From Mary Powell-McConnell,
Copyright © 2000 Powell-McConnell
A group of roughly 20 Native American Indians, from the Native American communities in the Sonoran Desert Region are walking from the Sea of Cortez to Tucson (almost 240 miles) in 12 days. The walk began March 10, 2000, the group should reach their destination on March 21.Goals of the walk are to emphasize how combining traditional and scientific knowledge of desert foods and medicines can directly benefit contemporary communities of Native Americans, to heighten awareness about the epidemic of diabetes among Native American communities, and to promote inter-generational cultural exchanges among the Seri, Tohono O'odham, and Yaqui people.
The participants are eating traditional foods and using traditional medicines along the way to help retain these valuable pieces of cultural information. Comcaac (Seri) and O'odham have been sharing cultural knowledge along the way, transcending tribes and borders. They will be joined by Pasqua-Yaqui north of the border. The walkers are using traditional foods and medicines to promote the conservation of desert bio-diversity, cultural diversity, and their uses in human health.
All are encourage to participate in this walk in a kind of virtual way. Through the modern technologies of lap top computers, satellite phone modems, and the internet, daily journal uploads of the walk have been successful.
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For more information contact: Gary Nabhan or Yajaira F. Gray Phone: (520) 883-3007 E-mail: Desertwalk@desertmuseum.org
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
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