Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Members of the Barona Tribe and members of the Passamacodi Tribe of Maine

June 1, 2023 (East County, San Diego) — Local Native Americans are completing the longest indigenous prayer in U.S. history. “Run with the Sun” is the brainchild of lakeside resident Bobby Wallace, a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, hoping to save water across America.

“It’s been great to change the way people think about water everywhere,” Wallace said in an interview with ECM today. “We started running. With all water prayers, we traveled with the water, beyond the footprints of this continent, across the major waterways.”

The effort is supported by participants from the Barona, Sicuan, and Viejas Tribes of San Diego Eastern County, as well as other tribes across the United States.

The run began in Maine last July 12, with runners collecting water bottles from tribal members across the country. They will arrive in San Diego on June 14th for a ceremony on the beach near Friendship Park at the border, followed by a “Run for the Sun” concert on June 16th at Sicuan Reservation. The concert features multiple stages with many bands.

Wallace said he came up with the idea while walking in the Mojave Desert in 2019, concerned that “everywhere is losing water” due to pollution and climate change. Then an Ojibwa friend in Canada said to him: “Bobby, we have to start this. We need to bring awareness and prayers because the water is so polluted everywhere.”

The first leg of the run begins at the West Quody Lighthouse on the Maine-Canada border, “in the northeastern corner of America, the farthest point in the country,” Wallace recalled. There, women from tribes such as the Haudenosaunee of New York, the Passamokuodi of Maine, and the Navajo of Arizona, channeled the waters of their communities from the waters of the San Diego River and the Pacific Ocean to the historic Kumeyaai territory. blended.

“As they poured water, I watched them and looked out to sea,” Wallace said, recalling the time the storm surge surged past everyone’s feet and onto the shore.

After finishing half the continent last year, running was halted for the winter, leaving a peace pipe and eagle-winged staff in the Midwest to keep prayers alive. Earlier this year, Wallace, his son, and the runners, including his nephew, resumed their run through Kansas City to Arizona before heading to California.

Across America, people are more tolerant and concerned about water quality, Wallace said. He said a recent Supreme Court ruling barring the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating unconnected wetlands, and untreated sewage being pumped into the Pacific Ocean from Tijuana, Mexico, could lead to many beach closures in San Diego County. I am concerned about what is causing this. the past few weeks.

Photo, right: Bobby Wallace and the Navajo in Farmington, Arizona

in a little kororaWallace told ECM in the town of Lamar, where runners set up camp. “On the last day, we were sitting there and a little school bus came up. Little kids were waving at us. I did.”

He added: People now know that water is getting harder to drink. ”

Photo left: Hikarilo Apache people welcoming Run with the Sun participants

For Native Americans, the issue is both a health concern and a mental one. “Our view is that water is alive,” Wallace explains, adding that he has become concerned that “water is being killed everywhere.”

On June 14th, the runners will reach the end of their journey, arriving around 5pm at Friendship Park near the border where the polluted Tijuana River flows into the ocean. Native American bird-singers celebrate the arrival, followed by prayers and a pipe ceremony. Then, in a prayer for all waters, the waters of America will join the Pacific Ocean.

Wallace said these efforts “will hopefully bring more attention to not only clean water, but the planet as a whole. If everyone does their part, we can make things better.” said.

After a seaside prayer ceremony, runners continue their run through local mountain and desert tribal areas, ending in Sicuang on June 16th. There will be an awards ceremony for the participants from 10:45 am to 12:00 noon..

Two days of concerts will begin immediately after the ceremony and will take place on June 16th and 17th at the Sicuan Reservation on Dehesa Street in deincorporated El Cajon.

The music festival features artists from all genres including domestic artists, international recording artists, local bands, cultural performances, vendors and local artisans. The festival is an opportunity to showcase people from our community and give them a unique experience.

For a full list of bands and entertainment, or to purchase tickets ($40 general admission, $100 VIP per day), visit: https://runwiththesunmusicfest.org/ or visit https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=runwiththesunmusicfest.

“Everything is open to everyone,” Wallace says of prayer practices and concerts. “Because we are all working on this together.”