Run With the Sun

CROSS COUNTRY TRIBAL RUNNERS REACH PACIFIC OCEAN, HOLD BLESSING FOR ALL WATER

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Francie Alexander

 

June 21, 2023  (San Diego) –Native American tribal members completed a cross-country  Run with the Sun, culminating in a Prayer for All Water on June 14, 2023.

The Water Prayer Blessing included the arrival of runners and walkers at the Pacific Beach Pier, the laying down of the staffs used on the run/walk, and waters carried from across the U.S. to be blessed.

After the blessing, everyone was given the opportunity to pour some of the water into the ocean off of the pier.

The run began in Maine in July 12 last year, with runners collecting water vials from tribal members nationwide. The effort was led and inspired by Robert “Bobby” Wallace of Lakeside and supported by the Barona, Viejas and Sycuan tribes to draw attention to the need to protect our water resources.


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TRIBAL MEMBERS TO COMPLETE CROSS-COUNTRY RUN WITH THE SUN, PRAYER FOR ALL WATER: CONCERT AND CELEBRATION JUNE 16-17 AT SYCUAN

Update: Due to construction on the "barrier- the WALL"  organizers had to make adjustments and have the water merge at Imperial Beach by the pier on June 14. The driving access to the park will be gated. The water that was collected will still be taken/ran to the corner of Mexico and California. This was changed because this event is for everyone and easier for brothers and sisters with disabilities, according to a post on Bobby Wallace's Facebook page. 

By Miriam  Raftery

Photo, left:  Barona tribal members with Passamaquoddy tribal members in Maine

Photo,right: via "Run with the Sun" page of indigenousnetwork.org; Bobby Wallace (right) with run participants

June 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) --  Local Native Americans are about to complete the longest  indigenous prayer run in U.S. history. “Run with the Sun” is the brainchild of Lakeside resident Bobby Wallace, a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians,  in hopes of protecting waters across America.

“It’s been awesome making changes in people’s minds about water everywhere,” Wallace told ECM in an interview today.  “We started running, traveling with the water over every footstep of this continent, over every major waterway, with a prayer for all water.”

The effort is supported by the Barona, Sycuan and Viejas tribes in San Diego’s East County, as well as participants from other tribes across the U.S.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.