History/Background

Spiritual journeys have long been an ancient tradition of the native pueblos of this continent. The journeys are an essential part of life because it strengthens the solidarity among Indigenous Peoples as well as their traditions and culture. Just as well it creates an awareness of the need to restablish a respectful connection with Mother Earth. Many of the indigenous traditions were interrupted by the Europeans violent invasion in 1492. In 1992, at the 500 year anniversary of the violent invasion of the Americas, the Peace and Dignity Journeys rose up across the continent in protest. These journeys were coordinated between two groups; one group from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and the other from Chickaloon, Alaska. Both groups ran across the American continent for six months passing through numerous indigenous communities and hundreds of cities, uniting their efforts at the sacred “City of the Gods”, Teotihucan, Mexico. The objective was to fulfill the Mayan prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor (prophecy that foretells of a time of the reunion of the Indigenous Peoples of the north and south of this continent as one nation) and to honor the continuing resistance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas despite 500 years of violence, genocide and oppression. After this year it was agreed that continental journeys would continue to be organized every four years and local journeys would be promoted in order to motivate indigenous cultures and traditions.

Inspired on this assignment, three local journeys for native dignity were achieved with the participation of the Mayo, Yaqui, and Seri pueblos in Sonora, México. Representatives of these three nations ran approximately 600 km covering the whole state from north to south, and with them, took a message of cultural resistance to the communities they passed by while simultaneously collecting testimonies about the situation they currently face. The results of these journeys for the native communities of Sonora have been significant since their current precarious state has been made public. Moreover, constant meetings have been and are being held by the authorities of these communities to organize the importance of strengthening and supporting the ancestral cultures inherited by our ancestor.

In this same tone, we call upon the state authorities to remind them of the historical obligation that modern day Mexico has with the indigenous population. As the roots and citizens of this country, we the native people deserve, aside from basic public services that any community should have, respect for our existence, our rights and our culture.

This activity has been a peace initiative created by members of the indigenous communities of various nationalities in order to defend our identity and in hope of recovering and reinforcing our traditional spirituality and customs, ceremonies, languages, territories and rights. With this journey we intend to strengthen the links between the Indigenous People’s of Baja California, which involves working to unite and build communication bridges among communities, rejecting an imposed history, and denouncing the invasion and genocide our people have suffered. In the present, this journey represents a resistance cry against neocolonialism in the form of domestic and international ‘big business’ that as we speak violates our sacred lands, our traditional practices, and overexploits our natural resources. This journey is our voice that rises from the wind and with it carries the voice of millions of others that have been silenced; a consequence of the ambition of a few. As our voice, this journey also represents a fight against ignorance, prejudice, and intolerance; we refuse to be seen and promoted as “the little red men”, mere Mexican curiosities, , traces of the past, objects of tourist attraction or citizens without voice nor rights. We find it unacceptable that after 513 years of European invasion and intents of extermination, our brothers and sisters must continue to endure the same unjust conditions of the colonization, today disguised as economic globalization. It is humiliating for us that our children and elders go hungry and are left forgotten like many already are, while there are events in the popular light that celebrate the “invasion” an event that we hold in mourning.

Considering what has been mentioned so far about our experience in the journeys throughout Sonora and throughout the rest of the continent, we plan to achieve the first Ceremonial Journey here in the state of Baja California Norte. The native communities of this state live under extreme precarious conditions and under total marginalization and oblivion.

The starting date for this journey has been for February 26, 2006.