PRAYER WALK for our OLD GROWTH FORESTS

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MEETING @ 11am BC Legislature lawn

Welcoming all ages to join The Protectors of the Salish Sea, The Dzunuk'wa Society and Mamas Movement in prayer, reverence, love and healing for our sacred ECO-SYSTEM on mother earth.

Our Old Growth is worth more standing. Our Tree relatives help provide a home for the salmon people, the animal people, the plant people, and the insect people. Without these sacred allies, the human people are lost. How do we respect these sacred allies home and allow life to truly flourish on our sacred earth? Would you allow someone to come into your home and destroy it?

Indigenous wisdom understands the sacred balance of life. We, humans, are equal to nature, our role is not to control nature but to see our true place in the circle as sacred stewards, to see our tree people and all life as our relatives. We must learn to only harvest what we need and to only harvest in balance & respect with the greater ecosystem needs.

The current system is built on short-term industry profit and a talk-and-log attitude. Nature is seen as a commodity. These actions have only brought our civilization into the shadows of our deepest, collective nightmares. On Aug 9th, 2021 A Code Red emergency was declared by the United Nations. We are witnessing the sixth mass extinction. What are we leaving for the next seven generations?

Many nations are speaking up to protect their sacred lands and speak out against these atrocities and we welcome you to come join the Prayer walk with us. This prayer is in support of all people who call for an end to the devastation of their lands at the hands of industry.

On June 8th all the deferrals but one will be lifted on the Pacheedhat and Ditidaht territory and road building will begin on into the Ada'istx/Fairy Creek watershed. Pacheedaht Elder Bill Jones is calling us to gather again in the protection of this sacred watershed, it is one of the last intact ancient forest watersheds on the Jaun Du fuca river system in so-called British Columbia

We would like to take a moment to recognize and bring attention to the many nations currently calling an end to old-growth logging on their unceded territories for you all to take the time to research and learn more about during our circle. These territories are neighbors to the Ada'istx/Fairy Creek watershed. Hereditary Chief Sonny Wallas of the Quatsino Nation as well as Hereditary Chief David Knox and other hereditary chiefs, elders and matriarchs Kwakiulth First Nations have called for an end to old-growth logging on their unceced territories.

We cannot continue this capitalist greed and colonial mindset or we will face our own extinction, we must remember the balance.

We are powerful when we remember we are stronger together and when we come together in unity in our hearts. Let us come together with the power of prayer and unify our intentions as another step for positive change.

DETAILS ABOUT THE WALK::

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We are so grateful to WSANEC land defender and Coast Salish storyteller Chiyokten for his guidance and support in leading the prayer walk. He is welcoming the voices of other neighboring nations to come to contribute to the prayer walk and circle.

🌲We will meet at the BC Legislature lawn @ 11 am. The prayer walk portion of this gathering will be about 1 hour for the rest of the time we will come together in a sacred circle.

🌲The pace of the walk is slow to stay together and keep up with elders and children. After the prayer walk, we will return to the altar in a circle, where we will share more prayers, songs, food, and words together.

🌲Come learn in a sacred circle from Indigenous elders, hereditary chiefs, and matriarchs from different Indigenous nations.

🌲Prayers and Traditional songs from different nations will be shared in the circle and along the prayer walk.

🌲There will be a traditional Sisiwes (Four Directions) Altar. You are invited to bring items to be blessed on the altar that represents anything in this world to be healed

🌲All ages are welcome.

🌲Please take care of yourself. Dress according to the weather bring your own water and light snacks.

🌲You are welcome to share and bring gifts for the Indigenous wisdom keepers who are present, hosting and sharing their prayers during this walk and circle gathering.

🌲During the walk portion there will be a team staying with the altar. Please bring a folding chair and some extra chairs if you have some for others to sit on. We will be offering chairs to our elders first. If you are unable to go for the walk portion of the gathering you are welcome to stay with the altar.

🌲This Prayer Walk is being organized on the unceded lək̓ʷəŋən territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and the organizers call on all participants to be respectful of this. We ask that people who come to remember long-standing requests from local people to "walk with good minds and hearts”.

🌲We would like to acknowledge all forests grow on the territories of Indigenous Peoples, and when we stand together for our sacred ecosystems and all the life that lives within them, we also stand for the return of the land to Indigenous Peoples.

Learn about different organizations hosting this walk ::

The Protectors of the Salish Sea

https://www.facebook.com/ProtectorsOfTheSalishSea/

The Dzunuk'wa Society

https://www.dzunukwasociety.com/

Mamas Movement

https://www.mamasmovement.com/

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🌲Organizing transportation::

There is a post in the discussion area for arranging carpooling. Please use the discussion thread to ask the greater community for rideshare. Also if you have room please let others know in this thread.

If any Elders from local Nations need transportation to/from the rally, please contact mamasmovement@gmail.com and we will do our best to sort out a ride for you.

🌲Volunteers::

If you would like help and volunteer your service in kind to the prayer walk, we need your help.

We also need marshals, set-up/take down, donation of the use of a pop-up tent for shade for elder care, extra lawn chairs for elders to use, and crew to carry Species at Risk banners on the day of the event.

If any of these volunteer roles sound like a good fit or, if you are unsure about these roles but want to lend a helping hand, get in touch today, and our volunteer coordination crew and they will happily connect you to the volunteer team

🌲Email mamasmovement@gmail.com :: with your name, phone number, and the volunteer role you’re most interested in (if any)

✨O siam, Klecko Klecko, Blessed Be and Thank You, we hope to see you the day of the walk.✨

https://fb.me/e/14V4pwlKi

Welcoming you to join us womb keepers for a day of eco-embodiment and ceremony in the Ancient Forest. We will be co-creating a beautiful day long immersion together to tune in to the land, celebrate the nature that we are, and build harmonic resonance in solidarity together.

As the deferral for logging of Fairy Creek is lifting on June 8th, we are getting creative -- Elder Bill Jones has given us permission and blessed us to be there on the land to connect and pray and play in this way.

We will have professional videographer Ian MacKenzie joining us as a sacred witness to this day, and putting together a short film to raise the heart of awareness for this cause.

We are looking for co-creators for this gathering, as well as participants that wish to receive and bask with us.

Please let us know by May 20th if you'd like to collaborate!

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We unite within the reciprocal breath of Life

We remember ourselves as nature embodied.

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