Spirit Walking

By Beth and Barry Gilmer

Getting involved with politics is not my idea of a good time. With this in mind, I found myself one beautiful, sunny September day sitting on Capitol Hill in Washington D. C. We were preparing to meet with Congressmen and/or Senators, really any one of influence who would lend a sympathetic ear to our cause. I wondered to myself how this could have come to be?

Months before, while researching honeymoon locations out in South Dakota, I came across an intriguing web site called Seven Fires. They stated that a Spirit Walk was going to begin in South Dakota near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. These brave souls would walk from there to Washington, D.C. Their purpose was to spread the word about the children of the reservation in conjunction with the Lakota Project.

The Pine Ridge Reservation is a very economically poor Lakota reservation. There are no casinos nor government checks that some assume every Native American receives. Not only is Pine Ridge the poorest reservation, it is the poorest area per capita in the entire United States!

These conditions for the wealthiest nation in the world are just downright unacceptable, especially for the original peoples and true founders of this piece of Earth we have branded the Americas. Children go to school hungry and shabbily dressed and, sadly, almost forgotten. Almost forgotten, except by a handful of spirited individuals from every walk of life who believe with every step they take that they can and will make a difference.

The Spirit Walk and the Lakota Project are more than a crusade about poverty. Their passion comes from ancient times and rites—about saving the language and the culture of these incredible people. The Lakota Project is geared towards an immersion center, where Lakota children can be enveloped in their culture as well as their endangered language. This will be a place of learning. Learning about their rich culture they ascend from, a place to be taught to speak their beautiful language that is almost extinct. On the reservation only two percent of the children speak or are even exposed to their native tongue. Traditions are not performed as once were and, if something is not done soon, the culture will die.

You might ask, “Why do we care after so many languages have been lost; what difference does it make if we can still communicate?” Allow me, humbly, to try to explain.

Language is so important. It expresses who we are, our beliefs from the inside out. Words can cut like a knife or heal like a salve. Words can express every emotion and send them to the receiver over distance and time. Yes, we can communicate in any language, but as we all know, in translation it always loses the exact intended message.

Lakota is the prime example of this. For instance, there is not a word in Lakota for “I,” only ”we” or “us,” because they have never thought of being separate from one another. Lakota is a beautiful and soulful language. It has deep roots that recede into the Lakota traditions. Teaching the language alone would be like memorizing a script instead of living the words to make the connection to a deeper accord of life. Have you ever experienced someone calling you and they are obviously reading a script? Do you believe what they are saying to be true? Do you believe they are passionate about their product?

This is the same with language. Knowing where it came from, the reason it is spoken, the way it is spoken, gives insight and strength to the words. It gives Lakota children pride of where and whom they came from and hope for their future. If you separate the two, all you end up with is empty words which, unfortunately, has caused the Native Americans too much grief already.

The Senators and Congressmen never came, they sent their aides. It seems they did not find it important enough to greet these weary walkers.

John, the Spirit Walker’s leader, smiled and said, “It was never about Washington, the true journey was along the way. Meeting and speaking with all of you who joined us, spreading the word. Every step we took was a prayer, every song we sang was a prayer. Every new person we met was a gift. The manifestation has begun.”

We believe that when love and knowledge is shared it will spread like the fires on the prairies. Fires that burn warm and bright to shine on the darkness of oppression.

This article is our humble way of helping to stoke the fires.

For more information or to help with this worthy project,
please contact The 7 Fires Foundation at (541) 347-7801 or visit their web site at www.7fires.org.

Beth and Barry Gilmer live in Southeastern Ohio in the foot hills of the Appalachians. They are creating a retreat center. Beth is a massage therapist. Barry is of Native American descent, performs energy healing with his native knowledge, and is a ceremonial pipe maker. They offer workshops and All Nations-based ceremonies. For more information, please contact them at redtailhawkshealinghouse@hotmail.com.