk,” Tohe says. “If the opportunity arises to join, seize it and participate. It’s a life-changing event, so bring an extra pair of shoes.”
Along the way, the walkers will rely on local communities’ support for accommodations, supplies and donations. For more information, see http://www.longestwalk.org/. The Longest Walk 2 benefit on Thu, March 27 will feature music by Keith Secola, Blackfire, Yaiva, Synergy, Summit Dub Squad, Mokshya, Radmilla Cody, and Burning the Bridge and will also feature several guest speakers.
Published on 3/20/2008
By Stephanie Flood
Thirty years ago, the first group of commemorative walkers set out from Alcatraz Island, Calif., to walk all the way to Washington, D.C., to stop the government from taking away Native American rights. They succeeded in passing new legislation. Now, the Longest Walk is happening again, and this time they’re passing through Flagstaff.
During the 1800s, Native Americans were forced from their homes to walk westward through the United States, leaving a trail of tears, blood and over 20 million deaths along the way. During this time, the U.S. legislation had known no bounds, as laws were created to annihilate what would be left of the Native population. In 1978, 11 notorious pieces of legislation introduced by the 95th U.S. Congress threatened to annul treaties between Native tribes and federal government.
Hundreds of people, including more than 250 tribes, organized the Longest Walk as a peaceful protest to gain public awareness in Native and environmental issues.
“What happened is that 11 pieces of major legislation were dealing with indigenous rights, abrogating all treaties and the federal government taking over the sovereignty of all native people,” says Robert Tohe, a Navajo leader, an organizer of the Longest Walk, and the environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club. “They wanted to do away with our resources, and this was sponsored by the congressman from the state of Washington. It was out of that time and era that there was a need to do something to demonstrate our fight against this.”
A delegation of 30 tribal elders were appointed to guide and represent these walkers through this 3,600-mile journey with one purpose: to gain enough support to halt the proposed legislation to annul Indian treaties with the U.S. government.
“We were addressing treaty rights and water rights …” says Hazel James, a coordinator of the original Longest Walk. “It was a whole realm of relocation issues, coal mining, uranium mining, ski resort expansion on our sacred mountain, preservation of sacred sites, and addressing our human rights.”
Each day, the walkers would begin a sunrise prayer, then commence in a 25-mile-a-day walk, with a ceremonial pipe carried at the front of the group. “A lot of people joined the walk along the walk,” Tohe says. “They stayed with the walkers for several weeks, then leave and then go back, returning with more people and rejoin the walk. People were doing that throughout the six-month journey.”
Once the walkers arrived in Washington D.C., they were met by thousands of more supporters who gathered in protest. The Longest Walk Manifesto was presented by a Navajo delegation on July 22 in 1978 to the U.S. Congress.
Since then, the 11 legislative bills never passed due to the peaceful efforts of the Long Walkers and supporters, and this year marks its 30th anniversary. The Longest Walk 2 began on March 17 of this year, with over 200 walkers participating, as two routes began from Alcatraz Island, a symbol of indigenous resistance, and will continue to Washington, D.C.
And once more, this five-month journey on foot is meant to raise environmental awareness, and address Native American and human rights.
“The actions that were taken back in the ‘70s for indigenous rights still impact us today, and unfortunately we are facing the same issues,” says Klee Benally, member of the Navajo Nation and a coordinator of the Longest Walk 2. “We’re not just starting the Longest Walk again, we’re continuing it.”
The Northern Route spans around 3,600 miles through Nevada, Utah and Nebraska, while the Southern Route spans about 4,400 miles and passes through Flagstaff. During these routes, the walkers will be collecting living testimonials, which will be brought to the U.S. Congress in the form of another manifesto in Washington, D.C., on July 11.
“The Longest Walk 2 is our generation’s opportunity to unite efforts in the movement to protect our indigenous cultures,” says Tashina Banks Moore, national coordinator for the Longest Walk 2. “Our parents and grandparents raised us with traditional beliefs and spiritual ways of life. It is our duty and our privilege to defend our cultural homelands, which are our connection to spirituality.”
Fri, March 21 through Tue, March 28, walkers from the Southern Route will arrive and rest in Flagstaff. During this time, a series of scheduled events are planned, including prayer gatherings, a panel discussion, and a benefit concert at the Orpheum Theatre Thu, March 27, in an effort to bring awareness and support to local issues.
“The Longest Walk 2 is stopping through Flagstaff intentionally,” Benally says, “because one of the more significant sacred site cases that’s happening in this country is over the San Francisco Peaks that people throughout the nation recognize. And that’s why they’re stopping here—to offer their prayers and to learn more about what they can do to support our cause to protect our community, to protect out environment, and to protect our culture.”
“The Longest Walk 2 and its participants are calling attention to sacred sites. That is what brought us to Arizona,” says Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement and a Longest Walk 2 organizer. “Native people’s cultural identity lies rooted in the sacred sites of our communities. We stand in solidarity with the caretakers of this land.”
Additionally, organizers of this walk are launching the Clean Up Mother Earth Campaign, where the participants will work together to collect debris found along the Longest Walk route in efforts to clean up the country’s highways and roads. Local groups supporting the Longest Walk 2 are the Save the Peaks Coalition, Native Movement, Black Mesa Water Coalition, ECHOS, the Sierra Club, among many others. This walk is an indigenous peoples walk but it is open to everyone from all nations and cultures to join.
People can participate at any point in time on either route, for any length of time. “The challenge to make a personal commitment may be offered for you to walk,” Tohe says. “If the opportunity arises to join, seize it and participate. It’s a life-changing event, so bring an extra pair of shoes.”
Along the way, the walkers will rely on local communities’ support for accommodations, supplies and donations. For more information, see http://www.longestwalk.org/. The Longest Walk 2 benefit on Thu, March 27 will feature music by Keith Secola, Blackfire, Yaiva, Synergy, Summit Dub Squad, Mokshya, Radmilla Cody, and Burning the Bridge and will also feature several guest speakers.