Odyssey of the 8th FIre

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

- Aldo Leopold

Day 174 - Wednesday, December 13, 1995 - Rita Sebastian’s twin sister, Marsha Monestersky, has joined the Sunbow walk as of a few days ago. She will stay with our pilgrimage as we pass through the region.

Marsha has been living near Hopi and Black Mesa for a several years, and has immersed herself in the political and legal wranglings among the Hopi, the Navajo (Dineh), the Peabody Coal Company, and the federal government. She is a highly controversial figure. While some people welcome her advocacy, others see her as a troublemaker.

Today Marsha introduced the Sunbow 5 walkers to Avery Denny, a practitioner of the Navajo Night Way healing ceremony and an instructor at Dineh College. He sat and talked with the walkers.

Black Mesa - In norwestern Arizona. Considered a crucial sacred site for the Hopi and Navajo (Dineh). Considered a source of great mineral wealth by the U.S. Government and the Peabody Coal Company. The Sunbow 5 pilgrimsare beginning to learn about this site, and will walk there in prayer in a few days.

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“As Navajo,” Avery said, “we are very holistic. We have a spiritual mind that we that we go by. Some people, they call it ‘primitive mind’ or ‘savage mind,' but no. That is our intelligence: to interrelate with nature and the elements, the energy that's within these different creations, the natural resources that we have.

“As a Navajo, as a Dineh, we still believe in the natural cosmic order of life, that is the one that still governs, controls our lives, and we call that ‘natural law.’ And then, the things that we use to pray, to sing, to keep balance, to keep that harmony within this creation -- we still go by that.”

“We use our songs and our prayer to protect the nations. Now, we need your help, to protect our land, to save our land here at Black Mesa, so that we can live in peace and balance. We want to get out of this suffering that we see everyday in our lives. We want to protect the Earth. We need your help.“

Navajo pottery - Made in beauty, of the Earth.

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I spoke with Scott Kecken briefly on the phone. He told me, “I'll always remember walking up towards the mesas in Hopi with a black SUV up the road, and guy in it taking photos of us with a telephoto lens. Of course, the SUV had government plates. I often wonder if they got a picture of my good side or not."

This is at least the third time that our Sunbow 5 Walk for the Earth has been under government surveillance. We cannot help but wonder why the government would spend as much as two cents of taxpayer money checking out our motley crew of pilgrims, each and every one of us dedicated to peace, and to praying for the Sacred Hoop, which includes everyone and everything. How could we possibly be regarded as any kind of a threat to anything?

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Read Day 175 -- Odyssey of the 8th Fire