|
|
|
|
Plans afoot for cultural relay |
|
|
Monday, 12 November 2007 |
 The Nov. 24 Drum Echos Relay Run will end with a feast and social pow wow, where spectators can expect fun and pageantry, such as Northern Traditional dancer Bobby Piper, Jr. displays here. Piper, 23, is the son of Bob Piper and Lynda Charlie of Big Pine. Photo submitted By Darcy Ellis
Editor 11-10-2007
Deeply-rooted in Native American tradition is the act of running great distances to far-off villages – a sacred, sometimes life-saving task entrusted to the most athletic of tribal members.
According to Sage Romero, one of the lead organizers of the Nov. 24 Drum Echos Relay Run and Social Pow Wow, the runners – by their very presence and participation – will be spreading the word about Native American Heritage Month, as well as helping promote healthier lifestyles through exercise.
The event itself was borne of the desire of area tribal members to help raise awareness of local indigenous communities and cultures, and to give their youth “something to do” that was healthy and which “could be seen as an accomplishment,” Romero explained. “Something formidable … a challenge.” And being that it’s Native American Heritage Month, tribal members thought that the activity should be rooted in Native American tradition.
“Everybody’s pretty excited,” Romero said of the Drum Echos Relay Run, which is sponsored in part by the Toiyabe Indian Health Project Healthy Heart Program. “If you look at Native American history, one of our ways to communicate was to send out runners from village to village.”
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, one of the few successful uprisings of indigenous peoples against oppressive colonization, is credited to an Indian named Popé who ran from one pueblo to the next in order to organize the people, Romero pointed out.
On Nov. 24, local Native American youth will run from the Lone Pine Rancheria to Fort Independence to the Big Pine Rancheria and finally to the Bishop Reservation.
According to Romero, each runner will cover one mile of U.S. 395 before passing the honor to someone else. Organizers estimate the 60-mile journey will take about 14 hours.
Participants will camp out at the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Community Center on Friday, Nov. 23, departing on the run at 4 a.m. Saturday with a planned arrival time at the Bishop Reservation sometime between 6 and 7 p.m.
Along the way, the runners will be celebrated just as they were in long-ago times, when ceremony was a large part of the runners’ lives. According to Romero, before a runner left on a mission, the village’s medicine man would place “medicine” in the form of a tobacco pouch around the runner’s neck while offering prayers to ensure his success.
On Nov. 24, as the runners pass through Inyo’s communities, residents and visitors are welcomed to cheer on and otherwise encourage the runners. “That would be awesome,” Romero said.
Upon completion of the relay, runners will be treated to a hearty dinner at the Barlow Lane Gym in Bishop, as well as some “honor songs,” Romero said. Following the feast, which is open to the entire community, participants, well-wishers, volunteers, visitors and other members of the public will continue celebrating the completion of the run with a Social Pow Wow, where drummers and dancers will help set the stage for a great evening.
The end of the race will just be about “people getting together, having dinner, singing together … in one good closing to end it all in a good way,” Romero said. “We’ll do some songs and dance, and just have a good time.”
For more information on the Drum Echos Relay Run and Social Pow Wow, or how to volunteer, participate as a runner or otherwise contribute to the event, call (760) 937-1910 or 938-2391.
|
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 January 2008 )
|
|
|
|
