Peace & Dignity Journey to make July 18 stop in Grand Ronde

The 2012 Peace and Dignity Journey will visit Grand Ronde on Wednesday, July 18, as participants enjoy Tribal hospitality and stay overnight at the Tribal gym.

Youth Prevention Program employee Shannon Stanton said the runners will be arriving in Grand Ronde at about 4 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. in the Community Center and the runners will leave Grand Ronde the next morning after breakfast and head to Siletz.

Peace & Dignity Journeys has held Native American spiritual runs across North and South American every four years since 1992. The journey this year started May 1 in Chickaloon, Alaska, and another group is running from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, at the tip of South America.

Participants will carry sacred staffs through both continents and meet on Nov. 28 in Guatemala.

The run in Oregon will divide in Portland on Monday, July 16, with one group going down the Willamette Valley to Salem, Philomath, Eugene, running around Crater Lake and then to Chiloquin before passing into California.

The "coastal" run will pass through Grand Ronde, Siletz, Reedsport, Coos Bay and Gold Beach before moving south to California.

This year's run is dedicated to bringing awareness about the importance of water to all of Mother Earth and Native communities. The journey has grown over the years and now there are at least five routes crossing North America.

Peace and Dignity Journeys was inspired by an ancient prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor coming together, representing the unification of indigenous people from North and South America after centuries of colonization.

"Many Native communities are not on this route, but are encouraged to travel to greet runners and maybe run with them," said Mel Huey of Eugene. "Communities might also organize a tributary run and have their local runners run to the communities hosting the main run."

Grand Ronde Elder Carol Logan is leading the preparations for the stay locally.

For more information, visit the Web site http://sandiego.indymedia.org/pdj/.