Walking for peace in Richmond

Tazer friend Mike Ali sends us this note regarding his work to preserve Bay Area sacred sites and how it has intertwined with his work to prevent violence...

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Friday, October 13, 2006

Indian People Organized for Change (IPOC)and Vallejo Intertribal Council's--Sacred Sites Protection and Rights of Indigenous Peoples (SPPRIT) Native-American walkers finally reached Tent City at 4th and MacDonald.

The Native Peoples walking began their walk on October 9 at Solano Community College and finally reached Richmond on Friday, Oct. 12 around 11:30 AM. The Native walkers will be walking through the Bay Area and will be ending their sacred walk in Pomo country at the Kule Luku Round House in Pt. Reyes on October 21.

The original Native peoples of San Francisco Bay Indian Country consisted of Ohlone, Wappo, Coast and Bay Mewuk, North Yokut and South Pomo. Many of their descendants are among the Native walkers. The journey is a spiritual journey to walk and pray to remember our Native Ancestors, who live on this land for thousands of years.

The walk is being led by traditional Native leaders. We will walk and pray with our Ancestors in area where shell mounds and sacred sites have been desecrated by development.

Today at the time of this writing some 25 hardy Native Walkers finally reached downtown Richmond's Tent City at 4th and MacDonald. They were greeted and embraced by Tent City organizers Rev. Andre Shumake and Rev. Charles Newsome, both of North Richmond Missionary Baptist Church. Both groups came together and had prayer circle to honor both Tent City and the Sacred Site Walkers for their common goals of Human and Civil Rights in Richmond and through out Indian Country.

Tent City on 4th and MacDonald was where the first camp-in for peace started to address the issues of violence and killing in Richmond. There have been 225 homicides in Richmond since 2001. Wounded Knee De Ocampo with SSPRIT, Shumake and Newsome held long discussions on the violence in both Richmond and in Indian country, along with issues on sacred sites, human/civil rights for Native and non-Native peoples in the Bay Area.

After a walk desevered rest and lunch supplied by Tent City residents, we began our walk up MacDonald Avenue to the delight of the Richmond community. People honked their horns in their cars, waved to us, walked with us and told us of their commitment to our sacred site walk. While I am a Cherokee, I was very proud to hold the flag of the Blackfeet Nation as we walked along.

Finally we reached our sacred site destination in the beginning of the foothills of the Richmond- El Cerrito border line. Once there at the sacred site, we formed a huge traditional Native prayer circle. We burned the sacred sage and said prayers to the Ancestors at this holy place. Each walker shared their thoughts about having left Tent City and how inspired they were by the Tent City residents to their commitment to end the violence and killing in Richmond. Then the prayer circle continued to honor the Ancestors at the sacred site with more prayers for the ancient ones who sleep there.

Wounded Knee spoke of the great work that lay ahead to continue to advocate for more laws to protect Native Sacred sites and for more people to become involved to insure that Sacred Sites would always be protected in the present and future!

On Saturday, October 14, 2006 the Native Sacred Site Walkers will meet at the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station to continue their walk to UC Berkeley at 9AM sharp, if you wish to join the Shellmound/ Sacred Site Walk for Peace.

A-ho,
Michael Ali