Marathon to reawaken indigenous cultures

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Runners on an epic relay that will link North and South America next October

in Mexico City have started their journey and will be passing through Alberta over the next two to three weeks.

Ten athletes started the 6,000 kilometre North American leg of the journey marking the 500th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the west on May 2 in Tok, Alaska.

They are now across the Canadian border and making their way through the Yukon, said Juan Salazar, a representative of Kalpulli, the indigenous group organizing the journey for Peace and Dignity.

The runners are carrying a ceremonial staff which passed to different groups participating in different legs of the relay as it winds its way through the United States towards Mexico.

The South American leg of the run starts in Argentina. Participants there will carry a painal, a bundle of sacred artifacts, as they make their way towards Mexico City.

The marathon is scheduled to conclude Oct. 12, the anniversary of Columbus' arrival, with a celebration organizers hope will draw as many as 100,000 people. Pat Cutknife, a Hobbema resident who is organizing the Alberta stretch of the run, estimated as many as 10,000 runners may have taken part in the run by the time it reaches Mexico.

Journey organizers say the marathon is based on traditional prophecies and symbolizes the end of the "500 years of invasions" that followed European contact.

"We have resisted being absorbed into the western culture," said Tlakaelel, a spiritual organizer for the event from Kapulli's offices in Mexico City during a recent visit to Edmonton.

"We are organizing the Journey so that indigenous cultures of North and South America can unite - so that we can create a crusade to lift the spirit of all people."

Tlakaelel said the inspiration for the marathon comes from a traditional message passed down from Central and South American indigenous tribes following the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

The leaders at that time told their people to keep their culture hidden from the conquerors so that the language and traditions might survive until they could be brought back into the open.

"We are preparing ourselves to be part of the great changes that will be happening to the planet over the next few years," he said. "We believe we can offer the right elements so the world can find the right road.

Besides reawakening indigenous cultures, the marathon will also help raise environmental awareness," Tlakaelel said. Runners on the journey will hold tree planting ceremonies symbolizing peace and man's connection with nature.