A bus pulled into a Main Street gas station Wednesday – not to fill their tank – but to ask for blessings upon Mother Earth. Observers noticed some of the group, dressed in various types of rain gear, forming a circle on the property adjacent to the gas station. Undaunted by the falling rain, they appeared to conduct a brief ritual which included ceremonial staffs and the burning of sage.
Who were these people and what were they doing in Cushing?
Walkers participating in The Longest Walk 2 (Southern Route) passed through Cushing on Wednesday on their way to Tulsa. This “walk,” organized and led by American Indian Movement co-founder Dennis J. Banks, tribal elders and walkers who participated in the original walk, is to continue the message from the Longest Walk 1978. The original walk was “an Indian spiritual walk, a historical walk, and a walk for educational awareness to the American and the world communities about the concerns of American Indian people.” The Longest Walk 2 began in San Francisco, Calif. (at Alcatraz) and will end in Washington D.C. Not only does it serve as a reminder of the original walk, but participants are walking to create awareness about the environment. They are walking to “protect sacred sites in our country and to promote positive change in the world.”
Approximately 80 – 100 people are said to be participating in the walk, including tribal members from all over the nation as well as many international participants including Nipponzan Miyohoji Buddhists from Japan.
For more information about the Longest Walk Southern Route, contact Michael Rojas at (510) 338-8694 or Larry BringingGood at (209) 242-1162 or go to www.longestwalk.org
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