The red feather column of Native American runners taking part in the 2012 Journey of Peace and Dignity traveled the shores of Lake Chapala last week en route to Mayan ruins in Uaxactun, Peten, Guatemala, where representatives of diverse indigenous tribes from across the western hemisphere will converge November 28 through December 4.
The group of 50 men, women and children made stopovers in Mezcala and Ajijic on Thursday, October 4, setting off by boat the following morning to cross Lake Chapala’s waters and resume the march through the state of Michoacan and onward.
Their long sojourn initiated on May 1 in Chickaloon, Alaska, steadily winding southward through Canada, the United States and Mexico. They are slated to arrive in the State of Mexico next week to meet up with the blue feather column that is following a parallel route across Mexico. A north-bound column representing native people of South and Central America set off from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina on April 30 towards the Guatemalan destination.
The marathon runners carry command staffs embedded with the symbols and prayers of the different tribes they represent. Eagle feathers are commonly employed to signify the natives of North America, while condor feathers are chosen to stand for South American peoples.
The Jornadas de Paz y Dignidad has been repeated every four years since 1992 with participants simultaneously setting off on foot from opposite ends of the continent. It is a spiritual mission linked to ancient prophecies that mandate reuniting native tribes to revive the spirits of the eagle and the condor and propitiate the awakening of humanity and restoration of the earth’s endangered natural cycles.
The 2012 cross-continental marathon is dedicated to water as a reminder of its importance as a vital and shared resource for all. Runners are carrying samples of water from sacred sites around the world to be mixed in with the rivers and lakes they pass along their way.