Bikers to Pay Homage to Indians Long Walk 

WINDOW ROCK — A memorial biker run will be held to honor the history of the Long Walk June 18 and June 19.

"(We want) to pay spiritual reverence to honor the ancestors who were lead there," said Etta Arviso, one of the organizers of the run.

The Hweeldi Beenilniih run, sponsored by the Diné Nation Bikers, will leave Farmington early on June 18, travel through Albuquerque, and then on to Fort Sumner. A camp out and traditional prayer services will be held. The run is scheduled to end in Window Rock on June 19.

The importance of the run, said Arviso, is to "start a new trend in the right direction" "(It's the) confirmation of identity and to commemorate our ancestors in their struggles," she said.

Talking about "our people and to educate the younger ones about their heritage" is something that is not being done, Arviso said.

The Long Walk removed and relocated the Navajo and Mascalero Apache people in 1863 and 1864. A military campaign lead by Kit Carson in 1863 destroyed and starved thousands of Navajos forcing them to surrender in 1864.

More than 8,000 Navajos walked over 300 miles from Arizona to an internment camp in New Mexico. Four years of harsh conditions, diseases, and scarce food ended with the signing of the Treaty of 1868.

Nearly 2,000 men, women, and children died during their imprisonment.

The sacrifices made by Diné ancestors yesterday are what encourages preservation of culture and language today, said Virginia Edegwater, another organizer of the run.

"A lot of them don't know that," Edgewater said. "We want them to speak their language...and they're not speaking it."

Legislation that eliminates Diné language like English-only laws contrasts what older Navajo fought for, Edgewater said.

"We want (our leaders) support in areas of thoughts, respect, and acknowledgment," Edgewater said.

The National Park Service is conducting a feasibility study to name the Long Walk to its list of National Historic Trails. To be named as a National Historic Trail, the Long Walk must demonstrate its impact on the heritage of the United States. The final feasibility study and environmental impact study is scheduled to be completed in June 2005.

A caravan will follow the run and parents are encouraged to bring their children.

For more information on the run's ceremonies, contact Etta Arviso at (505) 564-1081 or Virginia Edgewater at (505) 360-0427. Bikers can contact Irvin Tsosie at (505) 598-1273 or Leonard Reeder at (928) 871-2251.