Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2023

We are all Relatives in this Dance
and Together we are Choosing the Pulsebeat of Life

Dear community of explorers,

As the seasons change and visions are clarified, many recall the First Peoples of the lands on which they walk. 

Much of the food and medicine and even astronomy has arisen through the earlier peoples of the Americas and the most significant lesson supporting us even now, is that we are woven in the tapestry of Earth’s life and that our hearts and even our craniosacral pulses resonate with the pulse of the Earth and the Sky’s conversation.

Just as the wind flows around the world, whatever thought is generated through joy or ignorance, also resonates through the atmosphere. 

Individuals cooperating create communities of strength and integrity when recalling the sacredness of life and appreciation and the mindfulness to generate the thought, word and action that is wisdom and life-force enhancing. Weather changes, people change and we all have an option to grow into the natural wisdom of the heart’s cooperation.

With the Vatican recently stating the error of the law that saw the Original Peoples of the Americas as “less than,” still we are to make a change in how we view our walk on the Earth together from dominion over to co-operation, creating a world of beauty. 

We, like the trees are linked through our roots in the Earth and the moment. Just as the older trees share information with those newly growing, let us remember we are also examples to the younger ones and that we are all interconnected through the threading roots of life.


Sincerely,

Venerable Dhyani Ywahoo


INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY OCT. 9, 2023

Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the past, present, and futures of Native peoples throughout the US. The holiday recognizes the legacy and impact of colonialism on Native communities, and it also celebrates the cultures, contributions, and resilience of contemporary Native peoples. It is an annual celebration held on the second Monday in October every year in the U.S.. Indigenous peoples in other nations have lobbied to have holidays established to recognize their contributions and history. In South America, for instance, Brazil celebrates “National Indigenous Peoples’ Day” on April 19.

There are 10 U.S. states that officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont. Some tribal groups in Oklahoma celebrate Native American Day in lieu of Columbus Day, with some groups naming the day in honor of their individual tribes. 

The idea for Indigenous Peoples’ Day was first proposed in 1977 at the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas hosted by the United Nations. However, it would only be in 1990 at the First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance that indigenous peoples from across the Americas would decide that 1992 would be a year of unity across the continents and a celebration of liberation. This was the 500th anniversary of the first voyages of Christopher Columbus.