Indigenous peoples have engaged in spiritual running for thousands of years and continue their traditions of running today. To many Indigenous nations, running is ceremonial and has deeply spiritual and traditional meanings. Runners also served as messengers. The Peace and Dignity Journeys, a series of runs across the Americas, are continuing those ancient running traditions. The purpose of this series of Indigenous runs, held every four years since 1992, is to fulfill the Condor and Eagle Prophecy, a prophecy held by the Taino people and other primarily South American Indigenous nations. Above is a photograph of a pair of Andean Condors. The California Condor went extinct in the wild in 1987, but has been recently reintroduced (see photo at right).

To some Indigenous nations, the Eagle represents the male principle of our planet, and the Condor is the female principle. The prophecy states that once the European settlers arrived the balanced principles of Indigenous nations were devastated and the Eagle (men) have dominated for the past 500 years. Through these spiritual runs, the balance between the principles of women and men is returning--the Condor is being brought back into Her rightful place of honor. The 500-year cycle of disharmony is closing. These runs are meant to heal the Indigenous peoples, but ultimately, the Earth and all people will find healing once the female/male principles are righted after the tragic disruptions brought by colonization of the Americas.

This year's Peace and Justice Run routes began at Chickaloon, Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The East coast route began in New York and ended in Georgia.

Running has had an ancient place in most Indigenous nations and continues to be practiced. From an Olympic Gold medalist (Lewis Tewanima who won the Gold in 1912 pictured at left) to contemporary Hopi teens winning cross-country championships these are but a few examples. Navajo runners have risen before dawn to run into the rising sun for centuries. The Sac and Fox Olympiad, Jim Thorpe, remains legendary in American history with his 1912 Olympic victories (pictured here in his football uniform).

 The Seneca runner, Deerfoot, out-competed the best long-distance runners in the world in the mid-1800s (pictured below).

On April 18 of this year, Native American running culture was featured in an all-day event by the Boston Athletic Association and Harvard University, among others, in the days before the Boston Marathon. Featured at this event was Patti Dillon, a Micmac Indian pictured below, the first American woman to break 2:30 in the Marathon. In the photograph from The Boston Globe, Patti Dillon runs near her home in New London, Connecticut. The 50-year-old veteran of the Boston Marathon and other races was training for the Honolulu Marathon, which she first won in 1978. (Globe Staff Photo / Jonathan Wiggs).

Though Indigenous and non-Native American peoples participate in the Peace and Dignity Journey runs, the Taino people have been central in coordinating and participating in the runs. Ironically, or perhaps unsurprising considering the power of Spirit, the Taino people were the first to meet and fall prey to Christopher Columbus and his men. And now, 500 years later, they are the keys to righting the spiritual imbalances in our world and bringing healing to all people, and animals and plants, here on Mother Earth. 

At left is  Amy Majagua'naru Ponce (Taino), PDJ runner and coordinator of the 2016 East Coast route, receiving a necklace with turtle symbolism crafted by artist Claudia Foxtree as a thank you gift from Roberto Borrero at the closing ceremony. (photograph by Amy Morris)