PDJ runner, Winter Fox Frank on the Big Screen

While doing research on cultural genocide for my Chicano Studies class at SD City College I came across this link to a new movie coming out in December.  I’m excited about the release of the film, but more excited by the fact that Peace and Dignity Runner, Winter Fox Frank is in the film.  This is his first film so I’m excited about seeing him on the big screen.

From Redding, California Winter Fox joined the Peace and Dignity Journey in Oregon, CA and stayed with the run until we reached the Mexican border in Nogales.  I met him when the two california routes joined in Arizona on the Tohono o Odam land.  I know the runners from the Central valley route built a close relationship with the brother and I’m sure they are very proud of him.

here are two clips one is an interview and the other a trailer for the film.

Mayan Elder Don Alejandro Speaks

Sorry, I know I have been lagging on the post.  Last weekend was my birthday and I have been really busy with teaching my two courses at City College.  We also had a few events around Dia de los Muertos that kept me busy.

thought I would post this video a companera sent me.  until later when i post some other things from the run.

In Memory of Albert Bianez

In honor of Red Warrior Singer Albert Bianez who recently passed away.  His artwork is currently in display at the Centro Cultural.

San Diego Runners

You know I never really had the opportunity to post a picture of all of us together.  This is a shot I got while we had a meeting an the Indian Human Resource Center after returning from the run.  Thanks to Jerry for taking and sending me the picture.

Ymoat, Gabby, Oscar, Abel and Tudy

Indigenous Nations Not Being Represented

All Peoples Have the Right of Self Determination
UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (1960)

Essential Question:

When, where and how did the government of the Mexican Republic of 1848 acquire the legal right to represent the Indigenous Nations of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Territories in terms of negotiating our inherent rights of territory and Human Rights before the government in Washington DC?

If no such communication, consent or right of representation was given, then by what doctrine, or legal principle do the jurisdictions of US authority depend?

Background:
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues will be addressing the issue of the impact and effect of international borders on the Nations of Indigenous Peoples and their territories at the next session in April of 2010.  Following through on the call by the Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus, the Permanent Forum will be addressing the Human Rights violations resulting from immigration enforcement policies and laws, with particular focus on the situation in Maricopa County.

Beginning with the intellectual and religious rationalization of the Doctrine of Discovery given by the Papal Bull Inter Caetera of 1493, the systematic and genocidal policies of the government states of the Americas that perpetuate colonization to this day require that the liberal elements of their national societies remain in alignment and in collusion with the lies and policies of European American (white) supremacy.

Now, In the territories of Arizona and the Greater Southwest, the wake up call from the nightmare of Manifest Destiny resounds with the call for a National Human Rights Movement, strategically linked to the international movement for Human Rights across the planet.

Otherwise, the capitulation of the regional movement of social justice in North America is foreseen. The control mechanisms of control, and political manipulation by power brokers results in the framing of the issues solely with the context of the “jurisprudence of oppression”: the legal systems of the colonizing states that will only allow for “comprehension” (read: comprehensive) in terms of the self affirming Doctrines of Dominion and racial profiling that place the European American power structures (both Anglo-American and Hispanic-American) in discriminatory positions of power and preference over the Nations and Pueblos of Indigenous Peoples, and our relatives – whether or not they may  be documented as “citizens” of one or the other republics that are themselves derivatives of a universally acknowledged illegal colonization of our continent, Abya Yala.

Tupac Enrique Acosta
NAHUACALLI
Embassy of the Indigenous Peoples
www.nahuacalli.org

Chiapas to Izalco, El Salvador

I’m playing catch up right now as you can see.  So here are the places that I’ve was:

Comitan de Dominguez, Oct 7-8

Huetuetenango, Guatemala Oct 9

San Miguel Uspantan Oct 10

El Quiche, Guatemala Oct 10

Coban Libertad Oct 11

Tikal Oct 12

Nahuizalco, El Salvador Oct 15

From the Zapatista community in Morelia we hit the road towards the border and stayed the night in Comitan de Dominguez.  It was a nice school that we stayed in.  After crossing the border into Guatemala, we had no where to stay.  Luckily these people that saw us running down the road offered to find us a place to stay.  We ended up at a Fire Department and slept in a big hall they had there.

Snap, I just remembered from here we had to split the group up, because one of the vans broke down and needed to stay back and get repairs.  This is where Justin got a gun pulled out on him and they wanted his staff.  Somehow he got out of it without speaking any spanish!

We ended up in some small town with no where to stay and we had no idea where the other runners were at.  It was raining all night that night.  Finally Jose and the rest of the crew showed up and we got to stay in a motel.

From there we made it to Coban, where we stayed with an indigenous rights group.  There was really no where for us to sleep, so we had to cram in on this little piece of concrete that was covered from the rain.  My tent decided to fall apart that night, but it worked good enough to keep all the bugs out.

The next day we went to Tikal and I almost lost my passport!  Luckily someone found my bag back at the center and brought it to me at Tikal.  That day we joined with hundreds of others for Indigenous Peoples Day and practiced ceremony.  This was a great day.

The next day we made our way back to the city.  Again we didn’t have a place to sleep that night, but luckily these people saw us a stop light and decided to let us stay at there house.  It was crazy, they didn’t even know who we were and they let like 15 people stay at their house.

The next day we went back to Coban and stayed at some kind of halfway house for recovery addicts, I think?  I was so tired I just wanted to sleep.

From there we hit our next border, which always sucked.  Crossing borders was the biggest hassle and not having proper paper work didn’t help, but we made it across.

We were held up for so long at the border that we were not able to make it to our destination.  We ran to Nahuizalco, but drove to Izalco to sleep (Oct 16).

Tomorrow my story continues on our crazy trip across El Salvador.

Comitan de Dominguez, Chiapas, Mexico

Enrique from Washington, doing Danza for the kids in Izalco

The ferry that took the two vans across a river to get to Tikal

Peace and Dignity Runners at Tikal

Tikal, Guatemala – Indigenous Peoples Day

On the road into Guatemala

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Morelia Caracol IV, Chiapas

After resting another day at CIDECI and going over to San Cristobal de las Casas to check out the plaza and artesenia, we headed to our next destination at Caracol IV, Morelia, Chiapas.  It was a good distance to get there, but we finally made it.  We traveled through Zapatista territory and beautiful country very rich soil.

We arrived at the Caracol, but there weren’t many people there.  Many were working the land or at a large gathering that was taking place that week.  It was good to be there and we even had Charlotzi and a few other runners join us for the day.

Runners arriving at caracol IV

The Sky

Oventic, Chiapas, Zapatista Caracol 2

We left Acteal on our way to Oventic, Zapatista Caracol numero dos.  Before leaving we were presented with a very sacred item from the community at Acteal.  We added the item to the bundle of staffs that we will be carrying with us on our journey to Panama.  From there the item that is now a sacred staff will travel in a bundle to Alaska in 2012.  This staff will then travel North America all the way back to Chiapas to be returned to it’s home.  Along the way it will the carry the message of the people from Acteal and the massacre that occurred there due to the violent Mexican Army.

The community traveled with us in the back of a truck they obtained to join us in our journey down the mountain road that took us to Oventic.  It was great seeing the people carry the sacred staffs down the mountain roads with us on our journey.

Sign posted on road to Caracol

Once arriving at Oventic, we waited for the council to grant us permission to enter for the evening.  Once allowing us to enter we all gathered up and handed the sacred staff over to the Zapatistas who carried them into the community and into the big cabin they have built for the gatherings.

Mujeres with Staff from Mayan community

Once inside we listened to the Women Zapatista who was in charge read off their letter of solidarity and support of the Peace and Dignity Journey.

Comandante Ernesto Che Guevarra, Hero for the oppressed!!

After we hung out for awhile and checked out all of the cool murals painted on the buildings there.

Welcoming committee

Acteal, Chiapas

From Cedici we went to visit Las Abejas, an organization that works to support the indigenous rights and autonomy of indigenous and human rights of the people in Acteal.  We arrived in a very foggy highland and walked down into their village.  We congragated in a small cement auditorium that was actually the roof of a tomb where laid buried the bodies of the villagers that had been massacred by the Mexican Army.

We layed the staffs down on this tomb and sang songs and exchanged cultures with the people.

Check out this wonderful blog entry from one of our friends from CEDICI, Charlotzi

Staffs Laying on top of pine needles in Acteal with Las Abejas

Arriving in Acteal, check out banner at top

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

What an ironic name que-no?  Anyways, this place is totally for tourist.  This must be the place everyone comes to when they say their going to Chiapas.  Fortunately we didn’t have to stay here.  We were lucky enough to stay at a really cool place that is a school for native people from the region.  It was so nice staying there.  The school has an acronym that I cant remember exactly, I think it’s CEDICI or something like that.  I will post more info on this later.  I didn’t take any pictures while I was there.  I’m not sure why and if I did I”m not sure what happened to them.  I’m sure some of the other runners have pictures from this.

The next day we would travel to Acteal, and I do have pictures from that.  I will probably have to post those later.  We would also go to Oventic on Saturday then back to CEDICI.  Stay tuned for some great pics from the few days I was in Chiapas!

For now I’ll leave you with this: