In October 2005, the Grandmothers Council sent a letter to the Vatican for the repeal of papal edicts dating back to 1493, which granted dominion to European nations over lands occupied by tribal peoples for thousands of years. Read more
Were you even aware that such an edict existed? I wasn't. I want to be sick, yet I'm also thrilled and grateful to this group for unearthing such acts of history and not tolerating their current standing.
As a person who truly believes that all people are equal and have equal gifts to share in coexistence, I see dire need for this work all around me. I try to make my contributions through my art and web development, as well as every day in the presence of others, yet these efforts are young and minimal. Though they won't stop, it can still be frustrating to see their lack of impact. I believe that this work needs to be done regardless, so its easy not to give up and to know that some day it will make a difference.
The Grandmothers are a panel of experts of peace, essentially, who come from all settled continents, and travel the world to pray at sites of peace and war. Despite their differences of heritage, they are of one mind when it comes to being concerned about the state of the world:
We are deeply concerned with the unprecedented destruction of our Mother Earth and the destruction of indigenous ways of life. We believe the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future. from grandmotherscouncil.org
Month by month, these women travel as a group to each others' places of origin throughout the world to pray for peace and unite their backgrounds in such solidarity. In October 2010 they will be traveling to Hiroshima, Japan, to pray for peace at the site where the atom bomb fell in WWII, in honor of one of their own, Grandmother Clara Shinobu Iura, who is of Japanese origin. These gatherings revolve around the protection of Indigenous lifestyles and cultures, including their medicines, religions, and not to mix them, but to share in order to "bring sustainability to our communities, to our peoples and to our planet."
It might be a tall order, but I'm going to try to embody any of this in all future art that I make. No matter what the topic, it carries with it a prayer for the coming together of all people in the name of peace. There is no longer any reason to feel doubtful of the notion that peace can be among all of us, especially if a group such as this is making it their life's work. I'm also going to get involved too.
As long as you would like to join me, you are more than welcome.
The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers is working for peace; spiritually, energetically, and in other ways we might not expect: