WPPD 2011 HISTORY

HISTORY WPPD                                                                  POSTER

This poster was designed to honor our spiritual teachers from the past to present who preserved these teachings for our children and the generations to come.  This interpretation was taken from LAKOTA STAR KNOWLEDGE STUDIES IN LAKOTA STELLAR THEOLOGY; by Ronald Goodman; copyright Sinta Gleska University in Rosebud, S.D.; 1992.

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The vortex design on the poster is the central symbol of the Sioux Nation Stellar Theology.

 

The vortex above is a star and the vortex below is the earth. This represents a mirroring image, sacred above is sacred below.  A second meaning of the symbol the vortex above is the sun, and the vortex below represents sundancers.

 

The vortex with the apex is the tipi symbol, the elders describe this as replicating the creation of the world.

 

This vortex symbol is also known as a parfleche design created by a Lakota woman's interpretation of the nature of reality; the central symbol is the Kapemni: where the two points meet.  This symbol can also represent a mandala; which is an abstract representation of the nature of the universe.

 

The theological significance of this symbol was quoted by Mr. John Colhoff; a Dakota man living in Pine Ridge: "AN HOURGLASS FIGURE (TWO TRIANGLES JOINED AT THEIR APEX, KA-PE-MINI) REPRESENTS A PRAYER.  THE LOWER PART (TRIANGLE HAS TO DO WITH THE EARTH AND THE UPPER PART IS THE HEAVENS.  THIS DESIGN REPRESENTS A PRAYER FROM EARTH GOING TO HEAVEN AND BEING MET HALF WAY BY THE THE HEAVENLY BODIES."

 

The medicine wheel in the middle symbolizes the spiritul power of the life force of the Great Spirit.  This emcompasses many teachings; the oneness of male and female, and the four directions meanings.  The materilazation of spirit shows itself through the emergence of the four elements: Water-West, Air-North, Fire-East, Earth-South.  The four colors of the medicine wheel represents the four colors of man.

 

Submitted by:

 

Sheldon Peters Wolfchild

 

 

Verbal Permission of this interpretation of Star Knowledge was given by Victor Douville: Instructor of Lakota Studies Department, Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud   

History of World Peace and Prayer Day

“All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer”

The birth of the Sacred White Buffalo, “Miracle”, in Wisconsin in 1994 served as a signal to the Dakota / Lakota / Nakota Communities as they remembered prophecies that were spoken generations ago about a time that the earth would be changing and the hope of mending the Hoop of All Nations. 

Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Spiritual Leader, Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, was directed to begin a spiritual journey and he committed to organize World Peace and Prayer Day in the Four Directions that would be held annually on the summer solstice, June 21^st.

WEST:  In 1996 Chief Looking Horse led a Unity Ride of Bigfoot Riders from the Wahpeton Dakota Reservation, Saskatchewan to Grey Horn Butte (He Hota Paha) Wyoming, called Devils Tower on current maps. This is the site of the first World Peace and Prayer Day.

NORTH: In 1997 World Peace and Prayer Day journeyed to the North at the Joseph Big Head Reserve Cree Nation.  

EAST: In 1998 they journeyed to the Pipestone Monument in Pipestone, Minnesota for the third WPPD.  

SOUTH: The fourth WPPD took place in the South in Costa Rica.

Chief Looking Horse fulfill the prophecy and his commitment of honoring the Four Directions.

The ceremony returned to the center “Heart of Everything that  is" ( Paha Sapa) the Sacred Black Hills in South Dakota for a wopila (thank you) ceremony.  During this ceremony, it was determined that World Peace and Prayer Day needed to continue around the world to four continents of the four colors of all human relatives. 

The journey began in Ireland  in 2001, Durban, South Africa in 2002, Australia in 2003 and Japan in 2004.

In 2005 the WPPD ceremony then returned to Paha Sapa, the Sacred Black Hills for another wopila (thank you).
The Wolakota Youth Council embarked on a large scale project called Prayer Run for World Peace 2005.  This project included both First Nation tribes and many non-native youth from all cultures across the nation.  Starting in May 2005 groups from the four directions started their run.  Los Angeles, CA in the west, Manitoba, Canada in the north, Long Island, New York in the east and the southern group from Mexico and El Paso, TX.  The youth concluded their run in the Black Hills to participate in the 10^th annual World Peace and Prayer Day.  There was also a Prayer Ride for World Peace that started from Cypress Hills Saskatchewan.  A Horse Bundle was carried by the riders on a route that brought them across Montana and through many Tribal communities.  As many as 15 youth stayed on their horses all the way to the event.  It was a beautiful sight to see the horses and runners come in to the beginning of World Peace and Prayer Day.  They brought all their prayers in one hoop of unity.

2006:  A Prayer Run for World Peace started in Vancouver, British Columbia that spanned 2,261.75 miles to the site of World Peace and Prayer Day in Eklutna, Alaska, hosted by the Inuit. 

2007: The Wolakota Youth Council also sponsored a Youth Prayer Run for World Peace that started in El Paso, TX and traveled over 1,600 miles to Mexico City, Mexico to the site of  Teotihuacan for the ceremony that was hosted by the Mayan.

2008: The ceremony journeyed to New Zealand to Whangarei.  The tribal communities of the Whangarei area mainly affiliate to the over-arching tribe known as Ngati Wai who were the hosts.   (wppdaotearoa2008.blogspot.com)

2009: The Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland, CA hosted the WPPD ceremony.  

2010: The fifteenth year of World Peace and Prayer Day was held at the Burgandy Brook Farm in Palmer, MA.  It was hosted by Blue Star Equiculture and honored the Horse Nation. (WPPD 2010)

For the past 15 years we have been humbled beyond words by those who have chosen to help make this multi-level event possible. Since 2006 we are promoting a mass awareness of “All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer” to encourage everyone to take time on June 21^st and join in the united prayer/meditation to heal relationships with each other and also with Grandmother Earth. 

Indigenous people around the world believe that the Summer Solstice is said to be a powerful time to pray for peace and harmony among all Living Beings.  It is in this spirit—this desire for a better world that will succeed.  Believe in Miracles!

WPPD will again be commemorated this year on June 21, 2011 around the globe. 

Spiritual leaders from around the world who have participated in WPPD will be joined by Hindu,
Muslim, Christian Jewish spiritual leaders for the first time meet at "The Gathering Place."
Bdote Minnesota the spot believed by the Dakota to be the Center of the World and the equivalent
of the Garden of Eden for their people.  

Could the 2011 World Peace and Prayer Day be the fulfillment of Dakota prophecy that after the
White Buffalo is born, the four colors of people from the Four Directions will come together at Bdote
to mend the Sacred Hoop  of All Nations?  

                                                           

       All are invited to come to Bdote (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota USA) June 18-21, 2011 to pray.