AWR 2011-The Elders

THE ELDERS

	Sobonfu Some Born to the Dagara Tribe of West Africas Bukino Faso, Sobonfu's name means keeper of the rituals. She was guided from an early age to prepare for her life’s work, as divined by the elders of her village before her birth. She is considered one of the foremost voices in African spirituality to come to the West. Through her teachings and books, she shares the rich spiritual life and culture of her people in a manner that exudes grace and eloquence. Through workshops, ritual and divination, she connects todays world with the ancestors and spreads the message of the importance of spirit, community and ritual in our lives.
	Tata Erick Gonzalez Also known by his Tolteca-Azteca name OmeAkaEhekatl and his Haida tribal name Gaada (supernatural light) Tata Erick is a lineage-holder and Daykeeper of the Cakchikel Maya of Guatemala. He trained in the ceremonial way for 32 years with indigenous healers and medicine people from North, Central, and South America and was ceremonially initiated as a Mayan Aj Qij (staff of light) in 1994. His Earth Peoples United is creating two models of spiritual land stewardship: one in Guatemala on the shores of Lake Atitlan, and one north of Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
	Whaea Raina Ferris Raina Atareta Ferris is a member of the Māori Ngāti Kahungunu iwi (tribe) of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Tracing her heritage through a lineage of warrior women, Raina lives rurally in the small township of Porangahau. From an early age, Raina learned the rituals entrusted to her family, caretakers of the local marae (meeting grounds). Today she is helping her people reclaim their ancestral wisdom which had been watered down by several generations of colonization and missionary presence. Her particular emphasis is on the role of Māori women in the spiritual welfare of the marae and the community.
	Kawan Sangaa Woody Morrison Kawan Sangaa began his training as a History Keeper for the Haida people at the age of three. Heir to the chief of the Whale House, he has sat in ceremony with tribal elders from around the world and has been an active planner and participant in international conferences on environmental, economic and health issues.He is president of the Vancourver Society of Storytelling and on the board of directors of Wisdom of the Elders, a non-profit organization that records and preserves indigeous oral traditions and cultural arts in order to regenerate the greatness of culture among native peoples.
	Vedamurti Shri Vivek Shastri L. Godbole From a lineage of 15 generations of learned practitioners of the Krishna Yajur Veda, Shri Vivek is the main teacher and principal of Sri Krsna-Yajurveda Pathasala, a school in Satara, India, which specializes in the revitalization of the Oral Tradition of the Vedas. Shri Vivek is an accomplished Vedic astrologer and is widely known for his evocative Vedic chanting and his love of performing yajna (Vedic fire ritual). In addition, he is recognized for his accessible and fascinating explanations of Vedic philosophy, ritual and culture.
CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS	Grandmother Sara (Smith) Born to the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Tribe, she has always lived on the Iroquois Six Nations Reserve. A leader in the Traditional Peoples movement for World Peace, she has travelled extensively throughout the world The teachings and prophecies she received from the Grandfathers and Grandmothers, her personal experiences, and Dreamtime inspire her sharing. She and her husband established the Roots 4 Peace Sharing Centre to promote Peace, Unity, Harmony, and Understanding among All Peoples, and dedicated it to the Children of Today and Those-Yet-Not-Here. Recently she served as Chair of the International Indigenous Elders of the Americas Summit held at Six Nations.
	Tsaurirrikame Eliot Cowan Initiated a Huichol marakame (shaman) in 1997 and tsaurirrikame or singer in 2004, Eliot was granted authority to teach and initiate marakame apprentices, a rare designation for someone not Huichol by birth. As a ceremonial leader, he guides pilgrims to several sacred sites, performs rites of passage, and is ritual manager for various tradition restoration projects. Eliot has reached hundreds of students through his reintroduction of Plant Spirit Medicine to the Western world and is founder and chairman of Blue Deer Center, a teaching and healing retreat center in the Catskills of New York state.
	**Squi qui "Ray" Williams** Ray Williams, Swinomish elder, relates his formal names as Squi qui, which comes from his mother’s mother and dates back through his Coast Salish blood line into time immemorial. He also carries the Sa?atil name, which comes from his father’s father and covers him in his travels, also Coast Salish. Ray considers it his good fortune that his elders continue to teach, advise and instruct him in the ways of his culture and ceremonial lifeways, and also support his efforts to serve as a bridge toward healing amongst all Peoples. Ray is a board member of The Seventh Generation Fund, which is dedicated to promoting and maintaining the uniqueness of Native peoples and the sovereignty of tribal Nations. His work in this area was recognized through an International Peace Award from Pax Christi in 1993.
	Tom B.K. Goldtooth A Dine’ (Navajo) of the Dibé izhiní clan on his mother’s side, Tom is Dakota Bdewakantonwan Hunka from Minnesota. His ceremonial Dakota name is Mato Awanyankapi (The Bears Look Over Him). A Sundance ceremonial leader, he is the Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, working for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, rights of Mother Earth and for environmental and economic justice. Tom has networked with Indigenous Peoples and spiritual/religious leaders globally helping humanity to re-evaluate their relationship to the sacredness of Grandmother – Mother Earth.

MEDIA PARTNERS

	Sacred Earth Pictures a new Seattle area film production company was co-founded by award-winning director Jan Nickman. A former producer/director for KING 5 and former co-founder of Miramar Images, he is known as a pioneering filmmaker and the recipient of two Emmys and a half dozen RIAA certified Double Platinum releases including “Natural States” and “The Mind’s Eye”.
	The Global Oneness Project is exploring how the radically simple notion of interconnectedness can be lived in our increasingly complex world. Their film library is available for free from thier website, through select broadcast outlets and DVD.